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Veg on a BudgetDiscussion started by baamaapii |
Subject Description
I'm very much a planner and an organizer. Left brain all the way. Objective and outline.
I have $40-$50 a week to spend on groceries.
I don't eat meat. I try to eat as little animals product as possible. And, I also tend not to eat fake meats, except for the occasional BK Veggie Burger.
But for some reason, I can't seem to budget my groceries.
Does anyone stick to a super tight grocery budget and only buy veg? Any suggestions? Staples? Do you rotate meals? I'm super lost right now on this. Suggestions?
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Easy!Hello there, Shopping vegan on a budget is cheap as can be! Especially if you live in Michigan, or most places in the US, for that matter! It can be a bit more expensive to be a vegetarian, as cheese can be pricey. Since I'm a vegan, I'll just talk about what I buy that is both cheap and delicious: - Lentils, beans, split peas - full of protein, fiber, and nutrients. Dried is, of course, cheaper, and you can make a bunch and freeze it.
- Rice (I prefer brown) and pearl barley are cheap staple grains. Quinoa and whole wheat couscous are a bit pricier, but still relatively cheap. For breakfast, you can get oats, which are cheap (not the pre-packaged kind with individual packets), or you can make a porridge for any grain. Cereal is expensive, so I try to avoid that. And if you don't like porridge, never underestimate non-breakfast items. My favourite breakfast is rice with a few slices of grilled eggplant or zucchini, chopped tomatoes and cucumber, and hummus. Cheap, easy, and delicious! - Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, and buy them at farmers markets whenever possible. Even if you buy them at Krogers or whatever, you can still get some cheap stuff when it's in season! Plus it tastes better that way.
- Buy spices and other staples like flour, sugar, cornmeal, nuts, or whatever, in bulk, if you can. By "in bulk" I don't mean large amounts. I mean buy small amounts, rather than spending extortionate amounts of money on something you'll only use for one recipe. - Don't buy convenience foods. I know you said you don't eat mock meat and veggie burgers, but do you buy tortillas, tortilla chips, canned salsa, jarred pasta sauce, etc? It's much cheaper to buy the ingredients and make it yourself.
Here are some links to more info on eating vegan on the cheap: http://hungryhungryveganos.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/vegan-on-the-cheap/
http://veganonabudget.wordpress.com/
Dino, who does this podcast, also has an excellent cookbook where all the recipes are cheap, don't require mockmeats or tofu, and are all whole foods. He feeds two people on the same budget you have for one! Here's his podcast episode on grocery shopping: http://www.alternativevegan.com/index.php?id=15 Posted by seclement on Jul. 30, 2009 at 01:07AM |
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Great Question!Hi baamaapii, great question thanks for asking it! Sometimes I find I spend a lot more than I expected and have found that comparing prices takes a bit more time, but is worth the effort.
Hi seclement, great response and thanks for the resources you posted I am looking forward to going through those and getting some tips myself!
I have been probably 90% raw vegan for about 6 months now. As far as comparing prices, I like to stay away from agri-business stuff as much as possible, but have found that some things like big cartons of organic salad cheaper at big box stores than at grocery stores or the local health food store unless they are having a sale.
+1 on farmer's markets, those places rock and you can talk to the growers to ask what they use during growing as well as whether they spray for pests, etc after growing. You can also find out what they spray, it could just be something like ivory soap solution.
Posted by cyclechris on Jul. 30, 2009 at 05:24AM |
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Thanks!seclement, those links rocked and opened up tons more for me. much research to go. getting paid tomorrow. hoorah! haha
i actually used to be raw, years ago... life happened. no excuses. i don't desire much to get back to that. but vegan needs to come soon... i quit eating meat again this past january due to joint pain. while that's better, it's back again...and i'm finding it's directly related to my consumption of other animal products. so they must go now as well.. Posted by baamaapii on Jul. 30, 2009 at 09:47AM |
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Make your ownMy suggestion is to make as much of your own food as possible. You can save a lot of money by making your own bread, granola (instead of packaged cereal), yogurt (if you eat it), hummus, veggie burgers, buns, etc. It does take time (which you may or may not have), but can be a lot of fun and very satisfying. I've found that some of the things I would have never thought to make on my own, such as tortillas and crackers, are some of the easiest to do. I can provide links to recipes, if you're interested. Posted by Alya on Jul. 31, 2009 at 07:02AM |
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AlyaPlease do! Bring on the links! Posted by baamaapii on Aug. 01, 2009 at 04:02PM |
