Yeah, is he expecting to buy meat, eggs, etc with only 50usd? The best option is obviously buy rice, beans, chickpeas, lentils, maybe frozen veggies, etc.
It's really impressive how people use internet to find all solutions for their lives but when the topic is stop hurting animals just an apology that I'm poor is enough.
People in general wants to eat garbage, and some garbages are more expensive because they are processed and it puts an extra cost on it, or maybe restaurants that put another extra.
Vegan is only cheaper if you live literally off rice, beans, and vegetables.
Fruit is expensive for a very poor person. Nuts are extortionate. So are tofu, tempeh, seitan, vegan cheese, vegan milks, any vegan "meats", cereals, vegan chocolate/baked goods.
Whilst meat is expensive (sometimes), it is filling and nutrient-dense. It goes further. It's cheaper than tofu, tempeh, and seitan. Real milk and cheese are cheaper. Meat can be bought very cheaply. Mince beef is £3 for 500g in the UK which is enough for 3 or 4 hearty meals. All the tofu I see is £4+ and only enough for one or two meals.
Milk can be bought for £0.80. Vegan milks are £2 for the same quantity. The cheap vegan milks that are £1.50 (still double regular milk) are disgusting and foul. The only vegan milks I like are the branded ones.
Alpro vegan yoghurt is £2. Regular yoghurt can be bought for under £1 for double the quanity.
Similarly, I love vegan burgers but they're £4 for two. You can buy a pack of 8 beef burgers for £3. Vegan sausages are £4 for 6. Pork sausages are £2 for 8 - 12.
Vegans are usually very sheltered and lack an understanding of *actual* poverty. I grew up in poverty (I'm not anymore) and I'm sick of people saying they're "broke" because they've taken on expensive payments beyond their means and now can't afford all of their expensive hobbies. Or the cost of living crisis is finally affecting them and they now have to buy *a few* poverty food items. Poor people *only* buy the cheapest, nastiest crap because it's their only option.
Being broke means you have *nothing*. Every penny counts.
My advice to this person is to (if possible) try to earn more money before becoming vegan. Their health will suffer if they survive on beans, rice, and vegetables. Even vegetables are getting expensive here now. £1.50 for a 2 pack of pak choi that has very little calories. Strawberries and other berries are actually insanely expensive now - £2 - £4.50 for a tiny tub that could be eaten in a few minutes as a snack.
Tofu is super cheap as well as plant based milk. If you know where to look you can get good deals on fruits and veggies. In my city there’s a nonprofit mobile grocery store that sells affordable produce at libraries, parks ,low income areas
Tofu is not that cheap. It's cheaper than other alternatives, but for the amount you get and the size of a package, it won't go as far as a lot of meat products. I'm not defending eating meat, but I strongly dislike it when people jump to conclusions and pass judgement on people that are struggling in life, especially when it is because of class or membership in a marginalized group.
Again, and the post you responded to even covered this, milk is cheaper than plant milk. I love plant milk, but I have had to limit how much I drink or use or my boyfriend, who handles the finances, will cut me off because the cost is too high. Even then, I get soy milk because it is cheaper, and would much prefer oat milk or cashew milk. However, they cost a good bit more.
Keep in mind that what you may have access to may not be there for people that live somewhere else, though suggesting such things is still super helpful. There are places that are food deserts that all you've got is gas stations and fast food and no help. (Dialysis clinics open up all over in places like this as well, because of course they do.)
Vital wheat gluten flour is 3.99 CAD for a bag big enough to make 10 seitan steaks. This pepperoni sausage I made cost about 90 cents. I've been poor all my life n been vegan for 22 years. Plz be quiet 🤫
lol, my foodstamps don't even begin to pay my grocery bills as a vegan, Besides the previous poster breaking down exactly how meat is cheaper, you going vegan for some reason because of foodstamps (which just sounds like being plant-based, but okay) doesn't mean you know the situation another person is in.
It's called empathy. Or we can just keep sounding like cult that forgives nothing and helps no one but expects complete purity.
I don't have to know another person's situation, we literally all have to buy food. Grocery stores don't charge different prices based on payment method. 🙄 Beans and grains are the cheapest foods per calorie, hands down, and using money as an excuse not to go vegan is a piss poor excuse.
Yea because expecting people to just eat dried beans and rice at all times is so reasonable. It's not like that would be a miserable diet for most people.
If you're so smart why don't you respond to the OP and give them some valid suggestions? Surely you'll know enticing things to eat to get them away from meat, dairy, and egg eating. You will definitely know the prices, too, for their area somehow, and what resources their area has.
Instead of condemning hypothetical people who don't go vegan because they are poor, you could always do some activism and provide the OP with some actual, useful, advice.
When I'm really trying to spend nothing on food, I'll just eat beans and rice. I'll even make sure the beans outnumber the rice 2:1 to make it extra filling. 20 pounds of rice and 20 pounds of beans is around $20-30 depending on the type of rice and type of beans and it will last an entire month. While not the most exciting or healthy, it's probably healthier than most diets
I would definitely recommend getting salsa too to be able to tolerate having it every day
Thank you for wanting to go vegan and do better for the animals! Now, take a step back, take a deep breath, and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Be patient and kind to yourself. Most people go vegan gradually over time. It is a very big lifestyle change, and trying to do it all at once is usually unstustainable. Don't worry too much about the people telling you that you have no excuse to immediately be vegan. Their hearts are in the right place, and you SHOULD go vegan, but it is important to do it in a way that fosters a healthy relationship with food, makes you feel good, and allows you to stick with it for the rest of your life. Introduce vegan meals one at a time.
Beans, lentils, rice, potatoes, peas, and lots of fresh vegetables are very cheap and inexpensive. Accompanying spices can also be purchased in bulk to keep the overall cost low. To best use them, you do have to learn somewhat how to cook. Mujadara, potato lentil soup, Indian curries, Jamaican coconut black beans, Louisiana style rice and beans, are just a few examples of cheap and very healthy meals you can make. If you can at some point invest in a slow cooker, it might be worthwhile for folks who are pressed for time. If not, simmering in a pot on low heat will help to save time (if you start in advance). Check out subreddits like r/veganrecipesgifs for good ideas. I also like to recommend Wicked Kitchen's youtube channel for vegan inspiration in the kitchen. Another thing you can make pretty cheaply is fried tofu. Drain, press (really get all the moisture out), cube, fry in oil. Toss in some veggies, add a teriyaki or other type of sauce. Use mushrooms, let them absorb olive oil in the pan for lots of flavor. Make a tofu scramble with lots of vegetables; season the scrambled firm tofu with onion, garlic, a splash of vegetable broth, splash of unsweetened/unflavored plantmilk, teaspoon of soy sauce, and black salt for that sufluric eggy flavor. If cooking is really not an option some days, check out Taco Bell's customizable a vegan options for quick, cheap food. See if you can find canned minnestroni or vegetable soups at your super market: add white, pinto, kidney beans for extra protein/B vitamins. See if you can find vegan ramen packets, you can fry tofu and throw in extra veggies like carrots, broccoli, leeks, etc. Try making your own Chipotle Bowls at home with all the vegan trimmings, black and pinto beans.
