Vegan Lifestyle Costing Too Much? VEGdaily Offers Inexpensive Solutions
Posted in Videos on 19. Nov, 2009
Every VEG blogger, myself included, has probably at one time or another written a post about eating vegan on a budget. But for some reason, the public is still not getting the message: being vegan does not have to be expensive!
I had a teenage girl tell me this week that, although she watched “Meet Your Meat” and is now disgusted by the thought of eating animals, she was unable to keep up with a vegan or even vegetarian diet because it was costing her too much money. So here are some of the ways I eat a 100% vegan diet on an extremely low budget (because, after all, I do work full time for a nonprofit).
1. Find a good bulk store. In Philadelphia, I go to Nuts to You, a local chain store that has inexpensive bulk nuts, dried fruits, grains, baking needs, and even candy. On top of their already low prices, they offer an additional discount if you buy at least 5 pounds. Giant grocery stores, Whole Foods and natural food co-ops are other places that you can find low cost bulk items. Baking bananas are my favorite bulk food and many grocery stores either do this already or will do so if you request it. All that “baking bananas” means is that they bag bananas that are very ripe and need to be sold quickly. The price drops drastically, too; my store sells them for 25 cents per pound which comes out to about 12 bananas for $1.
2. Eat less processed foods. Veganism becomes expensive when you start buying lots of frozen veggie burgers, Amy’s meals, prepared foods, and other processed stuff. The less processed foods you eat, the more you’ll save!
3. When you do eat out, know how to work the menu. It’s not worth the price you’ll pay to order something that usually had meat and ask them to leave it off. Usually, you still pay the with-meat price. Instead, try asking the waitress if the chef is willing to put something together for you or order a few side dishes. I recently got beans, rice, and sauteed veggies at Chili’s for only about $6 by ordering side dishes.
4. Use things up. It may sound obvious, but it really helps. Don’t let any food go to waste. If fresh vegetables, especially spinach, are starting to go bad — freeze them. Also, don’t worry about keeping a fully stocked pantry; rather, use what you buy before you buy more (except for foods that are cheaper in bulk, of course).
Got any cheap vegan tricks and tips? Leave and comment and share with us!
I think NOT eating vegan would be super expensive! I’ve done the vegan-organic thing for so long I don’t really have much to gauge it by, but I never feel I’m spending too much on food. If you wanted to get super cheap–what’s cheaper than beans and rice? And what could be more important than good healthy food? I think it might get a little more spendy when people buy the fake meats and processed stuff.
xo
Eco Mama
Eating vegan on the cheap is essential to me. I even have gotten most of my storage containers for my bulk food from thrift stores and garage sales. By sticking to less processed, bulk foods we also eat a lot healthier too. It can be extra work sometimes, and not as “convenient”, but the results are so worth it. It also cuts back on packaging as well. So it is a win-win situation for your pocketbook, your health and the environment!
As a “starving” college student, organics can be steep for me. Even though I want to support sustainable agriculture and local busniess I find myself at places like Wal-Mart which make living vegan doable.
I LOVE the “use things up” tip because I have problems with that. Vegan food shopping is so exciting and fun for me that I always but too much and it goes bad. I had to fight buying seitan today (never had it!) since I have numerous packs of tempeh in my fridge!
The expense of vegan (and healthy eating in general) is exaggerated though. So what if I can’t get a meal for $2 at a drive-thru? A hearty homemade salad and whole grains doesn’t cost much more.
When I first went vegan, it was expensive. It still can be, if I decide I want to go batshit crazy at whole foods and try all the new ready-made vegan stuff – but really, that rarely happens since I don’t make a lot of money. I think it’s more of a newbie’s dilemma – you’re at that transition where you’re like, “Wtf do I get now? Oh…this premade/processed thing is easy! Oh, but its EXPENSIVE. Vegan is expensive!” …but now, I look at meat prices if I ever pass by and think “Damn, that’s not a lot of food for that price.”
times are tight y’all.
used to do all my grocery shopping at Whole Foods. still do when cash isn’t so tight. but money is usually in short supply round here these days so i find myself at Tom Thumb or wal-mart for grocery needs.
they both got Larabars now and sunflower seeds to keep me fed during the day. for dinners, $10 worth of organic whole wheat spaghetti pasta and sauce lasts for 4 days! at walmart i can spend $11 to get the ingredients for my vegan Mexican Soup which fills a huge pot and lasts 3-4 days.
agree with the idea of using all of the food on hand before purchasing more. has that can of garbanzo beans, pineapple slices or hearts of palm been the cupboard for weeks…months? PETA’s searchable recipe section can help you build a meal around that old can of mango slices or quickly expiring tempeh or whatever you got on hand. http://www.vegcooking.com/ btw…a bowl of hearts of palm with a little salad dressing is pretty fab! ha ha!
I would never choose another path than the organic one I am on. But, I will argue that eating organic in rural Canada is at least 4 times the price. Our grocery order more than doubled when we chose to go organic. We grow our own vegetables, but with a short growing season we must rely on the market/grocers for produce during the winter months.
As for supplements, that can be 4 times the price as well. For example, a box of ‘Emergen-C’ that I can pick up for $7.99US when i am travelling in the U.S. costs me $19.99CN, or more at my grocer or market.
For the most part, we do not eat processed foods, or meat, and yet our grocery order, per week, is usually in excess of $300.00 for 4 people. Like I said, I would not have it any other way. I do understand how hard it would be for those who could not afford to spend in excess of $1200 a month just on groceries.