I am the poorest I have EVER been, or at least felt! At the moment!
Bearing in mind I have been homeless, been a student twice, spent over a year unemployedhave lived with manipulative men who have taken me for everything and got me in mega debt, too!
I have a 2K over draft, and it's almost at the tip of the 2K at the end of every month-I don't get a rubbish Salary either (about £1750 a month I come out with.I am baffled as to why I have so little monies now! I have been keeping a diary to help me work this out!
Anyway. I have been trying to diet, as well as eat cheap as possible.
Things that I have worked out are;
Tinned tomatoes (40p ish a can) mixed with veg stock, a bit of fried onion, seasoning and chilli powder makes an ace low cal soup.
Going to the supermarket not long before it closes-salads and veg are on offer if they are only going to last 24 hours or so.
I 'fry' veg in vegetable stock until tender, and season. Curry powder and chilli sauce helps, aswell as cheap vegan cup soups added to the mix.
I buy frozen veg in bags, the cheapest the SMarket has, and cook in stock and seasoning, perhaps adding lentils or chickpeas if I m not watching my weight so much.
Anyone else this skint?Please? lol
The greatest mistake is to do nothing because you can only do a little.
Well, I may be broke.... but as far as I can tell I'm not skint I'm still unemployed right now, just looking for work in my new town. I like the lentil soups myself. Some vegetable stock and water, then corn, beans, and lentils. Tastes great, cheap to buy, and only takes me a few minutes to put together so I can get back to sitting around I've got just enough money in my account to make it through next month, and I'm charging everything to my credit card. I'm seeing more jobs come up online, so I'll be applying for some positions I might like tomorrow, then I can start saving up for a new snowboard
I live in uk and though I have a job that normally makes me well paid, I am certainly feeling the pinch - combination of increases in food and fuel prices, and frozen salary. I am coping by keeping a list of everything I spend, spotting the outliers and finding am alternative. So am making mince pies and pasties (I'm Cornish!) rather than buying them. Also like people say, lots of pulses in stews , soups and curries. I am fortunate to have a pressure cooker which means I can buy cheap dried pulses and after a soak, it only takes 8 mins of pressure to cook. I would recommend one for every vegan! I am also sprouting seeds and beans as a cheap source of goodness. All this is very time consuming so I have just resigned myself to it and decided it's my hobby. Cheap and not so time consuming - no eating out, less booze and bourbon biscuits (70p for a packet that lasts us a week) instead of Mccoys crisps (60p and gone in a flash!). What a horrible insight that gives you into my life!
I agree with getting a pressure cooker! I love mine. Make a big batch of stew, soup, or curry every Sunday and then take them for lunches or heat them up for a quick dinner during the week. Not eating out is a great way to save cash. If my husband and I go out to dinner, we spend the same amount of money that I can make do in a week's grocery bill.
Flesh eating is unprovoked murder.~ Benjamin Franklin
I live in uk and though I have a job that normally makes me well paid, I am certainly feeling the pinch - combination of increases in food and fuel prices, and frozen salary. I am coping by keeping a list of everything I spend, spotting the outliers and finding am alternative. So am making mince pies and pasties (I'm Cornish!) rather than buying them. Also like people say, lots of pulses in stews , soups and curries. I am fortunate to have a pressure cooker which means I can buy cheap dried pulses and after a soak, it only takes 8 mins of pressure to cook. I would recommend one for every vegan! I am also sprouting seeds and beans as a cheap source of goodness. All this is very time consuming so I have just resigned myself to it and decided it's my hobby. Cheap and not so time consuming - no eating out, less booze and bourbon biscuits (70p for a packet that lasts us a week) instead of Mccoys crisps (60p and gone in a flash!). What a horrible insight that gives you into my life!
Lol! I dislike eating out anyway, even if I have the money. I love cooking, and it's always a rip off when you are a good cook, I tend to always think 'I could do this better for a fraction of the price'.
I also think things have gone up in price so much
The greatest mistake is to do nothing because you can only do a little.
We're really hard up at the moment as we've had time out from work so we've been looking for really cheap food recipes. We found a couple of secondhand books but even so called frugal food had 6 eggs in a recipe and loads of ingredients which is fine if you have a plentiful larder but not otherwise.
What we've been doing is trying out and veganising wartime recipes - fantastic. We've saved tons of money and the recipes cost pennies.
Today I made an eggless (well obviously) fruit cake and it was fab - more than acceptable as cake and didn't cost me anything as I already had the ingredients in the cupboard:
I find cooking in large batches a really cheap way of cooking. I'll often make a big batch of chilli, curry or pasta sauce that does about 15-20 servings and then freeze what I don't need right away. Can often make a serving for as little as 30p and then eat with rice/ pasta/ quinoa or even use as a filling for pasties.