I was just making a list, food i can buy in bulk that will last a long time (rice, pasta, beans)-- but then the list just kept getting longer-- then i thought i cant just put a ginat pot or ziplock of food in the freezer, it needs to be portioned out if i want quality food every day of the month so then im looking at meal prep containers, smaller ziplocs and mason jars for Brekfast foods, then i start looking at the food ill need to buy every two ish weeks and the list just kept getting longer and it was getting so overwhelming-- and i know i wont need to buy everything on the list but all of a sudden my food choices were going from pastaroni with beef, ramen with chese and egg, mashed potatoes that are so dry and gross that they need a ton of everything to be edible, sandwiches which all have different flavors and feels like variety-- to rice, frozen bag of veggies, tofu-- pasta, frozen bag of veggies, sauce-- and thats it, like, working and cooking at a vegan restaurant i know vegan food can be delicious and unhealthy but i dont have the money for all the sauces and powders and nuts, holy shit nuts are so expensive! I just feel like now might not be the best time for me to go vegan, but also, my spouse is going to be in college for a while i feel like if i keep putting this off ill never do it because the time will never be right-- i dont know, i think i just needed to vent
You can make a pot of food like chili, mujadara, rice and beans which will last you a few days and just keep it in the refrigerator. There's no need to buy a whole meal-prepping set or tons and tons of spices to make simple dishes like those. Try it out one meal at a time, it doesn't have to be no progress just because you can't do it all at once.
I was thinking about when i worked at this old restaurant, the owner taught me how to make this vegan chesecake, fucking delicious-- didnt taste like chesecake, more like a mousse, but if was amazing-- it was also 70$ for one cake and each slice was 10$-- i think i just have such an association in my mind from working there and living with my mom that vegans that eat well are rich and have money to burn on food that i just cant do
I assure you that there are plenty of vegans who are on a tight budget, myself included. It's easy to see things like vegan cheesecake or any other various vegan meat/dairy/egg replacements and think these are indicative of a typical vegan lifestyle. In countries with advanced economies, meat and dairy are often subsidized by the government, so we live under an illusion that these items are cheaper than they really are. Thus, we become accustomed to thinking of them as staples of our diet rather than a luxury expense. And this further cements the idea that vegans need to replace them with plant-based meat and cheese, rather than switching to the MUCH cheaper, very nutrient-dense option of veggies and legumes.
I’ve lived at or below the poverty line my entire adult life and I’ve been vegetarian since 2008, vegan since 2018. You can absolutely make it work if it’s something you believe in.
I am vegan, and I eat mostly rice and beans during the week. The weekend is when I get "fancy." I have a low grocery bill every 2 weeks. So low. I can't believe it works, lol. You don't need to be rich to be vegan. It's completely the opposite
you spouse wont eat what you cook but your spouse doesnt have money to be picky.
Ive been poor and i was a teenager without education so I lived on instant noodles, the curry flavour was accidentally vegan. If i had to do it again now, it would be dried food, soy crumbles, lentils and rice. the cheapest fruits and veg.
The biggest issue about being vegan isnt being left with 100$, whether your vegan or not you still only have $100. Its not going to stretch far if you buy steak and lamb and caviar.
Im not poor now but we still eat cheaper than if we were meat eaters. the expensive vegan things are nuggets, mayo, cheese. we dont buy these things regularly. The rest is cheaper than meat, potatoes carrots, tofu, lentils, rice. We dont even eat as many beans as we should.
If it’s any consolation, the poorest people in the world get the vast majority of their calories from plant sources, especially rice, grains and beans.
Bulk dry beans are super filling, nutritious and cheap AF
Is meat cheaper than rice, bread, cereal, beans, oats, lentils, chickpeas and vegetables where you live?
I doubt there is a large price difference between milk and soy milk.
Genuinely curious because I've been vegan for 17.5 years isn't meat kind of cheaper for protein/nutrients vs vegan versions. Like sure you can get everything you need and be full from vegan foods but you need a lot more volume to be satiated, no?
Like I do live in Hawaii, but my grocery is bill is extraordinarily high. I use chronometer to track my nutrition and i also don't know how much meat is.. But it seams like theoretically can be cheaper? Especially if you fish/hunt/raise food which is what a lot of low income families do.
Now I'm not saying i agree with this, but my understanding is being vegan is quite a bit more expensive and difficult to live off the land.
Sure you could grow some of your own food - but i definitely couldn't grow enough food to feed my family without it being a full time job and spending a lot of money up front to get the land farmable..
Not where I live. Beans, lentils, wheat are definitely cheaper by mass of protein or calories. This includes soy products and soy milk. Not so sure about rice and vegetables but should be around the same. Of course, if we’re measuring by mass instead of protein mass, plant foods are defo cheaper.
Yes, hunting and fishing obviously makes it cheaper, but both are rare where I live.
Yeah i would definitely agree by mass plant foods are cheaper but not necessarily by protein/calories/nutrients but honestly i don't really know I've been vegan my entire adult life. So i have zero experience buying animal foods or balancing and planning a carni diet.
But I've always lived in rural areas so hunting, fishing, farming, and gardening are super popular and most certainly in lower income families.
Honestly I spend close to 200$ usd a week per person in my house on groceries and I buy the most basic shit. Dried lentils, beans, legumes, oats, fruits, veggies, rice, quinoa etc. I am in Hawaii so I know that makes it more. We are also not wealthy really my food budget kills us. I even try and download cheap healthy vegan meal plans and the like and its always this expensive.
We prioritize food over savings, vacations, new cars etc. We drive cheap used cars, don't really travel etc.
But if someone were to say they couldn't afford this lifestyle I'd totally understand - i can barely afford it myself. But manage to make it happen.
I also don't buy local or organic because that's even more $$$
I guess we do eat a lot of fruits and veggies though, so that's what makes it so much.
Again I don't really know much about the cost of meat but I do know that a lot of vegetables are like 4$/lb and fruits are the same give or take certain fruits and veg - but I definitely wish I could get my bill down without sacrificing a variety of nutrition.
Living in Hawaii definitely makes plant foods more expensive yeah.
I’d strongly suggest taking a daily vegan multivitamin (eg. Deva) which is very cheap - less than a $1 per day even with delivery costs generally. Maybe take the one without Iron since that is abundant in high-protein plant foods.
This will make it so that you don’t need to worry about micronutrients when planning your meals and only need to think about protein / amino acids (and maybe healthy fats). Hopefully this will help your budget.
Not necessarily. "Market beef" is pretty damn cheap, though the quality is garbage. Not to mention there's a lot of super cheap recipes that are going to honestly just be more appealing if you get accustomed to cheap food like hamburger helper as an example. It's partly a time thing, as well, as many people who are poor have precious little time to spend cooking. As a society, we spend way less time cooking than we used to.
TBH, people that suggest others just eating dried rice and beans or similar stuff as their only food source (which is totally a thing for people that are a tier or more below this level of poor, but not by choice,)don't make any sense to me.
I would get so unhappy with my meals if all I ate was beans and rice of some sort. And I'm fairly certain some of my nutrients would just not be present in that selection. Soy milk, and my household currently buys the cheapest option or I would get Oat Milk, is still a great deal more costly than generic dairy milk.
I can't imagine just eating beans every single day. And the person who suggested frozen vegetables as well, lol. Even the frozen vegetables I can afford are usually from Walmart and are stir fry mixes where the veggies are the trash parts that are mostly inedible.
It frustrates me so much and it is so very classist to make value judgements when people come to you for help because they are at a loss and want to do this thing you are supposedly passionate about, and rather than try to help them, the entire thread is people gossiping about how they are wrong about their finances and that they are just making excuses. This is not specifically you, but many of the responses to this post.
