Poor vegan, cheap living

[cobweb]

I shouldn't worry cobweb - people are mostly just listing their favourite foods that are cheap and filling, not commenting on you. These sorts of threads develop lives of their own don't they.

I could do with shedding a few pounds but I'm going to try and make an effort to do more walking as exercise is the only thing that really works for me (and it has a good effect on my mood as well, unlike self-denial :o ) . I expect that guarantees four months of non-stop rain!


:D
exercise is my saviour harpy but i haven't been able to do much atall for months due to my damned foot :mad:. I expect i eat more when i'm stuck indoors so it's a vicious cycle.
It's nice to get help and support here but i'm thinking that really i need to just pull myself together :rollseyes_ani: (*rolling eyes at myself!*)

[harpy]

Sorry about your foot cw - that must be v difficult. I hope it's getting better?

Apart from walking I sometimes wave weights around (carefully and using light ones so as not to do more harm than good). One can start off with e.g. cans of beans and even sitting down - my kind of exercise in fact ;)

[cobweb]

harpy you're a tonic - i have some weights i occasionally wave around, too! :p

[Roxy]

Don't feel bad or negative or pathetic cobweb (((HUGS))). I think it's great that you want to go ahead and do something to improve your situation, when you don't feel good about your physical self.

I think everyone's offering really good advice here. You just need to try a few different things and find what works for you.

[cobweb]

thanks Roxy, you are sweet, it is good that i want to do this - so why can't i just do it? argghhhh!
ta for the hug! x

[Marrers]

While I'm unable to use my trampoline due to an injury I'm doing a bit of Callanetics (http://style.uk.msn.com/getfit/asktheexpert/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5580007) to keep up the routine of doing something each day - and hopefully it will do me some good. It is 'no impact' so many of the exercises might be okay with your foot.
There is a video showing people doing it here:- http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2460771946293869648

[ellaminnowpea]

Cobweb!! I'm so sorry you feel badly about your size, clothes, etc... At least you've got many other great things about you!! :D

The main things I do:

- Drinking tons of water - like a liter with each meal; some people think its too much but my point is that water is heavy and "fills" your stomach, if only temporarily
- Eating HUGE salads before I can eat anything else. I must finish the salad before I can move onto something else.
- I always eat breakfast - such as quinoa flakes, rolled oats, luna bars, something...
- I eat a piece of fruit in between meals to add fiber and minerals
- I make sure to have two portions of protein in my lunch and dinner - lentils are soo filling, along with soups, quinoa w/ beans, and stirfries w/ soybeans, etc
- I also don't really consume "extras" like spreads, sauces, dips, dressings, drinks, etc.

Of course, listen to your body :) Sometimes this stuff is soooo hard, but you can totally do this Cobweb!

[emzy1985]

Cobweb don't be a silly moo! You know we love you and don't think you are pathetic!

Something that others haven't mentioned is smoothies....raw ones at that. Three banannas, few berries, maybe a leaf or too of baby spinach and water. Blend it up and way hey....filling breakfast! I read somewhere that fruit is the most nutritious and best thing to have for breaky. Fruit is relatively cheap although if you want it even cheaper get it frozen/canned and it's just as good. If you don't have a blender.....you need to get one. Mine was £9.99 and I've had it for 5 years...it makes soups, hummus and smoothies just as well as the vitamix thing that my friend has.

I also find that making a meal plan for the week that you can stick to helps and lotsa variation. Also try not to eat too late in the evening because you won't be able to burn it off.

[Cup'O'Tea]

So, long story short, I just started a full-time job, but I'm also probably moving out. I don't have to pay for much besides gas and food (moving in with my boyfriend and his mom, sister, mom's boyfriend), but still, I want to live really, really cheap, just because all my life, I've been used to being somewhat spoiled, and I want to live off just necessities. I'm thinking something like this would work, for a variety of nutrients. It incorporates all my favourite foods, and should only cost roughly $50 per week. Work expends a lot of energy, so I needn't worry about not being able to burn everything off. Plus I'll still be running most mornings. I plan to give up coffee.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, hemp protein, berries.

