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jonnie falafel
Dec 7th, 2008, 06:08 PM
Just worked it out - our household spends around £98 a week all in... food/household products/toiletries etc.. (2 people) However, we buy good basics like olive oil & always get good wine - so we don't especially buy cheap. We always cook from scratch & we rarely use any ready made vegan stuff (sausages/rashers that sort of thing). We spend very little on clothes - make do and mend I'm afraid - and mostly use public transport, although we do have one car between us (which is a bone of contention as I'm not especially into cars and he is!)

Where we fall down is eating out - if I included that we're looking at around £148 a week as we always try to get out for a meal at least once every week.

jonnie falafel
Dec 7th, 2008, 06:22 PM
Exactly, it makes me cross to think that food which is a lot less processed, therefore requiring less labour, is more expensive than the highly processed nasty whiter bread and the likes. not so long ago, vegetables were the poor man's food, but now they're just about more expensive than animal products and definitely more so than refined flours (which on the other hand used to be rich man's food). But of course in sellers' minds, these days people who prefer to eat veg and fruit rather than a big mac, musty be some crazy, mult-bilionaire helth-freak celebrity, and therefore they can pay a lot.

I'm not sure this is true... artisan foods are often far more labour intensive & bread is the perfect example. Modern steam baking methods can turn out a loaf from mixing to the finished article in about 15 fully automated minutes! It doesn't have to be kneaded and proved twice. It's the same with organic/veganic vegetable & fruit production - very labour intensive. (And I want them to be paid for their work! I'm sure you're paid for yours.)

However, having said that, I've used my local organic box scheme for the past three years and there have been no price rises... and indeed lately there have been price drops on individual items.

And don't blame sellers or retailers. Believe me they don't want to price people out of their outlets... what would be the point. They are simply passing on rises in production & distribution costs.

You also have to remember that if demand for particular products (e.g. raw commodities like grains) are low (cause no-one cooks anymore!) then prices will rise. Producers ain't gonna produce stuff & then sell it at a price which means they can't make a living.

Verencemos
Jan 5th, 2009, 09:38 PM
I have huge problems with my weight - for decades - and so I have lots of practise in trying to lose it! I can lose a few stone, but I always regain it, though thankfully the pattern has changed over the last few years in that I regain a little less each year.
Things that help me are not just about the actual food I put in my mouth but being in a positive frame of mind
eg - reading books that inspire me and make me think about what I put in my mouth eg the Allen Carr book (except the slightly spooky chapter about aeroplanes on the moon), GI books, books about nutrition
eg - keeping busy - knitting, vowing not to watch TV in the evening, so I don't veg out but instead prepare healthy food, make stuff, do housework
eg trying to think I am not abstaining from something wonderful, but doing something positive and good for myself
eg drinking nice tea and not alcohol - alcohol is a disaster for me with 3 prongs - it has calories in it, it disinhibits me so I eat more while intoxicated, and it gives me a hangover that can only be treated by large doses of carbohydrate - fried
I always do a lot better in the summer when I excercise with a friend - I have to go out and do it or I'd be letting her down. But she buggers off to India every winter, so I go it alone then ( I suppose I could try and find another friend!).
And in terms of food that helps me
- soup
- mashed root vegetables
- beans
- porridge
I know all this stuff, but I'm still overweight, so there is obviously some aspect still missing

Verencemos
Jan 5th, 2009, 09:39 PM
BTW CW, hope your ankle is better. Thanks for starting the thread. V

petunia
Jan 5th, 2009, 10:45 PM
i found out once, but have forgotten...
how many pounds is a "stone"?

cobweb
Jan 5th, 2009, 10:45 PM
thanks, i'm not always a very healthy eater but better than i used to be, and i do exercise now, but am still large/heavy, maybe that's just how i am meant to be (*sigh*)

Enchantress
Jan 5th, 2009, 10:53 PM
i found out once, but have forgotten...
how many pounds is a "stone"?
14

Rawj
Jul 8th, 2009, 06:44 PM
http://hungryhungryveganos.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/vegan-on-the-cheap/



"One of the things we never really understand is when people tell us they'd be Vegan if only they could afford it. This lament is one we hear quite often from people on the cusp of leaving the land of animal suffering behind. It's true that if your diet is made up of pre-made frozen dinners, junk food and mock meats (which, don't get us wrong, we do love!) that it could cost you a pretty penny from week to week but it doesn't have to be that way.

