Poor vegan, cheap living

[Mystic]

When I was a student I lived off dhal and rice - and not much else :D

[flying plum]

i tend to spend about £15 a week on food. i buy dried pulses rather than cans and get my fruit and veg from a stall in balham market. find that it's better quality than supermarkets, and cheaper too.

however, i'm not one for budgets...my boyfriend is the king of getting stuff on offer in the supermarket and coming out with a weeks worth of shopping for a fiver. i tend to try to stay under £20 a week, which i can afford to do. i work, and i cycle to and from uni so after rent, i don't really have any other expenditure *l*

amanda

[MillieAnne]

I spend a lot of my money on food but when I am in a tight budget then I make something big and packed full of nutrition to get me through the week.

This is my favorite.

Take a block of firm tofu and crumble it into a big tupperware container. Blanch 1 pound of asparagus, 1 bunch of kale (all tough stems removed), 1 pound of green beans, and any other green vegetable that you like. Place all of them in the food processor with 1 cup of sliced almonds or pine nuts (almonds are cheaper for the budget) with just a little olive oil and process until it looks like hummus. Combine with the really well crumbled tofu and add 1/4 cup well chopped basil. This is almost like a really chunky pesto. It goes well on anything and is full of nutrients. Pasta, frozen vegetables, rice, or if you are feeling frisky, a home made vegan pizza.

This may be a little more than what your budget calls for but I am a culinary nutrition student so I don't really have anything better to spend it on...this is what I do!

[Cup'O'Tea]

I'm a student and I still live on my mom's income, but I'm trying to get used to budgeting, even with her money.

I buy lots of canned soups and beans, I always have oatmeal for breakfast with fruit, and I keep lots of frozen fruits and vegetables in the fridge. It's best if you can stock up on the fruits and vegetables when they're in season, then freeze them yourself. It saves money.

I always bring my lunch to school - pita, salad or sandwich with veggies, beans, hummus, or nut/seed butter with fruit spread.

Invest in some good food containers and a thermos to store soup.

Buying things in bulk (things that won't go bad) slashes costs, and uses less packaging, which is wonderful. I keep walnuts, soya seeds and almonds in my freezer to use on salads, in oatmeal, in desserts, etc. I bought them all in bulk which seems expensive at the time, but they last a long time if you're using them in moderation.

[Aurore]

i'm a student that still lives with mom and dad, but i'm the only one who walks in a healthfood store, so i buy my vegetarian stuff :
-quinoa, so versatile and cheap, i recently bought a kilo for about 3€
-red lentils
-rice
-tofu (usually i'll buy it at a chinese grocery store, it's more wallet friendly)

as a treat i'll buy myself almonds or nuts, and as a big treat some almond milk.

for the fruits and veggies, the best deal remains the market. compare the prices because if it's big there's more than one seller. if possible, try to get there not too early as they may lower the prices to get rid of those they didn't sell before the end.

i also try to cook more than i need for one meal and freeze or tupperware and store in the fridge. mom also keeps ready a bag full of different vegetables for her ratatouille. frozen onions are also a life savior.

[sugarmouse]

I am a mature student but I try to be frugal i work part time.
Staples are
Lentils
Tinned tomatos
Tofu
Frozen veggies

Also I shop at discount stores and farmers markets alot-especially at the end o the day whern things are reduced.I make lots of soups and make two or three meals in one go adn freeze things...e/gI ll cook some tomato soup, then take some aside use some as stir fry sauce with a little extra spices, then thicken the restup with veggies and use as sauce with lentils/quinoa or chickpeas.....
I eat lots of salads too but I try to make sure I buy when reduced...

[ellaminnowpea]

I'm not sure how interesting my meals are, but I try to stick to this mealplan Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday are usually messed up since I drink and either get sick, eat too much lol, or travel. I'm also working on eating more raw, so every other day is about 95% raw.