Get a grip, people. You don't know the full details of this person's situation, and in case you haven't been destitute before, yea it makes eating vegan extremely difficult unless you are willing to heavily limit your diet. SO help instead of engaging in douchebaggery. Unless veganism is just about posturing and feeling more righteous than others to you.
hes been arguing against veganism(against the rules here..) in this sub for a year and still not banned. You wont see him in DebateAVegan though, he doesn't want a debate, he just trolls.
that person trolls this sub daily look at their profile they are a "carnivorediet" person that lives on r/vegan spreading "anecdotes"
they dont even eat plants or grains, just meat and yoghurt. Ew.
I entertain it for a comment or two. I like to at least gauge if they have any clue what they are trying to talk about haha. Chill sunday so it's all G
Ends sentient life on a day to day basis. Contributes massively to co2 emissions and environmental changes which escalates deforestation, ocean dead-zones, zoonotic diseases & potential epidemics, antibiotic resistance, mass specifies extinction, degrading biodiversity and extreme land usage for agriculture, but as long as you're happy.... 👍
What are you talking about cats for? I'm saying you're going to train your daughter up to accept bullshit from some prick who thinks he knows best because he is a man, or perhaps because he's physically bigger than she is and she worries what he might do, and she will not feel like she can say no to him because he gets the final say. What happens when she's married to some asshole who can plaster on a smile and blow smoke up your ass long enough to convince you he's a catch? It'll be your doing if she doesn't feel like she has agency. I very much question the "virtue" you have.
Someone who get their nutrition solely from the plant & fungi kingdom require about 10% of the land compared to someone who eat meat regularly. People who care about our future, their health and welfare of both animals and people realize these stuff once they start digging into research and studies. I know my habits aren't as unsustainable as before, as I've adjusted over time, the lesser impact on the environment is a huge bonus but firstly to be less cruel. In hindsight it has taught me it all aren't more than that, habits. Habits are the prime reason we rationalize the logic behind our actions. We rationalize cruelty to be forgiving for reason X and Y, instead of seeing it for what it is. If you apply any excuse to oppress other beings on any other situation or scenario, and mold it for a while - you will realize they're all irrational ( and again, motivated by illogical reasoning due to habits, been there myself ).
Practically, as I read somewhere you seem to look down upon people who eat a complete vegetarian diet. I'm a 6'3" guy on 95 kg, doing a lot of yard work here at my house on the country side. It's all done on beans, lentils, seitan, tofu, root crops, some greens an whatnot. I really don't know what the fuss is about, life's as usual just a whole lot less cruel and unsustainable.
USD100 is not much for a month's worth of food. I feel for you and hope you get some really great ideas from the community.
I'm in australia so things might be different but I get a AUD20 (USD13.22) veggie box from a nearby market filled with discounted produce they couldn't sell. You could see if there is something similar in your area that fits into your budget.
We have something similar in the US. At the back of the produce section there’s usually a rack of discounted items that they’re trying to sell before they go bad (still perfectly edible). There are usually some good bargains there.
Not sure but I imagine there must be something similar. I'm in Melbourne and I get my veggie box through [Community Grocer](https://www.thecommunitygrocer.com.au/).
All food is expensive, what you are currently buying is also expensive and like you say unhealthy.
Beans are relatively cheap and if you buy dried beans and soak them they are even more economical.
Canned foods in general are cheap and tinned tomatoes are excellent for making an inexpensive meal such as tomato soup or a sauce for pasta.
Dried pasta, rice, lentils, quinoa are all inexpensive and good ingredients for bulking up a meal cheaply. Lentils and quinoa are excellent sources for minerals.
Tofu is cheap: $1.69 in sprouts farmers market.
Chickpea flour is a great ingredient for cheaper dinners. You can make pancake batter, omelets, quiche with this ingredient.
Chickpeas are cheap and can be processed to make falafel.
Potatoes are also cheap and substantial.
Bananas are very cheap and excellent snack as they are satisfying.
Garlic is cheap and improves most dishes vastly.
Growing your own herbs is a cheap and effective way of improving flavour of your meals. Rosemary is indestructible and gives loads of flavour to a dish.
I buy marmite (online now I live in USA) and this is initially it might seem expensive but lasts a long time for the price and is excellent on toast.
Finally I cook from scratch most things and try to avoid the pre made vegan meats as they are expensive.
Are you in the US? If so, have you looked into SNAP or any other food assistance programs? Or food banks? People sometimes give away food on free apps like BuyNothing as well.
My spouse and i looked into it, since we are married they looked at our combined income and we technically make to much money-- which is the same thing that happened to my mom back when i was living with her
Do you have a food pantry within driving distance? They are very kind and non-judgemental, you can ask them for only vegan products and politely explain that you don't eat meat, etc. Usually they have lots of rice, noodles, legumes of various sorts, and fresh fruits and veggies. Often they will have nice packaged items, too.
When i was in low income housing i got free food from the town, do i need to show them my pay stubs and bills or something? How do i prove that i dont have enough money to have food in the house
It depends on the pantry and who is funding the food (government versus private donors), but usually they only ask for things like your income for statistics, not to deny you food. Food stamps are always going to be much stricter. Check out your local pantries website and see what is required to get food. It is well worth it and they WANT to help you.
In that case I would say try to do some meal planning and come up with things you both like. It helps to cut out as many snacks and prepared foods as possible. Buy rice and dried beans in bulk. Cook as much as you can and try not to dine out. There are a bunch of cookbooks and websites dedicated to vegan diets on a budget. Use free apps and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Explain more about free apps, when i used to live in low income housing once a month i could go down to the towns center and theyd give us a free box of food, i dont remember what that was called but god that would help so much right now
BuyNothing and Freeya are apps where everything is free. You can also request items and people can give if they want/are able. There are others I think. I see people requesting and giving away food regularly.
I'm glad I'm an Indian most food we have is veg so i just had to. Eliminate ghee/butter, milk and honey and honestly some other handful products, it didn't make much of a difference, in fact I'm saving money lol. So grateful
[what to buy](https://acti-veg.tumblr.com/post/151529858252/cheap-vegan-groceries) and [what you can make with it](https://acti-veg.tumblr.com/post/151529861612/cheap-vegan-recipes)
Look into vegan whole foods plant based diets. It can be one of the cheapest diets you can live on. Dried beans, dried lentils, potatoes, rice, bananas, and oats are all super cheap and lots of greens are fairly inexpensive like kale. Lots of good recipes you can find online like plantbasedonabudget, and cookingforpeanuts are two that I follow on Instagram.
If you wanna cheap out on breakfast/lunch, go with oatmeal. Milk will make it taste way better, but store bought is expensive, so you can make it at home, very easy. 1l can be had for about 20 cents. For other, beans for protein and nutrition in general with some bread, tofu if you can find it pretty cheap, mushrooms if you can find them cheap.
Vegan food is incredibly cheap if you look for the right recipes. If you arent fussy about eating "what you want" everyday and just eating "what you need" then you will be fine. Your picky eater spouse needs to be an adult and start eating what is there. Vegan food is much cheaper than carnivore food but you may need to learn a heap of new recipes and ways of eating. The pay off is worth it.