Even though I am not a big fan of tea as a drink I think cakes etc with tea in are really good - barm brack, which can also be vegan, has tea in it as well I think?
Talking of war-time recipes I bought a wartime recipe book for a friend in the shop at Bletchley Park, assuming it would be mostly vegan and made with stuff from their allotments etc, and while some of it was it had a lot of recipes with things like offal in Another theory bites the dust.
Even though I am not a big fan of tea as a drink I think cakes etc with tea in are really good - barm brack, which can also be vegan, has tea in it as well I think?
Any relation to bara brith harpy? (My Mum who is a big lover of tea, used to make really nice bara brith.)
I am familiar with bara brith Leeds! It a Welsh 'thing' isnt it? I know this because during my childhood in North Wales this was commonly served with coffee or tea as the 'cake option' ...very cheap to make apparently and tastes delicious if I remember rightly!!
I was looking at a website that suggests barm brack and bara brith are pretty much the same thing - think barm brack is Irish and bara brith is Welsh?
I think I may have a bash at making the bara brith, I'd love to be able to take some for my mum to eat. It's just a shame her mind has gone and she wouldn't be able to remember ever making it herself.
There’s a common misconception that a vegan diet is also an expensive one, but I don’t think that has to be the case at all! Sure, if you eat lots of fake meat products and load up your cart with out of season veggies, a vegan diet can definitely break the bank. If an omnivore ate nothing bit filet mignon and fancy cheeses, that would get pretty expensive too, right?
I've been on a low budget for the past few years so I know my fair deal of strategies for cheap living. I was amazed at how cheap being Vegan turned out to be, it's by far cheaper than being omnivore and even vegetarian.
My advice for living vegan cheaply:
-Make a week menu schedule and buy everything you need exept fresh fruit and vegetables at once one day a week (don't shop when hungry)
-Buy fresh produce at the local market or buy discount veg and fruit at the organic store if it's something you like
-Go to Asian, Middle eastern and Carribean stores, they often have lots of foods that are suitable for vegans and they're cheap
-Buy things you can store longer when they're discounted (like canned and dried beans, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, rice/pasta, tinned fruit, coconut milk etc)
-Eat your leftovers and try to keep waste to a minimum! Learn to cut veggies etc properly, that saves waste
-Don't buy too many substitutes or fake meats because they're expensive
-Make sure you eat whole wheat bread/pasta etc as they will keep you full longer and if you eat less you save money on your food budget too
-Keep treats like cookies and crisps for the weekend, they're nice but expensive compared to nutritional value. Eat fruit if you have a sweet craving during the week.
I find that the book "Vegan on the Cheap" was a great addition to my cookbook collection, both for the recipes and the excellent tips on how to eat deliciously, but cheaply. I got it second hand on Amazon and it has been a great one!
Flesh eating is unprovoked murder.~ Benjamin Franklin
HOBO CASSEROLE ( lol)Vegetable cooking spray
1 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can kidney beans, drained(or soaked equiv)
1 can pinto beans, drained(or soaked equiv)
1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes, chopped, juice and all
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. mustard
1/8 tsp. hot sauce(I like Tapatio)
BREAD MIXTURE:
1 c. yellow corn meal
1 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 c. soy milk
1/2 c. egg substitute (i omitted this alltogether lol)
3 tbsp. Canola oil (if desired)
1 (8 1/2 oz.) can cream style corn (i mashed reg corn and added silk creamer-not toomuch lol)
Spray skillet with vegetable cooking spray, saute onion, green peppers and garlic until tender. May add 1/4 cup water if desired. Stir in beans and next 7 ingredients. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Pour into 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.Combine meal and flour with next 3 ingredients, add to dry mixture next 4 ingredients. Mix well. Spoon evenly over bean mixture to within 1 inch of edge, all around.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until corn bread is done.
Thank you! I am sooooo making this in the next day or two. Our weather is supposed to dip into the 30's at night, and a filling meal like this will be great over the weekend.
I am lucky though too that I have my mom who seems always willing to feed me. I'm actually going over tonight and she said she will make fallafels for us. Then she always sends us the left-overs. I feel a little bit moochy but I suppose that's what moms are there for. We haven't been to visit them for a few weeks anyway, so it was over due.
Yes, I am sure your mom enjoys knowing that she is helping you. One of my sons who is a student always shows up hungry! LOL. It makes me happy to know that he gets stuffed on homemade food here, and then takes the rest home. Hopefully, it helps to balance out all of that fast food and convenience stuff he eats. If it makes mom happy and your tummy happy, why not do it more often?
I am new to the forum, and have been reading thru this thread. I love it, and thank all of you for your wonderful suggestions.