RAW DAYS:
B: mono eating of some fruit - mangoes, grapefruit, bananas
L: I don't have breaks, but I may get brazil nuts, dates, and Lara bars if I can get to the grocery store this weekend
D: salad (bean sprouts, kale leaves, plum tomato, carrots, Bragg's Sesame Ginger aminos dressing + 1c black/kidney beans)
S: unlimited tea and another fruit three hours after dinner

COOKED DAYS:
B: 1/3c quinoa flakes + small banana + ground flaxseeds + 2 oz soymilk or ricemilk
L: I don't have breaks, but I may get brazil nuts, dates, and Luna bars if I can get to the grocery store this weekend
D: veggie stirfry from work (spinach leaves, bok choy, carrots, swiss chard, red bell pepper, mung bean sprouts, tomatoes, other veggies, sesame oil, edamame)
S: unlimited tea and another fruit three hours after dinner

I did just buy two cans of lentils to add to some of my veggie-based meals as I think I may need some more protein and calories in there.

[ellaminnowpea]

I've not found a market around here besides grocery, so I'm always paying so much money for food! I hate spending money on food, but I know as soon as my eating goes downhill with calories and nutrients, I begin to feel like shit. I guess the money is worth it, it is my health... just sucks that the uni and grocery store drain almost all my money!!

[Fungus]

MillieAnne - sounds like a nice idea - will try it out tomorrow :)

[wilsonclan]

Well, this isn't about organic foods, but this is another go-round for me on the vegan wagon. I've come to calling myself an "errant vegan" - I have good intentions, I try, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. Then I learn a little more, make things a little simpler, and try again.

This round was sparked by the news report about Hallmark Slaughterhouse, and what I saw on video footage (on national news, not a PETA video) regarding sick and injured cows.

My husband had bought some veggie convenience foods that were not vegan, but to be polite and to encourage his efforts to support me, I eat it anyway ... though now I'm politely telling him, please, no more "vegetarian" convenience foods .... (he's a meat eater, really doesn't like vegan foods, but he likes Smart Ground and other substitutes - however, they're expensive when feeding a family of four).

I'm finding it far simpler to stick with soymilk, beans, various grains, and some frozen or fresh veggies tossed in, or maybe some salsa, crushed almonds, or other added treats. It travels better (I'm on the go a lot with our kids and with my volunteer work), lasts longer, and fills me better.

And .... if it's a bean, grain, or veggie - I don't have to check a label to know if it's vegan. It's very simple. If it came from the ground, it's vegan. If it came from the ground, I can eat it with a clear conscience and no heartache. And I don't like butter or heavy sauces - I mostly cook with olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, etc.

I do check soymilk labels because some brands toss in weird ingredients.

[emmapresley]

good stuff...welcome to the forum..knowledge is power and all that :)

[Mystic]

Welcome :) You seem very compassionate and it is very nice to have you here!

Eating foods in their natural state is often much cheaper then buying pre-packaged/processed foods, and it is also much healthier. I am no health food junkie, but for money saving purposes, my shopping lists generally don't stray from staples, such as brown rice, wholemeal pasta, dried beans and legumes (and some canned), herbs/spices, fresh vegies and fruit, green tea, coffee, bread, rice cakes/corn thins, dried fruits, natural peanut butter, all fruit jam, oatmeal and a few extras like juice, potato chips, corn chips and pop corn. My omnivorous (but veg at home) husband has soy milk too.

I have learned to cook too - I used to be lazy and live off convenience foods, but now I make my own refried beans to make burritos (soooo cheap!), I make my own pasta sauces, I make shepherds pie, soups, stir-fries etc, and I make my own cakes and muffins!

I don't buy organic coz I can't afford it, but I try to eat well with the resources that I have got :) Good luck!

[journey]

My husband recently became vegetarian, and was being nice, came home with a new kind of soy cheese frozen pizza, thinking it would be something we both could share. It was so sweet of him, and he really was trying, I hated to tell him that particular brand includes milk (as many soy cheeses do). But I knew if I ate it anyway, he'd buy it again thinking I like it and that he was doing something nice for me. So I gently told him about the milk in it, and that I've accidently bought soy cheese with milk in it. He was going to return it to the store, but decided to try it one night when I was out - he liked it - since he's vegetarian rather than vegan, I don't know if that's any better than full milk cheese, but we got a laugh out of it, and now he knows what brand to get. Live and learn.

