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. :)
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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. :)
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.
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...
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)
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).Quote:
Banana
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. :)
I like taters! Is that healthy though? My mom tells me that potatos are a starchy food and she be eatin in moderation.
Quote:
cwih57
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).
Pollux does most of his vegan shopping at walmart
AWW SHIT WHATZ UP FOOL :cool:
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.
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!
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!
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
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
mmm i love those veggies, and berries and citrus are my favorite fruits :)
thanx!
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.
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.
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. :)
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.
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!
I don't know if CC would agree, but I think that stirfrying quickly in a minimum of oil (possibly rapeseed for a better omega 3/6 balance) is a very healthy and enjoyable way to pack in the veggies. If you're really concerned about even that much oil ( I usually only use 1 tbsp), there are techniques for doing a similar thing starting with a bit of hot veggie broth in your wok - but I'm afraid I've never looked too much into those!
I make rice like that and add in any veggies I have plus umeboshi instead of tamari! MMM! I don't fry in oil. I make it with a bit of water or broth to mix it up and sometimes steam the veggies lightly so that I don't need to cook the thing for more than 3 minutes total *then* add the oil to each serving after the cooking is done (topping it with the oil, nutritional yeast, umeboshi and garlic powder).
Oils can become oxidized easily and when cooked at high temperatures (especially for prolonged periods of time) they become toxic to the body. That is why I always suggest adding oils after cooking is completed or using coconut or palm oil when heating.
That being said, cooking oil for three minutes should not be a great concern at this time. As long as you are eating regularly, getting enough calories and having a variety of foods you will be okay.
thanx bittersweet and cc :D
When I am poor (which I am right now), I tend to live off dhal (split peas/or lentils) and brown rice, bean/veggie based stews/soups and cheap fruits, like apples. I was eating organic but it got too costly, so back to basics for us. I am still splurging on my organic bread coz the other breads are not "food". They are full of emulsifiers and preservatives. I would make my own bread, coz that is meant to be super cheap, but I don't think that I would be successful without a bread machine :D
i got this great cookbook called "please feed me" and its a vegan punk rock cook book. alot of thai food and alot of cheap stuff. even a recipe for the vegan homeless ;)
i also think lentils are the perfect food. cheap and easy.
i use half the amount of facial cleansing/toning/moisturizing products so they last twice as long.
stock up on natural soap when i do have money (got some at christmas and theyve lasted this whole time! still have three bars left. wont be surprized if i wont need to get soap until next christmas. my family likes to get it for me as a gift because its the nice smelling natural soap, which is great for me!)
i do clothes laundry only about once every one or two weeks. (thank god for my mom for having bought me so many clothes!)
i try to use the toaster oven as often as possible now instead of a convential oven which saves on the electric bill.
i try to make cheap vegetables the staple in my diet (potatoes, carrots, onions, etc.) and try to rarely get groceries by using what i have up.
only drink water now (other than the occasional sip of boyfriends juice/pop) so that i dont have to buy juice.
use half the amount of washing detergent for washing clothes and such, as it works JUST as well and the amount given on the bottle/box is just a qimick so u use more! :P
i use plastic reusable containers for boyfriends lunches and whatnot rather than plastic wrap which is good for the environment and for saving money on plastic wrap!
The healthiest foods are the most expensive ones. There are only a handful of exceptions: carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, cabbage, apples, and seasonal fruit.
There is a disturbing trend: the more nutrient-dense, the more it costs, and the more nutrient-sparse, the less it costs.
nutrient density vs food costs
nutrient density is the sum of fraction of DRIs met for vitamins
and minerals divided by calories per 100 g portion.
