How to Save Money on a Raw Food Diet

I shop at a variety of stores. I love getting what I want while saving money at the same time. 5 of my favorites are Grocery Outlet, the local Mexican market down the street, Whole Foods (also known as "Whole Check" lol), Trader Joes and Costco.

Grocery Outlet
I love this store because everything there is so cheap. They even have a few organic items on occasion: Salad Mix, Carrots, Celery, and Spinach. Other non-organic things I purchase are: bags of oranges, bags of grapefruits, and frozen mango. This store tends to have a huge supply of over ripe bananas. When I see the brown spotted bananas at the register, I ask the clerk how much for all of the bananas at the different registers. They tend to sell them to me for .50 a bag (of 8). The last time I went there, I was a little crazy and had more than I could fit in my little freezer. I had to drop some off to my father's freezer.
Just next door to this market is a fruit stand. I like going there to find things like cilantro, cucumbers, & oranges.

The Local Mexican Market
What I love about local stores is that they always have a small section of over-ripe produce for discount prices. My store bags these items for the special price of $1! I'm known for purchasing bags of zucchinis and chili peppers. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, they will bag about 25 ripe bananas for $1. When I find those, I peel and freeze them for smoothies. Ripe bananas are the best for smoothies because they are so sweet.

Whole Foods
What's not to love about Whole Foods? Their organic section is out of this world! I like trying new things each time I go there. I love getting my organic leafy greens there: kale, chard, spinach, etc. I also purchase apples here for juicing. Other staples are: almond milk, coconut water, olive oil, raw nuts, sprouts, any kind of spice you can think of, frozen fruits and vegetables, odd raw food recipe ingredients. This is where I purchase my bottled water. We have 2 three gallon bottles and 1 five gallon bottle. I fill them once or twice a week depending on our water consumption. We use reverse osmosis water for drinking. This is the only place I can find it. Too bad it's 12 miles from my house.  I heard they will soon have a year around Farmer's Market in the parking lot on Saturdays. I can't wait!

Trader Joes
I love Trader Joes because it's only 1 mile from my home. I purchase my grade B maple syrup and cayenne pepper for the master cleanse here. I also come here for sprouted wheat bread, organic red and sweet potatoes, broccoli slaw, corn chips, frozen organic pizzas, and raw nuts. Remember I am also cooking for my son who is not raw, vegetarian, nor vegan. He eats what I cook for him...which tends to be vegetarian. I also occasionally eat cooked vegan and vegetarian foods.

Costco
Costco seems to be the only market that can keep up with my juicing habits. I purchase carrots, apples, celery, spinach, mixed greens, avocados, strawberries, pears, pineapple, cucumbers, tomatoes, and all kinds of melons. I also purchase frozen organic peaches and blueberries for smoothies. Speaking of tomatoes, I just learned that "hot house" or green house grown vegetables are a safer choice because they have no or reduced amounts of pesticides. I was watching John Kohler's okraw YouTube channel and he spoke on this a bit. I embedded the video below.

Watching this video makes me want to have my own house with a garden. I've never tried to garden before, but this inspires me. Then again, that doesn't go along with my idea to one day live in an RV. Who knows where I'm headed.

Save Money on a Raw Food Diet by Shopping at Warehouse Stores

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