I am curious about one thing. While being poor, do most of you eat more veg/fruit with some grain/beans added, or the opposite? Which is more economical, while maintaining health and nutrients?
Background on me: Vegetarian for 6 years, then went vegan earlier this year. (I know! I know! What took so long?! LOL) I am still experimenting with different combinations of food to try to get the most nutrition for my dollars.
I am on page 8 of 13, btw. On with my reading....
Last edited by amethyst; Sep 29th, 2011 at 12:00 AM.
Reason: typo
I eat a lot of veggies and lettuce type things....I'm not a big fruit person. And most of my veggies and fruit are frozen so they won't go bad if I don't use them right away.
"i'm rejecting my reflection, cause i hate the way it judges me."
I eat a lot of veggies and lettuce type things....I'm not a big fruit person. And most of my veggies and fruit are frozen so they won't go bad if I don't use them right away.
Thanks missbettie. I am sure everyone eats differently, but I was wondering if most vegans stress the veg/fruit part of the menu, or mostly eat grains and beans. I tend to eat more whole grains and beans than veggies, although of course, I eat the veg, too. I seem to be planning my starch, and then what veg to add to it for the meal. I don't know if this is a good plan or not. For grains, I use whole wheat homemade bread, brown rice, oats, quinoa, and others. I eat a lot of pinto and white beans. Not a big fan of kidney beans. Sometimes eat black beans and lentils. I do have a large salad once a day, and add broccoli, root veggies, or a frozen stir fry mix of veggies to my grains at each meal. And of course, these are all cheap. I buy store brand or bulk grains, and whatever fresh or frozen veg/fruit are on sale.
Thoughts, anyone? Does this sound balanced enough for long term health?
Last edited by amethyst; Sep 29th, 2011 at 04:38 AM.
Reason: added another thought
Grains and beans are usually more economical than veggies and fruits... but personally i think the latter two are more important. Thus, i always try to fill my plate with half veggies, 1/4 beans and 1/4 grains. And i always plan around the veggies by the way, but that's also because i always have all sorts of greans and beans in the pantry, while the veggies are fresh and should be eaten in time.
Your way of eating does sound healthy to me however, i mean, if you eat a big salad a day, i think you meet your nutrition requirements.
Yes I'd agree with Ananas that it's probably better to treat the grains and beans as an adjunct to the veg rather than vice versa, because I think there are more nutrients in veg., and also because I find it easy to overdo the carbohydrates (not that they are a bad thing if they are wholegrains etc). But I also agree with Ananas that your diet sounds healthy so perhaps it's just a different way of thinking about the same thing
Thus, i always try to fill my plate with half veggies, 1/4 beans and 1/4 grains. And i always plan around the veggies by the way, ....... veggies are fresh and should be eaten in time.
Your way of eating does sound healthy to me however, i mean, if you eat a big salad a day, i think you meet your nutrition requirements.
harpy
Yes I'd agree with Ananas that it's probably better to treat the grains and beans as an adjunct to the veg rather than vice versa, because I think there are more nutrients in veg........ But I also agree with Ananas that your diet sounds healthy so perhaps it's just a different way of thinking about the same thing
Ananas and harpy, thank you both for answering. This is what I suspected the opinions would be. I worry about not eating more veg/fruit than grain, but the grains are so much less expensive here. I looked at apples today when I walked to the market today, and they were approx $1 per apple when I weighed them. That is crazy! Not even organic apples. One pound of beans was 69 cents. I bought the beans and ONE apple.
When I am not so poor, I will make up the difference then. Until then, I sure hope the grains and beans will carry me through. I don't ever get sick. Haven't had a cold (or worse) in over a decade. I figure if it's working, I will stay with it until I can do better. I do agree with both of you though.
You sound pretty healthy amethyst! If you do want cheap fruit and veg you can try the following (which are probably all covered above and you probably know about them anyway)
- grow your own (even if you haven't a garden perhaps you can do sprouted seeds or legumes in a jar, or salad leaves and tomatoes in a window box)
- look for stuff marked down at the end of the day
- buy whatever's in season rather than looking for specific items
- buy frozen stuff
- look after someone's garden in exchange for some of the produce
Thanks harpy. As we are going into the colder months, I will have to wait til spring to grow more veggies. I have limited space, but did grow some things this year. Love that!
My house is over 100 years old and very drafty, so I don't know if anything will grow in the cold rooms in the winter. I would love to sprout some things, grow others in jars. Those are good ideas. I might give it a try to see what happens in my cold house.
I do buy frozen veg. Store brands are sometimes $1 for a 16 oz bag, even though they are not organic. I usually end up eating that, in addition to whatever is on sale.
