Poor vegan, cheap living

[mophoto]

that's great!! i really need to bring a lunch everyday to work instead of spending $10 for middle eastern.

[foxytina_69]

thanks eve! youre always posting great links :)

[vegan1969]

thnx for the great link, we're always looking for ways to save to have more money to help animals.......super;)

[sheri beri]

I don't know if its just me, but i have cut my grocery bill in half since we went vegan, my hubby does eat meat on occassion but its still not what it was when we were carnivores..I feed a family of four...I live in a area which is very health concious and warm , so we have farmers markets all year round that is a great savings, i go to awhole foods for specialty items and legumes and whole grains in bulk, its very cheap, i don't use many packaged meats most of our food is as whole as I can get it....All the best....

[m.t.ness]

What had the most impact on the grocery bills in my household was cutting out (or almost entirely cutting out) processed, pre-packaged foods and cooking our own stuff from scratch. Whole foods are pretty cheap. The one thing that is expensive is organic fruits and vegetables, but you can often find ones that are grown organically (and locally - a bonus) at farmer's markets and they're usually pretty inexpensive.

[DianeVegan]

I agree that eating whole foods and vegan is certainly cheaper than processed and omni products. I buy very high quality food that is much cheaper than my friends (how I feel for those children). But I know that cheap is in the eye of the beholder (I was a broke student myself for years), so thanks for that link, Eve.:)

[herbwormwood]

that's great!! i really need to bring a lunch everyday to work instead of spending $10 for middle eastern.

Shortly after I became vegan I realised I would save a large amount of money and not have to worry about checking ingredients if I did this. I have probably saved a few hundred £££'s by now.
see
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/
for some ideas

[m.t.ness]

But I know that cheap is in the eye of the beholder (I was a broke student myself for years), so thanks for that link, Eve.:)

I can identify, too! If you live in a dorm, that can make it especially difficult. It's been a while since I was in college, so I don't know what it's like now, but it was common then for dorm kids to have a 1/2 size fridge in their rooms. A lot of the meal ideas from that link (and yes, it's great) could be stored in a fridge and put together, if need be, on top of your desk! Having to eat dorm food is a challenge regardless of your diet (gag), but I think with a little planning, you could find some cheap, tasty, healthful (and vegan) alternatives. Best of luck to those who try!

[Tigress]

I agree that the processed foods are what up your budget and students tend to want quickness and ease at mealtimes which = processed pre prepared food.
If you just take a bit of time you can prepare so many lovely nutritious meals for a fraction of the cost.
I just love things like beans and veggies - I make a huge pan of it and use it for lunches and dinners.
That vegan lunch box site was really cute :) I want her for my Mum lol

[Christie]

Are there any threads on here for making your own shampoo, conditioner etc. Is this a cheaper way or doing things? Or is it cheaper to buy ready made products. I would love to make my own so I know exactly how it was made but I usually dont have money to buy the ready made ones!

[Haniska]

I've tried to answer this myself. I hope someone else answers because so far I have no luck. Currenly the only thing I can do is use less. You would be suprised how little you can get away with.

[alekolu]

I always dilute my shampoo and conditioner with water when it is about half empty... I don't like buying it, either, it is soooo expensive.

[Klutz]

No 'poo tends to be a cheaper (and healthier) way of doing it. http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html?page=4#comments

[Christie]

No 'poo tends to be a cheaper (and healthier) way of doing it. http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html?page=4#comments

Thanks. Ive been looking for something like that. Plus it does look cheaper!

All the shampoo recipes ive found are either not vegan or contain so many things like sodium lauryl sulfate. I mean whats the point of making homemade shampoo if you gunna stick all the bad stuff in from bought shampoo :confused:

[Agatha]

I'm so loving this thread! I wil lnever be anything or other than poverty stircken ( I work for the NHS). I was very naughty today though - I spent £50 in the supermarket eeeeeeek! and stuff to make me feel better about my clinical exams next week like fresh lemongrass hmmmm. I will have to try to make that last at least three weeks to feel justified. I always get a bit overexcited near vegetables and just keep filling my basket. *slaps wrists*

I find I make big portions and then freeze leftovers so I have a 'readymeal' for those days when I finish work at 9pm and can't be bothered to cook. It means I can buy some things in bulk with makes them slightly cheaper.

