ANSWER: It can be, but it does not have to be. If it sounds like I am wobbling a little bit in answering a straightforward question, you are perfectly correct. The problem with giving a definitive answer is that it requires a “qualified” response (NO – I have never run for public office). The best answer is that it will depend on your “sourcing” skills and the resulting connections you are able to make. Let me explain.
If you begin your diet by getting fruit and vegetables from your local grocery store, then “by definition”, you will be paying retail. If you do your research and seek out a local farmers market that supplies fresh produce, you will predictably pay a discount for the items you buy. If you are even more resourceful and can rent a piece of ground (or own your land) to grow vegetables, obtain the knowledge to grow your own food (and if you are successful with your efforts), you can expect to pay wholesale for raw food. You can venture farther into the prospects of saving money by using tactics known as “freeganism” that will limit the costs to the labor you expend.
I will not attempt to further answer this question within the constraints of this short article. However, I can
refer the reader to an excellent blog that does a great job in addressing certain raw diet myths here. Also, I would like to pass along a recent article on the dietblog site that gathered comments dealing with the cost of their diet here. I would not attempt to submit this article for posting without including Tim VanOrden’s U-tube episode of his Running Raw Project that presents one way to shop for raw food here. Is it just me, or does Tim gather enough free samples to “make a meal”, thus subverting the incentive to purchase something from each vender? It’s OK Tim, I am just messing with you.
Now is the time for me to share the cost-saving tips that I have found helpful.
My Basic Guide to a 100% raw vegan diet on a budget…
1. You don’t need superfoods like: cacao, gogi, or maca, mana, mesquite, or acai for every or any meal. These foods can supplement your diet in a rich way when you have decided what foods work for you to be a perfectly functioning 100% raw vegan.
2. Try to get a blender if you don’t already have one. It will be a good investment to make cheap smoothies, salad dressings, desserts, etc. The dehydrators, food processors, spirulizers are all great tools as well, but you can make due without them.
3. Eat at the times of day that are most in-sync with your body’s natural physiology.
Try:
Breakfast: 8:00am-9am (or when you begin to feel hungry)
Lunch: 12:00pm-1pm
Dinner: 5:00pm-6pm
It is highly recommended to eat nothing after dinner to allow enough time for your body to digest the food before you sleep. Eating late into the evening can be detrimental to your digestive system.
4. Study the importance of “food combining”. General rule: always eat fruit alone or with greens, and especially not with fats…and wait at least 3 hours to eat fruit after your non-fruit meal. The following sites will help you prepare for that part of your diet:
a. http://www.rawfoodchat.com/forums/raw-food-interviews/interview-natalia-rose-69.html
b. http://www.detoxtheworld.com/knowledge-base-frequently-asked-questions.php#Combining%20Foods
c. http://www.giveittomeraw.com/forum/topics/1407416:Topic:409026?page=1&commentId=1407416%3AComment%3A409383&x=1#1407416Comment409383
d. http://karenknowler.typepad.com/living_in_the_raw/2007/09/reader-question.html
The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose also has a lot of great info about food combining.
5. Here is a basic 100% raw vegan meal plan for $7-10 a day.
Breakfast: Fruit $1-1.50
Oranges, Apples, Pears, Peaches, Nectarines, Berries…whatever you like.
Lunch: Green Smoothy $3.00
Greens=either spinach, kale, collard greens, romaine lettuce, a bunch or half a bag ~200g ($1)
Neutralizer=2-4 bananas or 1-2 plantain(s) ($1)
Sweet Fruit=Grapes, Pears, Peaches, Blueberry’s….whatever you like. Add to taste ($1)
Dinner: Salad or Nori Wrap. $3-6
Salad: $6
Spinach, tomatoes, avocado, celery, alfalfa sprouts, mushrooms
Dressing:
Lemon Miso: Lemon, unpasterized miso (expensive and not quite raw ), nut base (pecans, walnuts, or almonds)
Pesto: pine nuts, basil, lemons, olive oil
Or…
Nori Wrap: $3-4
Raw Nori sheet, tomatoes, avocado, sprouts, lemon, olive oil, sea salt
-Salads and Wraps are great, but don’t wear them out. Remember there are a limitless amount of raw food possibilities out there.
-Dessert? If you still have money, Medjool dates and nuts are a great inexpensive way to go. ($6-7/lb.)
Cheaper still !!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following methods do have a bit of a learning curve, but will become very easy once you have “tested the waters” for what works for you.
6. Try growing your own vegetables, they are cheaper, healthier and self-satisfying. Growing is a great learning experience. Use non-GM seeds.
-Sprouting is a great introduction to quick and easy meals. Wheatgrass will require a wheatgrass juicer. Broccoli and chickpeas are great tasting sprouts. Find help on these sites.
http://www.sproutpeople.com/
http://www.sprouting.com/
http://www.pathtofreedom.com/
7. Wild foraging is the cheapest and most healthy way to go if at all possible for you. Many times wild foods have much higher amounts of antioxidants and enzymes.
Take a local foraging workshop. The workshops might be pricey, but it they will pay for themselves many times over.