After this thread, I am brainstorming on what to buy, and will make a bigger effort to buy more veg and fruit, one way or another. I know it is important. Meanwhile, I keep eating my grains and beans. And for some reason, I was doing a popcorn marathon yesterday. LOL. Popcorn is cheap too, if you pop it the old way, rather than using the non-vegan microwave brands. Seems like the general rule is: old-fashioned = healthier for most things.
FWIW I live in an old draughty house too and manage to sprout seeds OK so you might find it works. I actually do it more in winter because if the weather is warm they tend to go a bit manky unless rinsed every 5 minutes - also because there's more of a shortage of fresh salady stuff in winter I suppose. If the temperature was really low they might not germinate, but then you might be past caring anyway
^ Just put some kernels in a (large) saucepan with a little oil, put a lid on and take off the heat when the pops slow right down. It's a bit of trial and error.
"I don't want to live on this planet any more" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth
Is there a way to make popcorn without the actually popcorn maker thing?
I make it two ways....
1. Put 1/2 cup popcorn in a clean, brown paper bag (like a lunch bag), fold the top over a couple of times to hold in the steam and popcorn, and sit it in the center of the microwave. Micro on high for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. My micro likes 2 min 15 sec for nearly perfect popcorn. I eat it out of the bag after I sprinkle on some sea salt, or other seasonings. See below for ideas.
2. Use a heavy pot with a lid. Place the pan on the stovetop on med high. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan, then pour in 1/2 cup to a full cup of popcorn. Place the lid on tightly, and don't lift it until the popcorn is done and you have removed the pan from the heat. I can't remember how long it takes to pop it this way, because I have become lazy and use the micro every time, now that I know how to use it without the store-bought, non-vegan microwave popcorn. Once you hear the first pop, start moving the pan around on the burner a little, to keep the oil and corn moving around and prevent it from scorching. As long as you hear a lot of pops, keep moving. When it slows down, remove the pan from the heat because it will burn SOON. Let it sit until the popping stops, then open it up and enjoy.
You can pour on some Earth Balance or whatever favorite vegan 'butter' you want to use. Or just sprinkle on some sea salt, or any of these: garlic powder, chili powder, dried herbs, cajun seasoning........practically anything works. I have even tried cinnamon and raw sugar, which was amazing! Try one flavor at a time until you figure out some favorites.
forgive me if i´m being silly, but why isnt microwave popcorn vegan over there?
Ananas, LUV LUV LUV your icon! LOL
Most of the micro popcorn here has butter in it. If it doesn't, it seems to have other animal products or derivitives in it that I did not expect. I haven't looked for vegan popcorn, except in my local health food store and another store that stocks a large veg and health food department. I am sure if I look long enough, Iwill find one.
This seemed more economical to me, and the old-fashioned popcorn is easy to find in the stores that I go to. Cheap, baby, cheap! LOL
Thanks Glory, that makes sense. I was thinking of cabbage, lettuce, celery, etc. that I have to buy as presented. I never use all of the head/bunch. Planning is not my strong suit but now I must learn.
Yes, I do the same thing with lettuce since my hubby doesn't really like salad. Here's what I do. If I buy a bag of lettuce, let's say, I'll plan when I'm going to eat it. A side salad with my penne one night for dinner, then the rest of the bag for lunch two days later. You'll get the hang of it really quickly and it will help you out.
Also, try Allrecipes.com -- you can type in the ingredients you have (so if you have produce you wan to use up) and it will give you some recipes.
Oh, and you can always freeze things. If I have peppers that are getting close to the end of their life, I might slice them up and throw them in a freezer bag. Next time I want a stir-fry, I can just pull them out of the freezer and voila!
Glory, I was going to suggest the freezer, too. I chop up my vegg that is getting near time to either eat it or throw it out. If I keep it in a bag chopped up for stir fry, it makes things sooo simple for a quick dinner one night when I am too tired or don't have time to cook a big meal. I almost always have some brown rice leftover in the fridge, so I throw it into a skillet with the frozen chopped veggies, saute a few minutes, splash on some tamari or other seasoning, and it's ready.
I also use veggies to make "kitchen sink soup". (Everything goes in but the kitchen sink.) Great way to clean out the fridge and/or pantry.
I'm terrible at planning, but I tend to try and decide what to cook based on what I've got, rather than buy stuff for a particular dish.
In addition to soups, stirfries, stews, pizza toppings, pasta sauces and so on can all be made out of virtually any vegetable (including lettuce!). You can freeze the cooked dishes as well, if you make too much.
Re: Cheap vegan food
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I'm still unemployed right now, just looking for work in my new town. I like the lentil soups myself. Some vegetable stock and water, then corn, beans, and lentils. Tastes great, cheap to buy, and only takes me a few minutes to put together so I can get back to sitting around 
Verencemos
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