Poor vegan, cheap living

[cedarblue]

i also subscribe to care 2 (http://www.care2.com/send/categories) and send e-cards. it saves on buying cards, envelopes, stamps etc.

i enjoy looking through their whole site.

[PinkFluffyCloud]

Oh, that's another thing I do, Cedar, just google 'free e-cards' and you have tons of choice. Try www.free-e-cards-online.com, you can make your own with accompanying music, too!

[Trendygirl]

I make my own home made cards out of all sorts of stuff, from scraps of fabric, wool (acrylic), paper, plastic and food packaging. Anything that you find and you have no use for. It can takes a little artistic skill and imagination but I even sell some of mine in a shop.

I also rap presents up in paper from magazines, not like I ever buy any but someone I live with always seems to be recycling some.

Most presents come from a charity shop or I make them myself.

Making my own clothes can be very demanding on time and can turn out to be more expensive but I always knit my own scarves
Isn't it great how all this trying to save money is also saving the planet!

I also save some of my glass jars from the recycle box for storing things and I also use margarine/icecream tubs for the same reason. On an enviromental note I also take any extra plastic tubs to uni for textile students to mix there dyes in, i would perfure to recyle them but I can't find a place to take them) :(

[Gorilla]

i use old margarine tubs, soya ice cream tubs etc. that i can't recycle as storage tubs for nuts, seeds, dried fruit and taking sandwiches to work and so on. saves money on buying plastic containers. :)

[Mystic]

That is good for the environment too Gorilla :)

[Gorilla]

yeah it's interesting how a lot of people think doing things for the environment is expensive, but a lot of things actually *save* you money. :)

[Mystic]

I bought a whole lot of those green bag things from the supermarket when they first came out - they were $1 each and I bought around 20 - but they are very practical, can fit lots of stuff in them. $20 is a small price to pay to reduce wastage, like non-biodegradable plastic bags - although when I forget my green bags, I always use them as bins.

[drummer]

Cook every day of the week using fresh and unprocessed ingredeints...
That's hilarious feline, although I am lazy so I do the same thing.....Is this a Brit thing??
Use natural cleaning products to clean things like white vinegar, lemon juice and boiling water...

[Wildflower]

I don't buy bin liners (trash bags) and just use the bags from the grocery instead.

I also rewear my clothes and don't iron (although i never thought that was saving the earth to not iron, i'll have to use that one at work)

I also reuse cups. i get one for the day and rinse it between soymilk, juice, water, etc. instead of running the dishwasher. I keep one for water at nights and wash it every couple days or once a week.

i wash clothes by hand to save money.

i have to have a car (live in the US) but i have a very fuel efficent one - about 45 miles to the gallon.

I keep my gas tank half full and shop around for the cheapest gas. this also helps with fuel economy (car weighs less with less gas, gets better mileage)

[feline01]

I bought a whole lot of those green bag things from the supermarket when they first came out - they were $1 each and I bought around 20 - but they are very practical, can fit lots of stuff in them. $20 is a small price to pay to reduce wastage, like non-biodegradable plastic bags - although when I forget my green bags, I always use them as bins.
I love my canvas shopping totes. I bought a bunch for $2 each and keep them in the car for shopping. I hate those plastic carrier bags though if I do get them, I reuse them. Plus, many stores give a minimal discount if you're using your own bags (maybe 2 cents a bag).

[Tigerlily]

Coupons!

The other day while at the supermarket with my dad, I found a big pile of these booklets by an empty cash register. They said Save Money The Natural Way. I thought it was a little info booklet on how to save energy and blah blah blah. NO WAY! It was filled with coupons for different soy and rice milks, vitamins and supplements, natural hair and body prodcuts, and juice and cereal. Hehhe, I'm so going to use them next time I go shopping. :)

[Kim[ba]]

I like taters! Is that healthy though? My mom tells me that potatos are a starchy food and she be eatin in moderation.


I save by making Potatos a staple, you can buy 20 pounds of potatos for less than five dollars, I eat them with every meal. I also rewear clothes, I smell them and if they don't stink I wear them, if they do stink I spray them with downy wrinkle releasor and they are almost always good to go.

[mattd]

millet is super cheap (here it's like 80 cents a pound), and lasts a while. it's best to cook it with veggie broth (thats cheaper if you make your own).

[PolluxStar]

Pollux does most of his vegan shopping at walmart


AWW SHIT WHATZ UP FOOL :cool:

[Roxy]

Wow - Walmart sells vegan things?