[Hemlock]

I am skint, I have no money until pay day and the cupboard is bare. Whilst this is good for my figure I have just been forced to eat baked beans and spaghetti (barf - I hate baked beans).
Tomorrow I will be having dehydrated soya chunks a la tomate with possibly a bit of frozen spinach that I haven't yet touched as I let the packet defrost accidentally and instead of being little cubes of spinach it is now one giant chunk that can only be broken up using a jackhammer.
I do however have porridge oats and golden syrup, if I go shop lifting for some margerine I can make flapjacks:D I refuse to substitute baked beans for the margerine:)

[Ruby Rose]

It reminds me of when I was a student... at the end of term when everyone was super-skint, one of our friends invited 10 of us round to dinner. He said he'd be making Fish Finger Surprise. The surprise was there were no fish fingers - it was rice and tomato ketchup!

[JC]

Hmm that is quite a predicament! If you have a little bit of money, i would recommend buying some cheap chopped tomatoes, cheap kidney beans and cheap frozen mixed veg and making up a big batch of chilli, then freezing it into portions. Well that's what i do anyway, and i'm a student so i'm a bit of an expert in this field ;)

[Ruby Rose]

It's time to visit friends!

[Hemlock]

It reminds me of when I was a student... at the end of term when everyone was super-skint, one of our friends invited 10 of us round to dinner. He said he'd be making Fish Finger Surprise. The surprise was there were no fish fingers - it was rice and tomato ketchup!

Hahahahahahahahaha:D

[Joeybee]

it's great doing nursing isn't it?!

[Risker]

I eat morrisons own brand curry flavoured noodles - 8p a packet.

[Sluggie]

There's always dumpster diving. Or if you have any neighbours with a vegetable patch, you could go and make appreciative comments while they're working on it, until they give you some. Local allotments on a weekend are a good place for scrounging. Vegetable growers always seem to have an excess of veggies that they are only too happy to give away to anyone who shows a polite interest.

If you have enough oats, you could make your own oatmilk for porridge.

[journey]

A box of instant brown rice is pretty cheap (and easy to make too).

When I was broke not so long ago, I cleaned out all my backpacks from camping and found a fair amount of backpacking food - maybe not the most exciting stuff, but it held me over for a week til I could buy something better.

[Janet]

Whats wrong with baked bean flapjacks? You could paint them black and pretend they're currants LOL. Try telling the local veg shop you have a rabbit and see if they wil give you anything.

[vegcurry]

Go to the library and check out Food For Free (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Free-Collins-Natural-History/dp/0002198657) by Richard Mabey, or Wild Food (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Food-Raymond-Mears/dp/0340827904/ref=pd_sim_b_njs_img_2) by Ray Mears, or The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Edible-Plants-Mushrooms-Fruits/dp/1592282881/ref=pd_sim_b_njs_img_5) by Katie Letcher Lyle. They might provide enough information for you to go searching for a naturally sourced supply of food.

Go to the coast and get yourself some sea lettuce (http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=%22sea+lettuce%22&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2) (if you like seaweed that is).

[Hemlock]

Go to the library and check out Food For Free (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Free-Collins-Natural-History/dp/0002198657) by Richard Mabey, or Wild Food (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Food-Raymond-Mears/dp/0340827904/ref=pd_sim_b_njs_img_2) by Ray Mears, or The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Edible-Plants-Mushrooms-Fruits/dp/1592282881/ref=pd_sim_b_njs_img_5) by Katie Letcher Lyle. They might provide enough information for you to go searching for a naturally sourced supply of food.

Go to the coast and get yourself some sea lettuce (http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=%22sea+lettuce%22&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2) (if you like seaweed that is).

I didn't think of that:eek: We have Food for Free on the bookshelf and enough brown rice to sink a battleship - we also found a can of mock duck but I'm not sure we're that desperate yet:)

Janet: LOL :D