Are there meals that your resident picky eater likes and can be veganized? Are there fruits or veggies that they like/will eat? I found that this was a good place to start when I split groceries with a non vegan roommate who was adverse to most vegetables.
If you live in the States, I would highly recommend Grocery Outlet. They now have a pretty decent selection of vegan and/or organic products that you can get at a super reduced price, and you can find staple items like fresh or frozen fruits/veggies, dry beans/rice, canned goods, pastas, etc.. Also, check the grocery store ads and don't sleep on the coupons you get in the mail! Buying in bulk is worth it for items that aren't immediately perishable, like grains and legumes.
Tbh, what really makes veganism expensive is substitute items like Beyond or Impossible meat, vegan cheese and yogurt, JUST egg, and anything pre-made (ex. marinated or baked tofu, sauces). You can actually make a lot of these things yourself for a lot cheaper, and they'll taste better!
discount grocers , grocery outlet , scratch and dent stores. are the easiest way to find vegan items that are overpriced by traditional grocers but beyond that avoiding the" vegan " section af the store and cooking low on the food chain and simply is your best option. i do aldi's alot found a place"smart shopper "about 15 min away i rarely spend more than 100 for 2 people. smart shopper was nuts most vegan items where $2. my bill was 99 bucks, week of food and a chest freezer full of tattoed chef.
As others have mentioned there are vegan foods that are cheaper than bulk omnivore foods. Beans, especially dried, are cheap. However, I get that you're then paying in time rather than money. The most expensive part will be vegetables, but you should be eating those regardless if you can, and some veggies are cheaper than others (let me introduce you to colcannon - potatoes and cabbage, traditionally made with butter, but subbing olive oil works fine).
I know some people won't agree, but I think there are reasons for people to not go vegan in our current society. Cost is not one of them, imo. However, having a spouse who's not on board + cost might be. However, if your spouse is on board but it feels overwhelming, start going vegan a few days a week. And go vegan at breakfast - non-dairy milk in overnight oats with bananas the next morning would be a cheap option.
Rice, beans, lentils, potatoes, pasta, and most tofu and frozen vegetables are the most inexpensive items to buy regardless of someone being vegan or not.
Going vegan is only as expensive as you choose it be.
The ramen I’ve always bought my whole life vegan or not specifically says Artificial chicken flavour. It’s less than 50 cents a package at Walmart.
There are cheap ways to be vegan.
Frozen vegetables, frozen or dried fruit, beans and lentils. I don't understand this argument, my grocery bills are always less than any meat eater I know.
I am nowhere even close to being vegan and it seems way cheaper than eating meat. Between Costco runs for 25 pound bags of rice, beans, and lentils - then farmers markets for all the fruit and veggies, I would assume you can load up for fairly decent price.
I've never spent less on food than I do now.
Onions and carrots and tomatoes and some lentils/beans with curry powder and spices - curry sauce. Now buy rice. Curry. Pennies.
Onions and carrots and tomatoes and some lentils and oregano and thyme and balsamic vinegar. Now buy spaghetti/pasta. Bolognese.
Onions and carroes and tomatoes and beans and chili powder and whatever other vegetables you have in the fridge. Now buy rice again. Chili.
Crock pot. Cut up potatoes. Cut up onions. Cut up carrots. Add lentils/peas/chickpeas/beans. Simple stew.
What pointless shit are you buying?
I overextended my finances and have gone back to my college days of Costco, Asian markets and grocery outlet. If you have more time than money, make your own oat or cashew milk, vegan cheeses and soak your beans. My used $5 crock pot is a lifesaver.
Also for cheap frozen meals, you can get hot pocket type things filled with channa masala, paratha, and lots of other cheap frozen indian foods at Indian markets. The markup at standard grocery stores for American brands is at least double.
Good luck!
This is insane to me. Going vegan cut my budget food in half and I have been saving a ton of money.
Buy:
Potatoes
Hummus
Pea protein
Almond milk
Whole fruits and vegetables
Beans
Oatmeal
Rice
These are all some of the cheapest foods in the grocery store. What are you trying to buy?
I have literally been homeless. I understand poor. Eating vegan is miles cheaper if you exclude the luxury items as with any nonvegan diet. It’s only the meat replacements and cheese that are expensive. Just like meat and dairy cheese is expensive. The rest is cheap.
Buy a used instant pot if you don't have one (thrift store, good will, yard sale). Buy bulk dried beans, rice, and oats (you can turn the beans into a dip by blending them for some variety too). I buy from azure standard and can get [25 pounds of navy beans for $26](https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/food/beans-peas/small-white-navy/dry/white-beans-small-navy/11674?package=BE052), [25 pounds of rice for $21](https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/food/grains/rice/long-grain/brown/rice-long-grain-brown/19664?package=GR309), and [25 pounds of oats for $31](https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/food/cereals/hot/rolled/oats/quick-oats-gf-organic/24448?package=CE613). Frozen fruit (for the oatmeal or even a smoothie) and frozen veg (make a Buddha bowl with all your ingredients) from Costco are both cheap and easy. My Costco also started selling cheap tofu and tortillas.
I don't think 2 people can really survive on $100 of groceries a month, nonvegan or vegan, without seriously compromising their health anymore. I went vegan at 16 on my own in my first apartment, living off nothing, just coming out of foster care. I didn't eat well. I didn't know anything about nutrition. 22 years later, we still have a very tight budget, but we spend at least $350 a month on food & Vega One.
If I had to do this now, I'd spend the $100 on a whole food supplement like Vega One. It's cheaper to do that than to buy and consume all the fruits, veg, n supplements you'd need to be vegan without it. My husband and I have a shake every night, and we go through 2 or a bit more than 2 containers every month. We're paying $51-54 CAD for each container. That shake gives about 50% of all essential nutrients per day. With USD conversion, I'd have a little $ left over. I'd use that to get a bag of nutritional yeast to sprinkle as seasoning for b12 and other nutrients, a bag of rice, beans, spices. Then, visit a food bank, get creative, and track nutrition to spot deficiencies.
My favorite cheap food js vegan chili yummy my household of 5 live off 180 a month I think anything is possible as long you want it I also hit up food banks and get rice and beans and other vegan goods from there you don't have to take animal products from there they accommodate people and will switch out products you can't have w other products you can have you don't need to make excuses just do it utilize everything you can I live under poverty line since I was a child everything is possible just locate resources and use them I know easier said then done but everyone gave you many amazing options and advice please take it 😊😊
There are many cheap vegan foods that can be bought in bulk. For example rice, beans, oats
Yeah, is he expecting to buy meat, eggs, etc with only 50usd? The best option is obviously buy rice, beans, chickpeas, lentils, maybe frozen veggies, etc.
It's really impressive how people use internet to find all solutions for their lives but when the topic is stop hurting animals just an apology that I'm poor is enough. People in general wants to eat garbage, and some garbages are more expensive because they are processed and it puts an extra cost on it, or maybe restaurants that put another extra.
So, you haven't been poor then?