They exploit everything else under the sun, so I would've expected that they would be very generous with their animal exploitation as well.

I hate Walmart.

[bittersweet]

My friend gave me 2 bags of clothes she's lost too much weight to wear at the weekend!

I haven't had clothes from a friend that way for years, but we (a large group of my friends) used to swap and donate clothes to each other all the time - it's great for refreshing your wardrobe and getting better use out of clothes...I had some great stuff that could be 3rd or 4th hand when I got it and then would last 5-6 years...

On a similar note, I'm a bit depressed at the mo because the final bits of clothing I bought with my first money on leaving home (summer job and grant cheque (and that should tell anyone who's English how long ago this was)anyone) are disintegrating...clothes hardly last any time anymore...what's a decade between friends!

[foxytina_69]

ive already gotten some good tips on this, but id like everyones.

what do you find are the cheapest but healthiest things to purchase. i dont have any money right now and would like to know what things are healthy but cheap, and thought this would make a good thread for other people aswell.

basically, how to get the best bang for you buck regarding vegan food. lol!

thanx!

[assilembob]

bulk nuts, fruits and veggies (fresh and on sale...for instance, all the greens at my local store are $.50 a bunch and strawberies are $1.99 for a flat! Also Texas peaches are $.89 a pound.
I know it doesn't help you but it may help others: find a bread outlet store for cheaper bread...it's on closeout and you have to eat it quickly but I eat a lot of bread with earth balance, toast and such
bulk rices, flours, beans ect. even just dried store brand beasns are super cheap. I got red and brown lentils 2 for $1

~Mel

[ConsciousCuisine]

I have no idea what things cost in Canada, but here is what a teen/young adult needs to be eating some of daily/weekly, if no allergies are present:

legumes, beans etc. (lentils, pinto beans, black beans, chickpeas etc.)

vegetables (collard greens, kale, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, spinach, arugula, tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, mixed baby greens)

fruits (berries and citrus are your best bets!)

seeds and nuts (ground flax, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, walnuts, almonds)

whole grains (brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa)

healthy oils (unheated flax, sesame, olive etc.)

Nutritional Yeast

B-12, calcium, iron and zinc rich foods and/or a supplement

[foxytina_69]

mmm i love those veggies, and berries and citrus are my favorite fruits :)

thanx!

[Kiva Dancer]

CC said it the best so I can't really add to that except to say watch the sales, use coupons when you can and buy items in season. Don't be afraid to explore the frozen foods section for veggies / fruit and the bulk foods section is your friend in many ways. Pre-made things will almost always run up the bill and so will a lot of specialty items (vegan butter, cheese, sourcream, etc). It's best to spend that money for more useful items such as olive oil, nutritional yeast and B12 supplements or a good multi.

[harpy]

As already mentioned, dried lentils, beans and peas are incredibly cheap. You need to remember to soak them overnight or for a few hours (apart from lentils which don't need it) and then cook them thoroughly (boil beans hard for at least 10 minutes and then simmer until tender) - but if you have access to a freezer, you can prepare a large quantity and freeze what you don't need.

Mix them with whatever vegetables are cheap on the day you go shopping and you will have a filling stew or soup for next to nothing. Cold cooked lentils or beans are also a good basis for a nourishing salad. Throw in a few herbs and spices if you have them to make your meals tastier.

[Evilfluffbunny]

How about making your own soups from fresh ingredients? It's much cheaper & healthier than buying tinned stuff and you can make up several large meals in one go. :)

[Gorilla]

on a similar note to what Mel said - you may find that if you visit a shop near closing time they'll have perishable food like fruit and veg near their sell-by date reduced in price. if you use them the day you buy them they'll still have plenty of nutrients. last week my local wholefood shop had a huge box of organic cherries and broccoli that they were giving away for free because they were slightly over-ripe. :)

have you tried sprouting your own beans/pulses? they're really healthy, you can buy the dried beans in bulk and if you sprout them yourself they're much cheaper than buying them from a shop.

[foxytina_69]

thanx for all your tips everyone :)

gorilla, no i havent tried sprouting but i would like to!

cc, i know frying isnt a very healthy way to prepare food, but i was wondering if i were to make chinese fried rice, which would be just brown rice, lots of veggies (usually a combination of broccoli, peas and/or tomatoes), organic tamari, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, pepper, sesame seeds, and a little olive oil, would that still be healthy? i fry it for about 3 minutes. u mentioned alot of those foods and chinese fried rice is one of my favorites!