In the UK (E. London), Raw Rob offers some great foraging workshops: http://www.rawrob.com/coaching/
In the UK (Bristol) at: http://www.selfsufficientish.com/index.php/wild-foods/190-wild-food-foraging-courses-from-p35-forage-in-a-city
In the US (NW) you can contact: http://www.wildfoodadventures.com/
In the US (NE) at: http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/
http://www.rawfoodnetwork.com/books_wildfoodandforaging.html
8. “Freeganism” involves finding and salvaging discarded or unwanted produce from a variety of places, from supermarket dumpsters to “sharing co-operatives”, like: Food not Bombs at: http://www.foodnotbombs.net/ , or try S.H.A.R.E., at: http://www.wholesaledistributorsnet.com/SHARE_food.html. For more info on freeganism, you can check out: http://freegan.info/
So, I am excited to have reached a personal milestone…I have maintained a 99-100% raw vegan diet
for just over one year. It has proven to be one of the best decisions of life. I feel much happier, much more energized, and clearer in my thinking/problem solving ability than ever before. To be honest, I was surprised by the way raw foods have had such a positive effect on my life. I thought my prior diet was “very healthy” having been on a standard vegan diet for 6 years.
Within this short article I would like to share a personal assessment of my going from vegan to a raw food vegan. First and foremost, I applaud ALL conscious eaters who have taken the necessary steps to improve their health through a discipline of diet. The sad truth is that many traps of unhealthy eating remain in my former vegan diet, like: highly process foods, heavy starches, and refined sugars to name a few. I feel compelled to share this assessment with my readers, having personally reached new heights of health and fitness from my experience with raw foods, and from meeting people that owe their lives to switching to a raw food diet.
The most typical response I hear from people planning a raw diet for the future is that they understand the many benefits, but are either too busy to implement the diet or believe it is too expensive for them to diet right now. I understand 
this reasoning - it does present a huge barrier. I used the same rationale when I first heard about raw foods. I used to say “having a raw food diet would be great, but it is not practical for me RIGHT NOW. It can wait until I have more money and time.” I understand now that my procrastination with beginning a raw foods diet was defeating the purpose of the diet altogether. Raw foods are not about making sacrifices now –by eating a tomato instead of a cheeseburger– so that you can live a couple of months longer in your 70s. It is about living up to your greatest potential right now — this very second, and every second you are alive.
This natural source of added energy helps us feel better. We become motivated to act on the improvements we have planned for ourselves. Our awareness of ourselves and our surroundings come into a sharper focus, allowing for a higher personal development. 
I found that fewer sacrifices were actually required of me to maintain a raw foods diet than I had originally worried about. In reality, rawfoods taste better, they can be cheaper to prepare, and they offer us a natural way to live in harmony with the environment.
Becoming “raw” was a logical step in an ongoing process to improve my health. I studied what the recognized professionals were saying but, because the diet became a ‘trial and error’ effort to find out what made me feel better, the diet was self-taught. I will admit that I had to prepare myself mentally to be able to stick to the diet. There are times when it can be frustrating. Accordingly, like any new and positive change to promote self-improvement, it will take time to learn, adapt and adjust..
For those interested and/or willing to try the diet, I have included some tips that may help:
1. Approach raw foods with a positive attitude. If you bring a negative attitude, you are bound to have a poor experience. Raw foods taste better than any cooked food available…hands down. If you don’t like what you have made, try again. Have fun and experiment!
2. Make time. Everyone is busy, but you only have one life and it is ticking away by the second. It is vital to prioritize your time to include health and well-being in a quality lifestyle. It directly affects how you live and interact with everything around you.
3. Investigate the science backing the diet. We’re not making this stuff up! Research the works of Dr. Colin T. Campbell, Dr. Gabriel Cousins, and the works provided by the Hippocrates Health Institute.
4. Do not get trapped into a 100% raw or nothing diet. It takes time to learn new recipes and establish new eating habits. Just concentrate on adding these amazing foods to your diet as soon as you can. You will likely begin to feel much better and your interest in cooked foods will naturally decline. If this doesn’t happen right away, then don’t worry about it! Everyone responds differently depending on your body and previous eating habits.
5. If you are new to raw foods, you could try it out for an initial set time, like 30 days. This way there will be less personal pressure in the beginning to continue the diet forever! The raw food diet does have a learning curve. Also, if you are craving a cooked dish and it’s all you can think about, go ahead and have it, then continue with raw foods. It is important that you feel as comfortable as possible during the process and not feel discouraged. Being 100% raw isn’t a competition or a bragging right. It is about being healthy and feeling great.
6. Try a green smoothie. A great beginning step to a raw diet is to incorporate green smoothies into your diet. For more information about green smoothies, please google the Boutenko family. Victoria Boutenko’s book, Green for Life is a fantastic resource for smoothies and the physiological basis for a raw diet.
-A second step would be to transition to eating only fruit and green smoothies until dinner. Also, try to have dinner early enough that you have at least 5-6 hours to digest the food before you go to sleep for the night. You will wake up feeling refreshed and energized.
