Throughout the level ranges, there's plenty of stuff to trade plus food on the ground. Typically, you'd get by at early ranks by gathering steaks ranking parties leave behind in places like FoN. There's also a lot of food just laying around. Plus the stuff on ground you can barter with. A bit later a suit of red dragon gets you everything you need in terms of preps. Plus you can forgo preps. I'd suggest you do something entirely different from svirf RBW, like an outtie transmuter for example. Every align is viable, but I'd probably do human/halfie warden/reaver to start with and aim for ragged cloak/silent boots as elf/drow might be a bit much to hack for a first.