food nutrient density $cost per 1000 calories
white rice 1.1 $0.13
oatmeal 1.5 $0.26
flax seed 1.5 $0.26
whole wheat flour 1.4 $0.32
brown rice 1.2 $0.41
lentils dried 1.8 $0.51
black beans dried 1.4 $0.66
bananas 1.2 $0.97
walnuts shelled 0.9 $1.01
whole wheat bread 1.4 $1.07
black beans canned 1.3 $1.18
olive oil extra virgin 0.4 $1.28
collards 10 $1.84
onion 1.5 $2.05
carrots 23.8 $2.42
apples 0.5 $2.92
mixed frozen vegetables 4 $3.06
oranges 2.5 $3.23
cabbage 8.8 $3.58
sweet potato 8.6 $3.71
peaches, raw 1.6 $3.90
grapes 0.9 $4.12
pineapple, raw 2.8 $4.59
lowfat soymilk 2 $5.50
broccoli 15.8 $6.41
frozen blackberries 2.9 $6.85
scallions, raw 9.1 $6.88
green bell pepper 7.3 $8.47
frozen strawberries 4 $9.38
frozen stir fry mix 5 $10.32
tomato 4.9 $10.89
parsley 26.9 $12.24
chicory greens raw 14.7 $12.35
spinach, frozen 36.7 $12.59
romaine 16.5 $12.83
cucumber 4.8 $14.68
alfalfa sprouts, raw 3.9 $15.19
red bell pepper 17.2 $16.94
spinach, fresh 36.7 $19.73
radicchio 5.3 $29.37
swiss chard 50.5 $30.84
White rice is $0.13 for 1000 kcal, while swiss chard is almost $31 for 1000 kcal.
If you want a lot of variety in your produce, you have to pay more.
If you want fresh instead of frozen or canned, you have to pay more.
If you want a riot of colors and the widest scope of protective phytochemicals, you have to pay more.
Unless you grow your own.
I get a lot of my produce in the markdown bin at my grocer's, just before it spoils. There is no way I could afford it otherwise.
"How to eat cheaply as a vegan" is a boiler plate thread in all of the vegan forums I have seen.
I think the usual tips for eating cheaply as an omni apply to vegan diets as well. I think the same issues are involved.
If you prepare recipes from scratch, comparison shop, buy in bulk, minimize eating out, freeze left overs, and stock up on sales your food budget will cost you less money. If not, you will pay more.
I find it interesting that people see eating cheaply on a vegan diet as a different set of issues.
My guess is that many new vegans go with prepared and processed foods...which will always cost more.
Beans made from scratch, whole grains, fruit and vegetables are the healthiest of foods. Depending on what you pick they are also the cheapest.
Beyond that I think everyone should get a pressure cooker. They make beans and tubers taste much better. They make beans easier to digest. They also make all of that stuff in about 15 min.
For 1 US dollar you can get enough dried beans for several meals and a pressure cooker makes it practical.
I am scared as hell of a pressure cooker. My boyfriend and I tried to make dhal in it once and it was a disaster!!!!!
Well I buy dried lentils and split peas, but canned chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans etc, coz they are the culprits for taking so goddam long to cook! Lentils and split peas require no soaking and lentils cook so quickly!
LOL - you just brought back a childhood memory for me Banana! A kitchen covered in some kind of liquid and my mother not very happy, cleaning the ceiling! :D
You just painted the picture perfectly :D
Oh and I had another idea for being cheap. Instead of eating avocado all the time (coz they are pretty expensive), I am going to make my own dips with canned beans. They last ages and they are healthy too. Yesterday I made babaganouj (or however you spell it) with an eggplant that needed to be used, unhulled tahini, cumin, sea salt and lemon juice. It is really yummy and I am having it for lunch today
heh im 15 and my mom gives me a £10 a week food allowance.. I get rice, veggies, lentil soup
my main meals are: Stir frys and chips which i eat way too much of
soup obviously
and very rarely soya dinners like alternatives
rice and pasta
I have a really really unhealthy diet because i just fried and carb filled meals all the time!
But again as soon as i get a job i can have more luxuries; homous, nuts yummy stuff!!
i would if i was rich!! you're very cheeky. Whats a bodegas??Quote:
Trudatman
A store with bare shelves and specialty items. See the movie Half Baked for an accurate description.
Now that the warmer weather is here Trudatman, you should be able to find some fresh fruit and veggies at a good price! Or perhaps you could grow your own?
I pick wild berries under power lines.
Is that safe? You could make jam out of them.Quote:
Trudatman
mmmmmmm berries
Went today. Black raspberries, red raspberries, blueberries.
Mmmmm yummy!