Thinking about trying a Vegetarian Lifestyle

Greetings, Miss Rogue.
I brought your question over here so that you might get some answers.

To start, please poke around and see what other members have said in similar threads.

Try "budget" or "cheap" in a search.

With some of the less common (to standard western diets) ingredients, it is about figuring out where you lie on the spectrum.
If you are lacto- or lacto-ovo (dairy or dairy and eggs) it is simple and the same cost as what you likely are eating.
I find almond milk to last longer than dairy milk and I can buy a bunch of septic boxes on sale and keep them in a cabinet for up to a year. Or, for that matter, buy almonds on sale and make it as needed, as the nuts are in the freezer.

What runs up the bill is prefab food. So be aware, and use them wisely. I kept veg burgers in my freezer for years. I don't now, but I do keep pre-cooked chickpeas in the freezer for hummus or falafel.
Balance time and money.
Maybe batch cooking on a Sunday will fill your freezer. Maybe intentional leftovers will keep you going for a night or two. Always make enough for lunch the next day.

Dining out? Taco Bell, Subway.
Eating at home? Salad, beans and rice/tortillas, veg stew, veg stirfry.
Start to look at it as making what you did, but without meat.

Cooking for an omnivore, too? Depends on the situation. And it always needs you to honor and respect your partner's choices, even when they are not respecting yours.

I cooked mixed from age 22 to 44.
But I wasn't that accommodating. I made the main dish plant based. In a second smaller pan, I had animal protein if there was no soy protein (usually tofu in my case).

Outside grills were always neutral territory. It was assumed meat would be cooked there, but I also grilled hatch chilies (in season, for freezing), whatever veggies fit and slabs of tofu (immediate and freezing use).
I had a second grill grate from a yard sale, so my stuff wasn't on the critter grill. Though in honesty, right after cleaning, I'd forget which was which. Since I'd just scrubbed them, it didn't matter to me.

Work. Wow. Looking back this sounds crazy, but I worked about 55 hours a week at a newspaper, then went off to my weekend job for an additional 15- 25 hours.

I had a son at home (he's 21 now), and a spouse who would occasionally cook, but that was more like bi-monthly. He would, however, get takeout.
Spouse was supportive so long as I didn't expect him to be veg, and he honored my no pork/no treif rule. (I keep kosher. You want to talk expensive? Kosher meat!)
Take out was often mixed, and if he really craved meat, we'd go out.


You are absolutely right that you will goof. And you are absolutely right that you have to pick up and go forward.
I've often called this a journey. And I always say it starts anew each morning. I make the choice to continue my veg journey every day, every meal.
Guilt does nothing.
Although I have heard of people who "fine" themselves if they accidentally or intentionally eat meat/by products and send the money to a hunger or animal charity.

 

Ramen can be made veg!
For the packaged stuff, check ingredients. If nothing else the noodles should be ok.

 

You could not make a better choice than by becoming a vegetarian!'

 

Matt, this is a vegetarian SUPPORT forum.
Please refrain from your recent posting of pro animal protein comments. Immediately.

 

This topic will come up in the next months.

I'd like to get the discussion going again for the New Year's resolution folks we will see soon.