Snack: Apple.

Lunch (at work) : Peanut butter sandwich (PB, 2 slices whole wheat bread), baby carrots and celery.

Snack (at work): Soymilk and a banana.

Dinner - would vary between: Rice with lentils or beans and 2 veggies. Small salad (tomatoes, mixed greens) OR Pasta with sauce, maybe lentils and 2 veggies. Small salad.

I might even take the berries out of breakfast since I have fruit as snacks. My weekly grocery list would be something like:

-2 cans of lentils
-2 cans of other beans
-Jar of peanut butter (should last like 3 weeks at least)
-Tub of hemp protein (should last about a month)
-2 cartons of soymilk
-1-2 loaves of bread
-1 box wholegrain pasta
-1 box brown rice (should last a couple weeks)
-1 bag oats (2-3 weeks)
-Bananas (7)
-Apples (7)
-Berries?
-Baby carrots
-Celery
-Peppers (2)
-Tomatoes (4)
-Frozen broccoli
-Frozen cauliflower
-Mixed greens
-Pasta sauce

Anything else you would suggest? Any obvious nutrients you think I'd be missing?

[Fungus]

This thread (http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18221) might help for cheap food :)

[harpy]

When I'm on an economy drive, rather than going shopping with a list, I look to see what's going cheap (e.g. buy fruit and veg in season, and see what's been marked down at the end of the day as long as it's not actually rotting).

May take a bit of discipline as you mustn't go mad and buy more than you need.

If you can find a shop that sells stuff like dried beans and rice in bulk then that will save you some money, too. "Ethnic" shops such as Indian groceries can be good for that if you have any where you are.

Also if you can be bothered to make your own bread that can save quite a bit, I believe, as well as being nicer. If you have a freezer you can make several loaves at once and freeze most of them.

[Nikheil]

.

[Nikheil]

I'm on diet too! Struggling to kick the junk food habit (and I thought it would be easy once I was vegan - boy was I wrong!)

Beans, chickpeas, lentils (my favourite), brown rice. Buy all the legumes dried, they are WAY cheaper and tastier, have a few cans for last minute dinners.

Homemade hummus is cheap and less fattening than storebought, and you can eat it with everything - (got to have something to liven up the endless brown rice crackers and veggies!) Oh, and when eating raw veggies, eat less carrots - they have loads of sugar in them.

hummus:
2 cups chickpeas
1 onion
1 tspn paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1 tspn dried cilantro
2 tbsp olive oil
a little water
then into the food processor!

A spice rack is your best friend - when you're cooking low fat you need the flavour kick! I also love thai green curry paste.

For quick meals, I love to throw a bunch of veggies and tofu on the grill or in the oven with some herbs, spices and a light spray of olive oil

Also, I've built up a collection of soups that are low cal and take under 1/2 hour to make. I make enough to take leftovers for lunch the next day.

[cobweb]

i can't cut down on carrots, i love them!

i have located a source for tahini here now and will make some homous soon, and today i've loaded up on some fifferent types of rice. Going back to basics.

[harpy]

Carrots are OK, surely - if you ate a whole kilo there would only be about 300 calories, as far as I can tell. (If you kept doing this you might o/d and turn orange but I thought this mainly happened with people who drink loads of carrot juice.)

[cobweb]

yes i am really not going to worry about carrots after all the junk i've been eating!

[Nikheil]

Carrots are OK, surely - if you ate a whole kilo there would only be about 300 calories, as far as I can tell. (If you kept doing this you might o/d and turn orange but I thought this mainly happened with people who drink loads of carrot juice.)


You're right. I was thinking in terms of myself. I'm a type 1 diabetic and I find that carrots (esp. raw) really raise my blood sugar. Carrots, grapes, potatoes, corn and pineaple are the worst. Maybe it's more to do with how quickly the sugar is released than total sugar content.