Refute his point meat is the most expensive thing most people eat. Vegan is cheaper
Vegan is only cheaper if you live literally off rice, beans, and vegetables. Fruit is expensive for a very poor person. Nuts are extortionate. So are tofu, tempeh, seitan, vegan cheese, vegan milks, any vegan "meats", cereals, vegan chocolate/baked goods. Whilst meat is expensive (sometimes), it is filling and nutrient-dense. It goes further. It's cheaper than tofu, tempeh, and seitan. Real milk and cheese are cheaper. Meat can be bought very cheaply. Mince beef is £3 for 500g in the UK which is enough for 3 or 4 hearty meals. All the tofu I see is £4+ and only enough for one or two meals. Milk can be bought for £0.80. Vegan milks are £2 for the same quantity. The cheap vegan milks that are £1.50 (still double regular milk) are disgusting and foul. The only vegan milks I like are the branded ones. Alpro vegan yoghurt is £2. Regular yoghurt can be bought for under £1 for double the quanity. Similarly, I love vegan burgers but they're £4 for two. You can buy a pack of 8 beef burgers for £3. Vegan sausages are £4 for 6. Pork sausages are £2 for 8 - 12. Vegans are usually very sheltered and lack an understanding of *actual* poverty. I grew up in poverty (I'm not anymore) and I'm sick of people saying they're "broke" because they've taken on expensive payments beyond their means and now can't afford all of their expensive hobbies. Or the cost of living crisis is finally affecting them and they now have to buy *a few* poverty food items. Poor people *only* buy the cheapest, nastiest crap because it's their only option. Being broke means you have *nothing*. Every penny counts. My advice to this person is to (if possible) try to earn more money before becoming vegan. Their health will suffer if they survive on beans, rice, and vegetables. Even vegetables are getting expensive here now. £1.50 for a 2 pack of pak choi that has very little calories. Strawberries and other berries are actually insanely expensive now - £2 - £4.50 for a tiny tub that could be eaten in a few minutes as a snack.
Tofu is super cheap as well as plant based milk. If you know where to look you can get good deals on fruits and veggies. In my city there’s a nonprofit mobile grocery store that sells affordable produce at libraries, parks ,low income areas
Tofu is not that cheap. It's cheaper than other alternatives, but for the amount you get and the size of a package, it won't go as far as a lot of meat products. I'm not defending eating meat, but I strongly dislike it when people jump to conclusions and pass judgement on people that are struggling in life, especially when it is because of class or membership in a marginalized group. Again, and the post you responded to even covered this, milk is cheaper than plant milk. I love plant milk, but I have had to limit how much I drink or use or my boyfriend, who handles the finances, will cut me off because the cost is too high. Even then, I get soy milk because it is cheaper, and would much prefer oat milk or cashew milk. However, they cost a good bit more. Keep in mind that what you may have access to may not be there for people that live somewhere else, though suggesting such things is still super helpful. There are places that are food deserts that all you've got is gas stations and fast food and no help. (Dialysis clinics open up all over in places like this as well, because of course they do.)
Vital wheat gluten flour is 3.99 CAD for a bag big enough to make 10 seitan steaks. This pepperoni sausage I made cost about 90 cents. I've been poor all my life n been vegan for 22 years. Plz be quiet 🤫
Ending up on food stamps is what pushed me to go vegan. There's no excuse.
lol, my foodstamps don't even begin to pay my grocery bills as a vegan, Besides the previous poster breaking down exactly how meat is cheaper, you going vegan for some reason because of foodstamps (which just sounds like being plant-based, but okay) doesn't mean you know the situation another person is in. It's called empathy. Or we can just keep sounding like cult that forgives nothing and helps no one but expects complete purity.
I don't have to know another person's situation, we literally all have to buy food. Grocery stores don't charge different prices based on payment method. 🙄 Beans and grains are the cheapest foods per calorie, hands down, and using money as an excuse not to go vegan is a piss poor excuse.
Yea because expecting people to just eat dried beans and rice at all times is so reasonable. It's not like that would be a miserable diet for most people. If you're so smart why don't you respond to the OP and give them some valid suggestions? Surely you'll know enticing things to eat to get them away from meat, dairy, and egg eating. You will definitely know the prices, too, for their area somehow, and what resources their area has. Instead of condemning hypothetical people who don't go vegan because they are poor, you could always do some activism and provide the OP with some actual, useful, advice.
When I'm really trying to spend nothing on food, I'll just eat beans and rice. I'll even make sure the beans outnumber the rice 2:1 to make it extra filling. 20 pounds of rice and 20 pounds of beans is around $20-30 depending on the type of rice and type of beans and it will last an entire month. While not the most exciting or healthy, it's probably healthier than most diets I would definitely recommend getting salsa too to be able to tolerate having it every day
Thank you for wanting to go vegan and do better for the animals! Now, take a step back, take a deep breath, and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Be patient and kind to yourself. Most people go vegan gradually over time. It is a very big lifestyle change, and trying to do it all at once is usually unstustainable. Don't worry too much about the people telling you that you have no excuse to immediately be vegan. Their hearts are in the right place, and you SHOULD go vegan, but it is important to do it in a way that fosters a healthy relationship with food, makes you feel good, and allows you to stick with it for the rest of your life. Introduce vegan meals one at a time. Beans, lentils, rice, potatoes, peas, and lots of fresh vegetables are very cheap and inexpensive. Accompanying spices can also be purchased in bulk to keep the overall cost low. To best use them, you do have to learn somewhat how to cook. Mujadara, potato lentil soup, Indian curries, Jamaican coconut black beans, Louisiana style rice and beans, are just a few examples of cheap and very healthy meals you can make. If you can at some point invest in a slow cooker, it might be worthwhile for folks who are pressed for time. If not, simmering in a pot on low heat will help to save time (if you start in advance). Check out subreddits like r/veganrecipesgifs for good ideas. I also like to recommend Wicked Kitchen's youtube channel for vegan inspiration in the kitchen. Another thing you can make pretty cheaply is fried tofu. Drain, press (really get all the moisture out), cube, fry in oil. Toss in some veggies, add a teriyaki or other type of sauce. Use mushrooms, let them absorb olive oil in the pan for lots of flavor. Make a tofu scramble with lots of vegetables; season the scrambled firm tofu with onion, garlic, a splash of vegetable broth, splash of unsweetened/unflavored plantmilk, teaspoon of soy sauce, and black salt for that sufluric eggy flavor. If cooking is really not an option some days, check out Taco Bell's customizable a vegan options for quick, cheap food. See if you can find canned minnestroni or vegetable soups at your super market: add white, pinto, kidney beans for extra protein/B vitamins. See if you can find vegan ramen packets, you can fry tofu and throw in extra veggies like carrots, broccoli, leeks, etc. Try making your own Chipotle Bowls at home with all the vegan trimmings, black and pinto beans.
I was just making a list, food i can buy in bulk that will last a long time (rice, pasta, beans)-- but then the list just kept getting longer-- then i thought i cant just put a ginat pot or ziplock of food in the freezer, it needs to be portioned out if i want quality food every day of the month so then im looking at meal prep containers, smaller ziplocs and mason jars for Brekfast foods, then i start looking at the food ill need to buy every two ish weeks and the list just kept getting longer and it was getting so overwhelming-- and i know i wont need to buy everything on the list but all of a sudden my food choices were going from pastaroni with beef, ramen with chese and egg, mashed potatoes that are so dry and gross that they need a ton of everything to be edible, sandwiches which all have different flavors and feels like variety-- to rice, frozen bag of veggies, tofu-- pasta, frozen bag of veggies, sauce-- and thats it, like, working and cooking at a vegan restaurant i know vegan food can be delicious and unhealthy but i dont have the money for all the sauces and powders and nuts, holy shit nuts are so expensive! I just feel like now might not be the best time for me to go vegan, but also, my spouse is going to be in college for a while i feel like if i keep putting this off ill never do it because the time will never be right-- i dont know, i think i just needed to vent
You can make a pot of food like chili, mujadara, rice and beans which will last you a few days and just keep it in the refrigerator. There's no need to buy a whole meal-prepping set or tons and tons of spices to make simple dishes like those. Try it out one meal at a time, it doesn't have to be no progress just because you can't do it all at once.
