Comments on: Is eating vegan more expensive than a ‘normal’ diet?

By: jamie

jamie — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:49:42 +0000

I tried being vegan this year as i was vegetarian for the past two years and i found it extremely difficult. First and foremost just about everything has a little egg, cheese, milk, or butter in it. Even bread and spaghetti. I didn’t have a problem eating any mockmeats as they all contained egg in it…at least the ones i’ve looked at. My problem was finding time to cook food. I’ve been to culinary school so i know how to cook. It was just finding the time. Fresh produce is so expensive!!! Im not a fan of beans or legumes at all!! But making some rice or even spicing it up and making coconut rice with coconut milk is always a favorite of mine. I love tofu (which is like $3-4 at walmart) and that only lasts maybe two days when cooked. I love to eat and i am a very skinny girl but since ive been vegan i’ve already lost 4 lbs and i am now down to 110 as opposed to being 114 and im 23!!!!yikes! i can’t afford to lose weight. To even make simple things like an eggless egg salad with tofu! vegenaise is expensive! and then buy the tofu and find a bread with no milk but with fiber! or what if i want oatmeal in the morning? soymilk can be pricey too! vegan eggplant parm? what about vegan fried icecream for dessert? what about italian food? I’ve made pasta from scratch. You need eggs to make pasta….well egg yolks more specifically. What if you want to buy vegan spaghetti? You bet that will cost some $$$$
vegan no chicken base or no beef base are ridiculously high! and although i call companies to thank them for making vegan products as i am truely happy about! I still am aware how difficult it is to continue to be this way. I am a full time college student and I work full time paying out of pocket every paycheck i have for school because i get no financial aid or scholarships and don’t want to spend the rest of my 10 years paying back loans! Sometimes i only have $25 to last me for two weeks!!! juggle in car payment, insurance, gas, and a phone bill and you can see my dilemma. In essence, i would love to be vegan. I would even love to grow my own crops. Im just not seeing the nutritional value of eating vegetables out of a can with some rice, or fruit for that matter. As a chef, i love to be creative with food. I just guess the issue is with me. I dont’ have the time or the energy or the money to live this lifestyle at the moment. But i do recommend it! highly! the health benefits are phenominal!

By: Dee

Dee — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:23:23 +0000

Having to feed 9 people can be a challenge! Overall here in CT/USA the packaged/faux meats are the same cost if you look at price per pound. However lots of stores do a buy one get one free and although it’s rare to get any veggie or vegan items they do happen. That’s when we get them and stock up. It’s not the best, but good for the kids when they don’t want to feel ‘out of place’ at outings et. My youngest have no problem eating vegan around people & will never eat anything w/o asking me first- many people still don’t have a clue what vegan is!
My average monthly bill is about 750/800$ that includes three meals per day & occasional snacks. My non vegan friends with 5 or less in their family spend as much if not more.

By: Vegan Eating Out

Vegan Eating Out — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:49:49 +0000

I completely agree that eating on a budget with a vegan diet is “90% perception.” Naturally if you want to support vegan companies it is helpful to buy some of the products that sell for a bit more, but most restaurants and fast food chains have vegan options that cost about the same as anyone else would order.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 26 May 2011 03:58:51 +0000

Dude, you spelled ominous wrong. Work on the fundamentals and then we can talk about your stinky feet.

By: omonus fart

omonus fart — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:17:23 +0000

i think if everyone was vegan that there would be too many animals in the world and too much meat going bad and making it stink so dont go telling everyone to become a vegetarian

By: mahi

mahi — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 21:52:28 +0000

In New Zealand we have a lot of eastern style fast food places that sell kebabs or souvalakis , nothing like the horrible things they sell in the UK. hummus ,tabbouleh, green salad,tomatoes and a few other options wrapped in pita bread with choice of lamb, chicken or falafal.
All the same price and delicious.Even before i became a vegetarian (contemplating veganism at the moment thats why i read this article) I generally always went for the falafel option anyway because they are so yummy!
Im living in the UK now tho and find there is a lot more vege and vegan options here and as I was a chef for 12 yrs definately find a vego diet much cheaper and dont think turning vegan is going to up my grocery bill at all.
ps I think I might open a souvalaki shop here without the meat tho!

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:38:23 +0000

Thanks John! Oh, and here’s some trivia about local produce markets, at least in downtown Toronto – the reason they’re so much cheaper than big grocery stores is because they go to the food terminal to pick up the day’s stock themselves, which saves a bunch of cash.

By: John

John — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:07:58 +0000

If you are broke all you need to do is learn to cook. Fresh produce is generally cheaper than meat and packaged food with rice/grains/legumes etc probably being the least inexpensive it also helps to shop at ethnic stores as generally they will charge less for produce and faux meat products are actually dirt cheap there.

By: Audri

Audri — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:47:53 +0000

.I live in Dallas, TX and I’m extremely low income. I eat for about $200/mo and thats food stamps. I can’t afford fresh veggies at this price, but I get fresh fruit in 5lb bags and bananas. (My veggies I get frozen.) I can’t afford faux meats. In north tx, faux meats can easily be 2-3x’s the price of real meat. I do buy soymilk & fzn orange juice w/ calcium to avoid a calcium deficiency. Breakfast foods for me include cereal (hot & cold) granola bars, & bagels w/ margarine. I buy a lot of dried beans & brown rice along with bags of potatoes. You can make several different meals with veggies, rice, beans, potatoes & seasonings. (including chili ) I also get popcorn, cnd soups, whole wheat pasta w/ spaghetti sauce, lots of bx rice meals (zataran’s uncle ben’s,etc), & pb&j’s among other stuff. My diet may get boring for people who are’nt used to being creative with developing recipes, but its very cheap. For me, affording Vegan food is not difficult. My problem has been affording the personal & household products not tested on animals. While its not too hard to find vegan shampoo & laundry soap priced like the average brand names, I’ve always bought the cheapest of the cheap & am now trying to pay at least double. Thank god I found out V05 doesn’t test on animals

By: Molly

Molly — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 04:19:18 +0000

Wow, you guys are LUCKY! The CSAs here average $35 to $40 per week, and that’s more than I can afford. I wish Texas were better for vegetables! But thank you, Erin, for the ideas!