People often gasp when we say we don't spend more than $80 a week on groceries and that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner AND desserts for the week. One of the big tricks to this is to actually plan our meals out for the week so we can head to the grocery store with a list. Yes, this does take some time up front (but really only about 20 minutes or so) and we aren't left wandering around the aisles of the store asking "What do you want for dinner?" only to get the response "I don't know, whatever you want."

For instance, this week we are having shepherd's pie, white sketti, portabello burgers, chickpea cutlets, falafel (http://hungryhungryveganos.wordpress.com/2009/05/30/fabulous-falafel-gyro-with-titillating-tahini-sauce/) , potato soup, and a rice dish called Mexicali. Throw in a couple fruits a day and cereal every morning and you've got yourself a basic week with the Hungry Hungry Veganos. How much did all the ingredients for all these dishes come to at the grocery store, anyway?


http://hungryhungryveganos.wordpress.com/files/2009/07/receipt.jpg
Your eyes do not deceive you, the total for a week's worth of groceries did indeed only cost us $47.40. So, with the extra money, we may splurge on some Coconut Bliss (http://www.coconutbliss.com/html/flavors.html) (Vegan ice cream at its best!) throughout the week or save it up for a night of Vegan sushi. We did make sure to get these from a local co-op on our way home just because who on Earth could pass up yummy cupcakes when you have over $30 left over in your grocery budget?
http://hungryhungryveganos.wordpress.com/files/2009/07/coopcupcakes2.jpg


So we, quite frankly, call bullshit on whomever says it's too expensive to go Vegan. We do it on the cheap and don't for one minute feel deprived on anything. No sir, not for one moment. We think it's time for some homemade cookies now. NOM."

*live*&*let*live
Jul 8th, 2009, 10:35 PM
Those cupcakes look AMAZING and very very scrummy and SO cheap too! Good thread, off to check out the website now! :D

Roxy
Jul 9th, 2009, 06:05 PM
Great thread! I'm off to check out your website too :)

Alison1988
Oct 12th, 2009, 07:52 PM
Hi guys,
I've just joined this website (and love it!!!!).

I was hoping for some serious help.
I'm a student -have my own place with own kitchen, etc. and am pretty new to being vegan. Being a student, I have nooooooo money, and am running out of ideas for good, healthy, cheap food which doesn't require a lot of preparation and cooking (or random ingredients!!).

Desperately need ideas for EVERYTHING:confused:

whalespace
Oct 12th, 2009, 08:19 PM
Whole lentils, pillowcase, basin, bucket or large pan or similar.

Rinse each day until a couple or six centimetres 'long'.

Eat raw, or cook for just a little while.

fiamma
Oct 12th, 2009, 09:12 PM
Hi Alison and welcome to VF :)

You might want to take a look at this thread called Poor vegan, cheap living (http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1056&highlight=poor+vegan+cheap+living) which has lots of suggestions.

Don't be fooled into thinking you need fake meats and so on to be a healthy vegan; they certainly make for a bit more variety, but there are tons of beans, veggies, fruits and grains all out there just waiting to be tried! :thumbsup:

All the best :)

Glossgirl
Oct 12th, 2009, 09:13 PM
^lentils - cheap and fast
lentil bolognese, lentil and veggies soup ...

oatmeal mmm

vegweb.com has lots of great recipes

Pilaf
Oct 13th, 2009, 07:28 AM
Are there other vegans at your campus? Perhaps you can form or join a club and campaign for more vegan friendly cafeteria options.

harpy
Oct 13th, 2009, 10:16 AM
Hello - I second the lentil and veg soup recommendation. It's really cheap if you use seasonal veg, and if you make a big batch and it should last for a few days (if you can keep it away from the other students :D ) You can use dried herbs and spices (e.g. chili flakes) to make it tasty.