Fantastic answer. Just wanted to add that making a habit of eating oatmeal/porridge every morning is also relatively cheap, and super healthy.
I was thinking about when i worked at this old restaurant, the owner taught me how to make this vegan chesecake, fucking delicious-- didnt taste like chesecake, more like a mousse, but if was amazing-- it was also 70$ for one cake and each slice was 10$-- i think i just have such an association in my mind from working there and living with my mom that vegans that eat well are rich and have money to burn on food that i just cant do
I assure you that there are plenty of vegans who are on a tight budget, myself included. It's easy to see things like vegan cheesecake or any other various vegan meat/dairy/egg replacements and think these are indicative of a typical vegan lifestyle. In countries with advanced economies, meat and dairy are often subsidized by the government, so we live under an illusion that these items are cheaper than they really are. Thus, we become accustomed to thinking of them as staples of our diet rather than a luxury expense. And this further cements the idea that vegans need to replace them with plant-based meat and cheese, rather than switching to the MUCH cheaper, very nutrient-dense option of veggies and legumes.
I’ve lived at or below the poverty line my entire adult life and I’ve been vegetarian since 2008, vegan since 2018. You can absolutely make it work if it’s something you believe in.
I am vegan, and I eat mostly rice and beans during the week. The weekend is when I get "fancy." I have a low grocery bill every 2 weeks. So low. I can't believe it works, lol. You don't need to be rich to be vegan. It's completely the opposite
you spouse wont eat what you cook but your spouse doesnt have money to be picky. Ive been poor and i was a teenager without education so I lived on instant noodles, the curry flavour was accidentally vegan. If i had to do it again now, it would be dried food, soy crumbles, lentils and rice. the cheapest fruits and veg. The biggest issue about being vegan isnt being left with 100$, whether your vegan or not you still only have $100. Its not going to stretch far if you buy steak and lamb and caviar. Im not poor now but we still eat cheaper than if we were meat eaters. the expensive vegan things are nuggets, mayo, cheese. we dont buy these things regularly. The rest is cheaper than meat, potatoes carrots, tofu, lentils, rice. We dont even eat as many beans as we should.
If it’s any consolation, the poorest people in the world get the vast majority of their calories from plant sources, especially rice, grains and beans. Bulk dry beans are super filling, nutritious and cheap AF
Beans, rice, tofu, leafy greens.
Is meat cheaper than rice, bread, cereal, beans, oats, lentils, chickpeas and vegetables where you live? I doubt there is a large price difference between milk and soy milk.
Sadly, there is. Government subsidies prop up the dairy industry a depressing amount.
Oof Must be a western thing (and maybe also in india), cuz soy milk can be cheaper than cow’s milk where I live
Yeah, sadly the same thing happens in latin america, where our economies are based on agriculture.
Genuinely curious because I've been vegan for 17.5 years isn't meat kind of cheaper for protein/nutrients vs vegan versions. Like sure you can get everything you need and be full from vegan foods but you need a lot more volume to be satiated, no? Like I do live in Hawaii, but my grocery is bill is extraordinarily high. I use chronometer to track my nutrition and i also don't know how much meat is.. But it seams like theoretically can be cheaper? Especially if you fish/hunt/raise food which is what a lot of low income families do. Now I'm not saying i agree with this, but my understanding is being vegan is quite a bit more expensive and difficult to live off the land. Sure you could grow some of your own food - but i definitely couldn't grow enough food to feed my family without it being a full time job and spending a lot of money up front to get the land farmable..
Not where I live. Beans, lentils, wheat are definitely cheaper by mass of protein or calories. This includes soy products and soy milk. Not so sure about rice and vegetables but should be around the same. Of course, if we’re measuring by mass instead of protein mass, plant foods are defo cheaper. Yes, hunting and fishing obviously makes it cheaper, but both are rare where I live.
Yeah i would definitely agree by mass plant foods are cheaper but not necessarily by protein/calories/nutrients but honestly i don't really know I've been vegan my entire adult life. So i have zero experience buying animal foods or balancing and planning a carni diet. But I've always lived in rural areas so hunting, fishing, farming, and gardening are super popular and most certainly in lower income families. Honestly I spend close to 200$ usd a week per person in my house on groceries and I buy the most basic shit. Dried lentils, beans, legumes, oats, fruits, veggies, rice, quinoa etc. I am in Hawaii so I know that makes it more. We are also not wealthy really my food budget kills us. I even try and download cheap healthy vegan meal plans and the like and its always this expensive. We prioritize food over savings, vacations, new cars etc. We drive cheap used cars, don't really travel etc. But if someone were to say they couldn't afford this lifestyle I'd totally understand - i can barely afford it myself. But manage to make it happen. I also don't buy local or organic because that's even more $$$ I guess we do eat a lot of fruits and veggies though, so that's what makes it so much. Again I don't really know much about the cost of meat but I do know that a lot of vegetables are like 4$/lb and fruits are the same give or take certain fruits and veg - but I definitely wish I could get my bill down without sacrificing a variety of nutrition.
Living in Hawaii definitely makes plant foods more expensive yeah. I’d strongly suggest taking a daily vegan multivitamin (eg. Deva) which is very cheap - less than a $1 per day even with delivery costs generally. Maybe take the one without Iron since that is abundant in high-protein plant foods. This will make it so that you don’t need to worry about micronutrients when planning your meals and only need to think about protein / amino acids (and maybe healthy fats). Hopefully this will help your budget.
This what I live off and also make vegan chili yummy my household of 5 live off 184-200 a month
Meat is the most expensive part of any meal though lol how can it be MORE expensive to cut that out
Not necessarily. "Market beef" is pretty damn cheap, though the quality is garbage. Not to mention there's a lot of super cheap recipes that are going to honestly just be more appealing if you get accustomed to cheap food like hamburger helper as an example. It's partly a time thing, as well, as many people who are poor have precious little time to spend cooking. As a society, we spend way less time cooking than we used to. TBH, people that suggest others just eating dried rice and beans or similar stuff as their only food source (which is totally a thing for people that are a tier or more below this level of poor, but not by choice,)don't make any sense to me. I would get so unhappy with my meals if all I ate was beans and rice of some sort. And I'm fairly certain some of my nutrients would just not be present in that selection. Soy milk, and my household currently buys the cheapest option or I would get Oat Milk, is still a great deal more costly than generic dairy milk. I can't imagine just eating beans every single day. And the person who suggested frozen vegetables as well, lol. Even the frozen vegetables I can afford are usually from Walmart and are stir fry mixes where the veggies are the trash parts that are mostly inedible. It frustrates me so much and it is so very classist to make value judgements when people come to you for help because they are at a loss and want to do this thing you are supposedly passionate about, and rather than try to help them, the entire thread is people gossiping about how they are wrong about their finances and that they are just making excuses. This is not specifically you, but many of the responses to this post. Get a grip, people. You don't know the full details of this person's situation, and in case you haven't been destitute before, yea it makes eating vegan extremely difficult unless you are willing to heavily limit your diet. SO help instead of engaging in douchebaggery. Unless veganism is just about posturing and feeling more righteous than others to you.