And any veggies that are loooking a bit tired get whisked into soup with cheap dried pulses or barley (always in my larder!).

Likewise any fruit looking past its best can be whacked in the blender for a lovely smoothie or stewed up and eaten as puree.

I always used to buy dried beans and pulses so that I have a ready stock of them and because I thought it might be better for the environment. But presoaking overnight and boiling for an hour no longer suits my lifestyle and the boiling probably uses as much energy as a tin can. *confused*

[Ara]

I always get a bit overexcited near vegetables and just keep filling my basket.

Hehe me too, i go shopping with my boyfriend and my shopping trolley just gets filled with veggies/fruits and it always cost so much more than Rob's who just fills his with meat filled convinence foods *blergh* I get so excited in the vegetable isle! lol

[Stig]

thanks for the great links :)

[mandycoot]

For students--We're forced to live in the dorms all four years of college and I'm staying there this summer too. I've found that an investment in an electric skillet was my saving grace :) It's so easy to make cheap stir-fries! I make curries in in all the time too, and yesterday I made mango sticky rice in it. It's a genius invention, really!

[Wildflower]

Yes, I lived in a dorm and snuck in an electric burner ring (it was good for using a pan for grilled things, etc. but took A LONG TIME to boil water - so I used a hot pot for that and heating soups, pasta, etc.) and I also had a toaster oven and a regular toaster. I felt I could make just about anything with these things!

I was lucky enough to have a larger sized fridge with a seperate freezer compartment for frozen Amy's dinners.

I did cook a lot though, allthough a lot of fresh stuff too - salads, sandwiches, guacamole, etc.

Ricer cookers are allowed in some dorms and you can cook quite a lot in those...I had some friends with breadmakers too.

Our dorm had a shared kitchen, but I cooked a pizza in that oven once and it tasted like dirt! The oven was sooo dirty, I ran the self clean thing a bunch of times but it was still gross. It was also hard to carry your food back upstairs to your room, but I suppose if I was more social I could have stayed down there and eaten. I prefered to stick to myself!

[Maisiepaisie]

Here's another good site http://www.frugal.org.uk/recipes.html

[Cptain]

Ive been veg for 3 years now, vegan for 2 of those years. I dont eat right at all partially do to the inconvience of making elaborate meals found in lots of those vegan cookbooks and mostly because alot of those yuppy-type 'soya insant health food center' vegan foods are beyond my means.

Im just wondering what kinds of vitamin rich *cheap* foods are out there, perferably ones that can be commonly found at Acme or other local groceries.

Tofu is all good and dandy, but im lucky to have soy sauce and the only way i know to prepare it is stir fry.


Any advice is much appreciated.


-cheers-

[Seaside]

Beans are cheap and very good for you. There are all kinds of beans to suit your taste; black beans are of course the best source of phytochemicals due to their rich pigment. You can do all kinds of simple, easy things with them, and if you buy them dry, and soak them for 12 to 24 hours before you cook them, they won't give you gas (at least, they don't give me gas when I cook my own). Greens are important too, and easy to add to your diet. These are two of the best inexpensive vegan foods to add to your diet every day. Since you are in the US, see if you have a Trader Joe's nearby. They have lots of vegan foods way cheaper than other places, like soy and nutmilks, and their prices on organic fruits and veggies are very reasonable. :)

[Maisiepaisie]

This is a good site http://www.frugal.org.uk/food.html I know its for the UK but the ideas still apply and the recipes are pretty basic.

[rianaelf]

hi Cptain and welcome :)
Alfalfa is full of vitamins and minerals. You can eat the leaves and sprout the seeds and it doesn't cost much. Kelp has lots of B vitamins in it and can be bought as powder or in tablet form and is usually really cheap.
You can sprout lots of other things as well - lentils/mungbeans/sunflower seeds/chickpeas etc. and they are delicious and full of goodness and really cheap again cos you only need to sprout a small amount and rinse them with water twice a day and soon you will have lots of yummy salad stuff!

[sugarmouse]

I was going to say beans aswell! they work out very cheap if you buy them dried,then you can use them for salads,casseroles..anythin you want
I know quinoa isnt so cheap but itlasts so long and a little bit goes so far..