Otherwise, baked potatoes with beans or homemade hummus? Beans or hummus on toast? Risottos and pilaffs (be careful about reheating rice though as you can poison yourself)? Pasta with tomatoes, beans and veg?

That thread Fiamma pointed you to should be helpful.

Troutina
Oct 13th, 2009, 12:04 PM
When I was a student I bought all my veggies at the local market- it was cheaper, you got loads more and they usually lasted much longer than supermarket veg. Plus the people that work there are usually super nice!

residualvisuals
Oct 13th, 2009, 03:01 PM
(be careful about reheating rice though as you can poison yourself)?

Where do people get this? I reheat rice all the time and have never had a problem. I just glanced around online and can't find anything definitive. If it were a true danger, I think it would be more commonly mentioned. Or taught in food safety classes, I don't remember anything about rice, much less reheating it.

I think y'all are safe. Just don't eat the moldy stuff in the back of the fridge :tongue_ani:

harpy
Oct 13th, 2009, 04:00 PM
Some advice about rice:
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamcooking/#A220063

A microbiologist told me they often use rice to grow bacteria cultures, because they like it so much that they breed nice and fast :p

whalespace
Oct 13th, 2009, 07:41 PM
Some advice about rice:
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamcooking/#A220063


"spores germinat[ing] into bacteria" is an interesting concept :D. However, it is useful to know that however dead you kill the 'bugs' in your food, the poisons which they left in your food will usually remain.

saidsirius
Jan 2nd, 2010, 07:26 AM
To some of the people who have been asking about recipes for cleaning products, I highly recommend the Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier. It has recipes for every cleaning product you could possibly need for every room in the house. Most of them are all variations of water, vinegar, castille soap and essential oils, so it's super simple and everything is cheap to make.

As far as what I eat on a budget (which is every week, really) I try to make a big pot of something, usually with either some sort of a grain or a bean. One week I may make a huge pot of yummy lentil curry soup loaded with whatever fresh veggies I find at the farmer's market. It's cheap and it feeds both me and my husband for at least 3 or 4 days in a row. Cooking beans and grains from scratch saves a ton of money (and waste in aluminum cans for that matter) and you get a lot more bang for your buck. I definitely recommend it.

jennyfedei
Jan 23rd, 2010, 11:22 AM
I also like to stock up on beans, but I tend to avoid canned or processed. Instead I purchase bulk beans from the co-op store when they go on sale and then of course I get my monthly 15% discount since I am an investor there. I usually pick up a variety of beans: red beans, white, black, kidney, pinto and also split peas, lentils, chic peas and black eyed peas. When I get home, I pull out all my pots and soak them over night. In the morning when I get up I rinse the beans and finish cooking them until done. Then I drain them, let them cool a bit and usually put them into zip lock bags at about 2 cups at a time. These bags are then tossed into the freezer for future meals and it makes ALLOT!! When I come home in a hurry and need to toss something together, I grab one of the bags and run warm water over it in a colander to separate them and defrost a bit.. it only takes a minute and then I'm ready to add them to casseroles and other dishes in a hurry. The money that I save is off the charts compared to buying canned, plus the beans I buy are organic and free of any additives or sodium. They taste better too!

P.S. I don't actually cook the lentils and split peas this way because they cook fast by themselves and would probably come out too mushy I'm guessing.

Urban Durga
Feb 17th, 2010, 02:50 PM
I resort to lots of lazy foods, especially canned black beans.

whalespace
Feb 17th, 2010, 05:44 PM
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r274/whalespace/BILD0612.jpg (http://www.veganforum.com/forums/%3Ca%20href=)">
This pot is as big as a bucket. It now has its own shelf in a warm cupboard. These whole lentils soon sprout, and taste good raw. Not much hands on time at all; just soak, drain, rinse once each day. I only need to cook them if I run out of other food before they are ready...even then this bucket has a lid, and makes a good radiator for drying my socks on:).

Of course these will grow in a pillow case, which I should never tire of mentioning.

These things will stop growing if you get them cold enough....and can keep for a couple of weeks in ideal conditions. They die if they freeze, unsurprizingly.

pavotrouge
Feb 19th, 2010, 08:57 PM
omnomnom. but then, what do use a bucket load of lentils in?