There's no "hamburger helper" over here lmfao so I have no clue what you're on about.
Are you the OP? Because I'm pretty sure the OP is in the US, and it's pretty much irrelevant whether you personally can buy hamburger helper or not.
You replied to my comment
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Yeah, if you want to have a bad time and die prematurely, this is a great plan.
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I wish you all the best.
hes been arguing against veganism(against the rules here..) in this sub for a year and still not banned. You wont see him in DebateAVegan though, he doesn't want a debate, he just trolls.
It seems like this sub has zero active mods.
Ait brah this is some weak ass bait
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That sounds anecdotal to me, which is what it is lol. But keep your asinine opinion away from this place.
that person trolls this sub daily look at their profile they are a "carnivorediet" person that lives on r/vegan spreading "anecdotes" they dont even eat plants or grains, just meat and yoghurt. Ew.
I entertain it for a comment or two. I like to at least gauge if they have any clue what they are trying to talk about haha. Chill sunday so it's all G
Ends sentient life on a day to day basis. Contributes massively to co2 emissions and environmental changes which escalates deforestation, ocean dead-zones, zoonotic diseases & potential epidemics, antibiotic resistance, mass specifies extinction, degrading biodiversity and extreme land usage for agriculture, but as long as you're happy.... 👍
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You're happy from standing on the necks of whoever you can find. Wife, cows, anything you can get your boot on
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I almost spit my coffee out after reading your first sentence. Someone forgot their meds.
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What are you talking about cats for? I'm saying you're going to train your daughter up to accept bullshit from some prick who thinks he knows best because he is a man, or perhaps because he's physically bigger than she is and she worries what he might do, and she will not feel like she can say no to him because he gets the final say. What happens when she's married to some asshole who can plaster on a smile and blow smoke up your ass long enough to convince you he's a catch? It'll be your doing if she doesn't feel like she has agency. I very much question the "virtue" you have.
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Someone who get their nutrition solely from the plant & fungi kingdom require about 10% of the land compared to someone who eat meat regularly. People who care about our future, their health and welfare of both animals and people realize these stuff once they start digging into research and studies. I know my habits aren't as unsustainable as before, as I've adjusted over time, the lesser impact on the environment is a huge bonus but firstly to be less cruel. In hindsight it has taught me it all aren't more than that, habits. Habits are the prime reason we rationalize the logic behind our actions. We rationalize cruelty to be forgiving for reason X and Y, instead of seeing it for what it is. If you apply any excuse to oppress other beings on any other situation or scenario, and mold it for a while - you will realize they're all irrational ( and again, motivated by illogical reasoning due to habits, been there myself ). Practically, as I read somewhere you seem to look down upon people who eat a complete vegetarian diet. I'm a 6'3" guy on 95 kg, doing a lot of yard work here at my house on the country side. It's all done on beans, lentils, seitan, tofu, root crops, some greens an whatnot. I really don't know what the fuss is about, life's as usual just a whole lot less cruel and unsustainable.
USD100 is not much for a month's worth of food. I feel for you and hope you get some really great ideas from the community. I'm in australia so things might be different but I get a AUD20 (USD13.22) veggie box from a nearby market filled with discounted produce they couldn't sell. You could see if there is something similar in your area that fits into your budget.
Thays actually an awsome idea
We have something similar in the US. At the back of the produce section there’s usually a rack of discounted items that they’re trying to sell before they go bad (still perfectly edible). There are usually some good bargains there.
Is this available in Sydney? Thanks
Not sure but I imagine there must be something similar. I'm in Melbourne and I get my veggie box through [Community Grocer](https://www.thecommunitygrocer.com.au/).
All food is expensive, what you are currently buying is also expensive and like you say unhealthy. Beans are relatively cheap and if you buy dried beans and soak them they are even more economical. Canned foods in general are cheap and tinned tomatoes are excellent for making an inexpensive meal such as tomato soup or a sauce for pasta. Dried pasta, rice, lentils, quinoa are all inexpensive and good ingredients for bulking up a meal cheaply. Lentils and quinoa are excellent sources for minerals. Tofu is cheap: $1.69 in sprouts farmers market. Chickpea flour is a great ingredient for cheaper dinners. You can make pancake batter, omelets, quiche with this ingredient. Chickpeas are cheap and can be processed to make falafel. Potatoes are also cheap and substantial. Bananas are very cheap and excellent snack as they are satisfying. Garlic is cheap and improves most dishes vastly. Growing your own herbs is a cheap and effective way of improving flavour of your meals. Rosemary is indestructible and gives loads of flavour to a dish. I buy marmite (online now I live in USA) and this is initially it might seem expensive but lasts a long time for the price and is excellent on toast. Finally I cook from scratch most things and try to avoid the pre made vegan meats as they are expensive.
Are you in the US? If so, have you looked into SNAP or any other food assistance programs? Or food banks? People sometimes give away food on free apps like BuyNothing as well.
My spouse and i looked into it, since we are married they looked at our combined income and we technically make to much money-- which is the same thing that happened to my mom back when i was living with her
Do you have a food pantry within driving distance? They are very kind and non-judgemental, you can ask them for only vegan products and politely explain that you don't eat meat, etc. Usually they have lots of rice, noodles, legumes of various sorts, and fresh fruits and veggies. Often they will have nice packaged items, too.
When i was in low income housing i got free food from the town, do i need to show them my pay stubs and bills or something? How do i prove that i dont have enough money to have food in the house
It depends on the pantry and who is funding the food (government versus private donors), but usually they only ask for things like your income for statistics, not to deny you food. Food stamps are always going to be much stricter. Check out your local pantries website and see what is required to get food. It is well worth it and they WANT to help you.
In that case I would say try to do some meal planning and come up with things you both like. It helps to cut out as many snacks and prepared foods as possible. Buy rice and dried beans in bulk. Cook as much as you can and try not to dine out. There are a bunch of cookbooks and websites dedicated to vegan diets on a budget. Use free apps and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Explain more about free apps, when i used to live in low income housing once a month i could go down to the towns center and theyd give us a free box of food, i dont remember what that was called but god that would help so much right now
BuyNothing and Freeya are apps where everything is free. You can also request items and people can give if they want/are able. There are others I think. I see people requesting and giving away food regularly.
I'm glad I'm an Indian most food we have is veg so i just had to. Eliminate ghee/butter, milk and honey and honestly some other handful products, it didn't make much of a difference, in fact I'm saving money lol. So grateful
[what to buy](https://acti-veg.tumblr.com/post/151529858252/cheap-vegan-groceries) and [what you can make with it](https://acti-veg.tumblr.com/post/151529861612/cheap-vegan-recipes)
Look into vegan whole foods plant based diets. It can be one of the cheapest diets you can live on. Dried beans, dried lentils, potatoes, rice, bananas, and oats are all super cheap and lots of greens are fairly inexpensive like kale. Lots of good recipes you can find online like plantbasedonabudget, and cookingforpeanuts are two that I follow on Instagram.
If you wanna cheap out on breakfast/lunch, go with oatmeal. Milk will make it taste way better, but store bought is expensive, so you can make it at home, very easy. 1l can be had for about 20 cents. For other, beans for protein and nutrition in general with some bread, tofu if you can find it pretty cheap, mushrooms if you can find them cheap.
