why does vegan diet cost so much ? i want to go vegan but the only way with the economy is to grow most from home and it is going into winter and not to muchon i cant grow enough with a balcony if i was to those who love those things will want some and every one else i live with is big on beef and pork
^ it costs an arm and leg, I only make 80 bucks a week on average and It's sucks, i can't afford to eat a full healthy vegan meal.
http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=200117&highlight=cheap+vegan' a previous discussion with a couple recipes and a link to vegan San Diego. Really, I find that vegan is moderately priced, given that I buy almond milk. I think it depends on how you base your diet. Living on vegan burger patties, as compared to making snobby joes http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=2059 or some such will cost more. any diet is cheaper at home if it is basic ingredients (fast food dollar menus aside). I do find that if I let the pantry shrink too much, restocking some of my faves can feel like an extra grocery trip, and I guess it is.
We manage to live relatively cheaply (well, compared to meateating friends) The problem I have found is having to go to 6 different shops whereas others could get their whole weeks shopping from just the one. That sucks, especially as we dont drive. But pricewise...there are a few must have items that cost a fortune, but the main bulk of it is just beans, grains, fruits and veggies for us, and that comes cheaper than meats or animal stuff...unless were talking junk food omni food. But yeah
What exactly is expensive? Course at the moment where I am...fresh produce isn't the cheapest or greatest quality so I also get frozen fruits & veggies. But how much does bags of rice & dry beans cost in your area?
We never know when we'll be home to eat, so frozen veggies it is. I'm lacto-ovo, but it still gets funny now and then.
vm, I hear you on the multiple stops. Maybe adding the RTD fares makes my diet more expensive! Seriously, if I stay away from convenience foods (I do keep Bocas on hand for lazy days) and make real food, I think I steadily come out less than my omni neighbors, accounting for family size differences. If I had a freezer, I'd be in better shape, because I could get more on special, pre make meals and all that jazz. This week was tough because I ran out of a lot of staples and I decided that it was worth home delivery charges ($10, the bus is $4, all by itself, and I'd need 2 to 3 trips for it all) to get flour and oil and heavy to carry stuff. I figure I'll do that quarterly.
I live extremely cheaply on a vegan diet... basics, pulses, grains, oils, pasta, spices and a shitload of vegetables is all I buy.. works out as little as £8/week. You dont need all the pricy meat/dairy substitutes.
I have a tough time with the more expensive items too. I'm trying to be vegetarian/vegan (working on a *mostly* switch if that makes sense) while sticking to all-natural and/or organic ingredients AND staying gluten-free & it can be tough. Here are a few ways I've found to help cope with the higher costs. * Pasta that costs $2.50 per box makes me rethink recipes & substitute brown rice in its place. * Veggie-burgers can be made from scratch, and NOBODY really needs to be eating "chicken" nuggets anyway - they aren't healthy with meat, and they're just as fake if not worse, veggie. * When bread is $5 per loaf & tastes like musty shoes, use leaf-lettuce or Ezekiel wraps (very sparingly & only when on sale and I have a coupon) instead. * Hummus... one of my favorite all-purpose dip/spread/topper type foods can be made up for a fraction of the cost & takes all of 30 seconds to create. What on earth was I thinking buying that ready-made anyway? * I do splurge on organic berries, but things like bananas or oranges that have a thick skin are purchased in the regular produce dept. Produce is only purchased when "in season" to help the grocery budget also... no berries until May for me. And in the winter, frozen veggies are considered "just as good." * As for the multiple stops - I have the same thing, but will time my stops to coincide with other trips. Two stores I frequent are along the way to my parents' house & are planned for on bimonthly trips. Trader Joe's is on the way home from work for DH, and when I take the car every other week I can do a circular-run that includes 3 of my regular stops all in one trip. It helps to reduce gas, time AND money when I plan my trips in advance. It means I have to make up "menus" for two weeks at a time & REALLY know what's in the house at all times, but when I do this we can get by on 1/3 less in the grocery budget. love, mom
you can very easily have a vegan diet. I don't see why it's os expensive. Unless you're buying fake meat or something. which is totally useless.
Wouldn't matter if u were a vegetarian or an omni...u pay an arm & a leg either way here at the Grand Canyon. This week I got avocados for $1.69 each, Red Bell peppers are $2.09/pound & Green Bell peppers are $1.79, yams at $1.49 a pound, lemons for .55 a piece, Granny Smith apples ~$1.79 a pound, and some poor looking celery is $1.69, while brownish colored bananas are $1.29 a pound, and small broccoli heads at $1.75 a pound.
I was thinking those prices looked pretty typical too... except for bananas, they're NEVER more than $1 per pound here. The SALE items this week at my local grocers are: avocados - $1 apiece cauliflower - $2.29 per head red grapes - $1.69 per pound red & yellow peppers - $2.89 per pound grape tomatoes - 2 pints for $5 and cameo apples - $1.59 per pound Some things make sense - like apples are usually cheap here in the middle of apple-orchard country. But why are bananas always cheap? And WHY do strawberries always go on sale in March... when they won't be in season here until June? *shrugs* love, mom
Processed veggie foods can be very expensive. Focus on whole foods as much as possible. Fruits,veggies,whole grains, beans,nuts and seeds. Granted nuts are expensive but eat them in moderation. I love to keep a good garden growing. I buy heirloom plants and harvest the seeds for the following year.