[Cattmogg]

Aduki beans - whack them in everything.

[scotch&dry]

I'm a new vegan and my parents (after finally coming around to the idea) are still buying my food but making me shop for it and prepare it myself. Basically, I need a whole separate range of food, which I'm scared will cost too much.

So I guess I'm looking for cheap and filling foods to buy. I'm kinda stressing about it.

Also - good recipe sites?

[hiddenfromview]

CONGRATS on becoming vegan!!!
I don't know about meat subs in australia, but here are some things that should be relatively cheap..
Pasta, couscous (season with vegetable stock and a little olive oil), millet grain (very high in iron), chickpeas/garbanzo beans (calcium), pitta breads. You can also try making your own veggie burgers.
TVP, used dried soya mince and add to veggie gravy, put in a dish and top with mashed potato and bake in the oven. You can also add baked beans (haricot) to this dish for extra fibre and nutrients.
Tinned lentils for protein and nutrients.
Tofu is good for protein and calcium, but it is only inexpensive if you buy it from a Chinese store.. so if you have one near you go there. Also in a Chinese shop you can look for 'suji' which is basically tinned gluten, and usually comes in 'chicken' and 'duck' amongst other styles.
Nut cutlets are cheap and nutritious.. You can also try having wholemeal pasta instead of white as it is much more filling. If you have the time you can make meals up at home and freeze them since vegan ready meals aren't as easy to come buy.

I use www.vegweb.com (http://www.vegweb.com) for my recipe ideas. Also check out http://uk.youtube.com/vegetariandatabase where you can find some of my own video recipes..
Hope this helps

HFW

[cobweb]

i'm a bit of a cheap vegan, too.

i eat lots of potatoes - jacket potatoes are great with beans or lentils pored over them with a bit of greenery on the side, very cheap, very filling.

in the u.k lots of brekky cereals are ok for vegans so that, and toast, with vegan soya milk/soya spread is a good, cheap breakfast - that or fruit, of course.

soups are also great, cheap lunches (homemade, easy to do) and of course sandwiches or beans on toast.

you don't need a load of fancy stuff, it's just nice as a treat sometimes.

ooh, i also recommend cherry's site 'parsley soup' for good recipes, including lots of homemade cake ideas.

[harpy]

It might work out cheaper if you can mostly use the same foods your parents are already buying for themselves, and just add a few bits and pieces of your own (such as nuts, seeds and beans). Presumably they already buy fruit, veg, rice and so on? If not perhaps you could persuade them that they should!

Dried beans, peas and lentils are cheap and (assuming there's room in the freezer) you can prepare a load and keep them until you need them.

Soya products are really optional extras from a nutritional point of view IMO so I wouldn't get stressed about not being able to afford those.

[scotch&dry]

Thanks everyone, these are some great ideas :D

Harpy, I like the sounds of this. You put it so simply! That is what I'd originally had in mind but I ended up fussing a bit. I just need to convince my family to stop eating so much white product - white rice, white bread, white sugar, etc. not necessarily not-vegan, but not as healthy either.

[Kismet]

Totally hear where your coming from guys, its all well and good to have a nutrious, varied vegan diet if you've got the cash. Vegan and veggie restaurants that are in my price range are also few and far between....spotting a trend here?

Its nice to be healthy and ethical but when your a broke student you rely on staples like instant noodles, oat cakes etc. most of which have palm oil in them so thats a no go now. back to broccoli, rice and chickpeas it is...*sigh. rant over

Any uk members equally strapped 4 cash found any vegan, non palm oil student foods in the supermarkets?

[harpy]

You can get rice noodles that just have rice in them and that just need to be steeped in boiling water for 5 minutes, but I'm not sure if they're particularly cheap. Like someone already said, if you can get to a Chinese supermarket you can often find oriental products at better prices.

By the way if you click on 'cheap living' in the 'tag cloud' on the forum home page there are a few more threads on this topic.