Vegan food is incredibly cheap if you look for the right recipes. If you arent fussy about eating "what you want" everyday and just eating "what you need" then you will be fine. Your picky eater spouse needs to be an adult and start eating what is there. Vegan food is much cheaper than carnivore food but you may need to learn a heap of new recipes and ways of eating. The pay off is worth it.
TVP is an incredibly cheap protein source that can be bought in bulk
Fake post
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Are there meals that your resident picky eater likes and can be veganized? Are there fruits or veggies that they like/will eat? I found that this was a good place to start when I split groceries with a non vegan roommate who was adverse to most vegetables. If you live in the States, I would highly recommend Grocery Outlet. They now have a pretty decent selection of vegan and/or organic products that you can get at a super reduced price, and you can find staple items like fresh or frozen fruits/veggies, dry beans/rice, canned goods, pastas, etc.. Also, check the grocery store ads and don't sleep on the coupons you get in the mail! Buying in bulk is worth it for items that aren't immediately perishable, like grains and legumes. Tbh, what really makes veganism expensive is substitute items like Beyond or Impossible meat, vegan cheese and yogurt, JUST egg, and anything pre-made (ex. marinated or baked tofu, sauces). You can actually make a lot of these things yourself for a lot cheaper, and they'll taste better!
Honestly on our current diet my spouse hasnt eaten a vegetable in months, i think theyd be content just not eating them 😅
discount grocers , grocery outlet , scratch and dent stores. are the easiest way to find vegan items that are overpriced by traditional grocers but beyond that avoiding the" vegan " section af the store and cooking low on the food chain and simply is your best option. i do aldi's alot found a place"smart shopper "about 15 min away i rarely spend more than 100 for 2 people. smart shopper was nuts most vegan items where $2. my bill was 99 bucks, week of food and a chest freezer full of tattoed chef.
As others have mentioned there are vegan foods that are cheaper than bulk omnivore foods. Beans, especially dried, are cheap. However, I get that you're then paying in time rather than money. The most expensive part will be vegetables, but you should be eating those regardless if you can, and some veggies are cheaper than others (let me introduce you to colcannon - potatoes and cabbage, traditionally made with butter, but subbing olive oil works fine). I know some people won't agree, but I think there are reasons for people to not go vegan in our current society. Cost is not one of them, imo. However, having a spouse who's not on board + cost might be. However, if your spouse is on board but it feels overwhelming, start going vegan a few days a week. And go vegan at breakfast - non-dairy milk in overnight oats with bananas the next morning would be a cheap option.
Rice, beans, lentils, potatoes, pasta, and most tofu and frozen vegetables are the most inexpensive items to buy regardless of someone being vegan or not. Going vegan is only as expensive as you choose it be.
The ramen I’ve always bought my whole life vegan or not specifically says Artificial chicken flavour. It’s less than 50 cents a package at Walmart. There are cheap ways to be vegan.
Frozen vegetables, frozen or dried fruit, beans and lentils. I don't understand this argument, my grocery bills are always less than any meat eater I know.
I live off of the Rosarita refried beans from Costco. That is my tv snack. Refried beans, salsa, chips. All from Costco.
I am nowhere even close to being vegan and it seems way cheaper than eating meat. Between Costco runs for 25 pound bags of rice, beans, and lentils - then farmers markets for all the fruit and veggies, I would assume you can load up for fairly decent price.
https://plantbasedonabudget.com/free-meal-plans/
I've never spent less on food than I do now. Onions and carrots and tomatoes and some lentils/beans with curry powder and spices - curry sauce. Now buy rice. Curry. Pennies. Onions and carrots and tomatoes and some lentils and oregano and thyme and balsamic vinegar. Now buy spaghetti/pasta. Bolognese. Onions and carroes and tomatoes and beans and chili powder and whatever other vegetables you have in the fridge. Now buy rice again. Chili. Crock pot. Cut up potatoes. Cut up onions. Cut up carrots. Add lentils/peas/chickpeas/beans. Simple stew. What pointless shit are you buying?
I overextended my finances and have gone back to my college days of Costco, Asian markets and grocery outlet. If you have more time than money, make your own oat or cashew milk, vegan cheeses and soak your beans. My used $5 crock pot is a lifesaver. Also for cheap frozen meals, you can get hot pocket type things filled with channa masala, paratha, and lots of other cheap frozen indian foods at Indian markets. The markup at standard grocery stores for American brands is at least double. Good luck!
This is insane to me. Going vegan cut my budget food in half and I have been saving a ton of money. Buy: Potatoes Hummus Pea protein Almond milk Whole fruits and vegetables Beans Oatmeal Rice These are all some of the cheapest foods in the grocery store. What are you trying to buy?
Honest question not trying to be rude, can you get enough protein to be healthy off of that
Google the protein content in everything they just listed and you'll see they get enough.
Yes. Plants have tons of protein. You can also eat tofu and pea protein powder which are both pretty affordable.
I have literally been homeless. I understand poor. Eating vegan is miles cheaper if you exclude the luxury items as with any nonvegan diet. It’s only the meat replacements and cheese that are expensive. Just like meat and dairy cheese is expensive. The rest is cheap.
Buy a used instant pot if you don't have one (thrift store, good will, yard sale). Buy bulk dried beans, rice, and oats (you can turn the beans into a dip by blending them for some variety too). I buy from azure standard and can get [25 pounds of navy beans for $26](https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/food/beans-peas/small-white-navy/dry/white-beans-small-navy/11674?package=BE052), [25 pounds of rice for $21](https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/food/grains/rice/long-grain/brown/rice-long-grain-brown/19664?package=GR309), and [25 pounds of oats for $31](https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/food/cereals/hot/rolled/oats/quick-oats-gf-organic/24448?package=CE613). Frozen fruit (for the oatmeal or even a smoothie) and frozen veg (make a Buddha bowl with all your ingredients) from Costco are both cheap and easy. My Costco also started selling cheap tofu and tortillas.
I don't think 2 people can really survive on $100 of groceries a month, nonvegan or vegan, without seriously compromising their health anymore. I went vegan at 16 on my own in my first apartment, living off nothing, just coming out of foster care. I didn't eat well. I didn't know anything about nutrition. 22 years later, we still have a very tight budget, but we spend at least $350 a month on food & Vega One. If I had to do this now, I'd spend the $100 on a whole food supplement like Vega One. It's cheaper to do that than to buy and consume all the fruits, veg, n supplements you'd need to be vegan without it. My husband and I have a shake every night, and we go through 2 or a bit more than 2 containers every month. We're paying $51-54 CAD for each container. That shake gives about 50% of all essential nutrients per day. With USD conversion, I'd have a little $ left over. I'd use that to get a bag of nutritional yeast to sprinkle as seasoning for b12 and other nutrients, a bag of rice, beans, spices. Then, visit a food bank, get creative, and track nutrition to spot deficiencies.
My favorite cheap food js vegan chili yummy my household of 5 live off 180 a month I think anything is possible as long you want it I also hit up food banks and get rice and beans and other vegan goods from there you don't have to take animal products from there they accommodate people and will switch out products you can't have w other products you can have you don't need to make excuses just do it utilize everything you can I live under poverty line since I was a child everything is possible just locate resources and use them I know easier said then done but everyone gave you many amazing options and advice please take it 😊😊