I consider myself a B+ vegetarian because I only eat meat on special occasions, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Other than that I'm vegetarian. I've researched vegan and I have come across many products, but the items are quite expensive. I was at the grocery store and not only was there a lack of choices, they were also rather expensive. How come? Are you vegan? How do you cope?
I've been vegan for 3 months now. That makes me quite a newbie and a financially uncomfortable newbie at that. What I do is look around for supermarkets that have good sales. I was lucky to find one that sells a variety of vegetables for $1 a bag. These are usually the veggies that they want to clear away for newer veggies. I also try to make everything from scratch instead of buying packaged or canned products. The ingredients are usually much cheaper and much better in portions and value. To cope with lack of meats, I buy the "mock" products in Asian food stores instead of Health food stores. Asian food culture seems to have a better grasp on vegetarian/vegan needs and so the products are not as expensive (at least from my own experience). I continue to discover more recipes and budget friendly choices to support the lifestyle but I believe you have to be willing to learn how to cook your own food.
Vegan is only expensive if you buy gimmick items at the grocery store. Buy natural foods and you won't have to worry about it. It's only when you buy all the processed, refined convenience foods that you won't know for sure what's in the package. It's far cheaper to buy the raw ingredients and make your own 'convenience' items.
Being vegan is cheap, contrary to what many people believe. The basis of the vegan diet are legumes, grains and vegetables, and are much cheaper than meat products, fish and shellfish. Still, the price of food in general has been more expensive in recent years, which makes the purchase invoice up for all (while generally, salaries don't rise much) and that we have to "tighten our belts" if we are vegan or not. You just have to organize the menu by following some basic guidelines. Thus, our pockets will be less required. We must take full advantage of the capabilities of each product. Develop a list of products before making purchases is a detail also helps to save some money. It´s interesting to use seasonal vegetables for our meals. That way, we will reduce the cost of our food and take a diet adapted to our preferences.
Packaged products are always more expensive, and vegan ones are particularly so because so many people are trying out a vegan diet. It's the laws of supply and demand at work. If it's popular, it's expensive. I'm semi-vegetarian, although I eat a lot of fish, but from what I've seen of the vegan diet, it's far too restrictive for me. I don't think it's all that much more healthy, either, although I'm not an expert.
If you want cheaper items, you might want to check local markets too. Sometimes the products here are much cheaper because you buy them directly from the producer, and much fresher. Big stores tend to purchase a big number of vegetables at once and wait for them to sell, which can be a slow process, so the vegetables become old.
I did some digging after responding to this post, and I found a great site with lots of excellent vegan recipes, as well as plenty of other useful stuff on healthy eating. It's worth a look, even if you're not a vegan. You can find itLog In.
I think it is expensive because it is a lifestyle choice of people, so they know they can charge more, just like Organic. They just know those people will pay more, because they believe in what they are doing.
I don't find being vegan or vegetarian expensive at all. I'm a bit shocked at home much money I'm saving. I don't buy any of the pre-packaged food. I don't buy soy cheese or any other soy products. I did buy some organic tofu but it was so cheap. I do buy packaged dry bean soup mix, bean and grain soup, lentils, dry beans, quinoa and fresh fruit and vegetables. They store where I shop sells items in bulk so I buy only what I need and save more. It's been a interesting lifestyle change.
If you're not buying meat, your grocery bill should be cheaper than other people's. I shop at one of the most expensive places around to get healthy foods and I don't find being "vegan" more expensive. You just have to know how to shop, like with everything else. A pound of carrots is 99 cents at Whole Foods. The trick is to shop smart and not over buy. A small amount of something can go a long way and you don't get more than you can use while saving money.
It is quite easy cooking up a vegan meal at home. My son is vegan, and only occasionally do I buy readymade vegan foods, like burgers and nuggets, from a store. Otherwise, it is almost always prepared at home.
I'm not a vegan myself, but it seems to me that being a vegan would not be expensive, because vegetables are cheaper than meat. However, this only works if you cook all your own food.
Those meat substitutes can be pretty expensive. I tried to cut back on eating meat and switch over to some of those, and they did jack up my grocery bill. Just plain veggies themselves are relatively cheap, especially if you stick to farmers markets. The only thing I find the grocery stores kind of screw you on is fresh herbs. Around here they want like $4 for a tiny pack of a given herb. I can go buy a huge bag of herbs for $2 at the market.
This is exactly the reason why I don't go vegan. I've done enough research to learn that if you eat the right types of food, you'd be healthier as long as you eat the right nutrients. But I'm far too broke to buy the types of foods to get the right nutrients with cutting out meat. Therefore I'll stick to my dollar menu lifestyle.
You shouldn't buy the meat substitutes because they aren't necessarily all that healthy let alone vegan. Morningstar products contain eggs, some of the vegan cheese. Also, packaged foods still have preservatives just like their "less healthy" counterparts. It's best to eat a balanced diet of mostly vegetables, some fruit, some grains, and the non-meat proteins. It is so easy to grow your own herbs, you don't really need to buy them. Once they go to seed you can plant more and share with friends and family. Some herbs are very prolific and you will be trying to get rid of them!
I actually like some of the vegan products on the market, and I'm not vegan or vegetarian. The vegan mayonaise is really good, it's a bit milder and creamier than the real stuff, and I prefer it in pasta salads. I would buy it more often if it weren't like $5-$7 a jar.
I guess I'm somewhat in the minority here- I find fruits and veggies to be super expensive, really. I started a new thread about this but (while I am admittedly still eating meat) I've recently started to buy more of them and am finding this dramatically inflates my monthly grocery bill. I'm cutting out processed foods generally and I guess I don't agree with what many of you have said- I'm not sure about whole foods vs. processed VEGAN food, but I find whole foods to generally be a lot more expensive than normal processed food.
I think eating vegan is so expensive because a lot of the food comes from the land. Prices are increasing every year. Gas prices go up and food prices go with it. Farmers make a certain amount of money each year based on demand. If vegan is in high demand, you're going to see higher prices at the store.
It's actually cheap to be vegan. You just have to do one thing- buy whole foods, and cook. Avoid the packaged, highly processed foods like Quorn and Boca Burgers, and do most of your shopping in the produce department. Buy packages of dried beans and peas. Add a veggie bouillon cube, carrots, onion, celery, garlic and herbs, and you have a pot of soup for just pennies. Serve with rice or baked potatoes- easy, filling and cheap.
It depends on where you shop and what you buy. If you buy fake cheese, fake meat, fake milk, vegan soup, vegan mayo, vegan chocolate, etc, etc it's going to be a bit more expensive than if you just buy raw foods and make your own things. For instance, you can make your own soup and your own mayo and things like that and it will work out much, much cheaper that way. Also, shopping at Whole Foods and other organic health food stores will be more expensive.
