I've seen alot of 'lists' and grocery lists, and 'vegetarian pantry' lists, but the problem is, my budget is limited to under $100 a month.

So what basics should I try to stock up on mostly? I'm tired of vegan Kraft dinners and grilled soy-cheezes and such. I want to bake, and cook, and learn how to stir fry. I'm going to be buying a stir fry pan soon, but I have some vegetable intolerances so I'm probably just gonna find some recipes and alter them a bit to my taste. I have a lot of magazines and books, but no experience in keeping a kitchen.

I think I posted this before, under my previous ID that was idle!deleted. Ah, well, doesn't hurt to ask again. ^__^


EDIT: My veggie intolerances are to onions and onion-like veggies. They create a strange reaction where I can't even keep them down for a few seconds before I throw up. Its tragic. Cause I love the smell of garlic and onions, but I can't have them unless they're in tiny tiny quantities. Waaah!

I think you can eat well for under 100 a month for food. I'd look for sales at my HF stores, regular stores, ect. Try ethnic dishes such as curries, they're really cheap and apparently there are many different kinds. Eat seasonal foods.

Sorry, I'm not good at this, either :)

I think one thing you can do is shop at stores that have bulk bins so you can buy certain items in small amounts, such as cereal and dry beans. Buying from the bulk bins means you don't have to pay extra for the packaging and you buy only the amounts you need.

Soups are fairly inexpensive to make. I make this one quite a bit, it makes 3 (1 cup) servings and comes out to less than $1 per serving...

http://vegweb.com/recipes/soup/1027.shtml

owch. sounds like a real challenge, there.

this is what I keep on hand - you can edit the list to suit your needs.

My "bare bones" stocking is:
*whole grains - millet, quinoa and brown rice, mostly
frozen veggies - currently, corn kernals, mustard greens, spinach, collard greens, green beans, peas, brussel sprouts, some blend with carrots in it and a couple of ears of corn on the cob.
*spices - LOADS of spices. can't live without 'em.
*canned beans - suuuuuper handy to have on hand. Open a can, rinse it well, toss into everything, YUM. If you've got time, dried beans are lovely, too.
*Canned tomatoes - only 2 types I've found are the most versatile: diced tomatoes packed in their own juice and tomato paste. These will add a nice boost into anything you want.
*silken tofu - only cause I use it to make dips or mayo.
*fresh veggies - oh, yes. anything I can find on good price, I'll buy it. seasonal produce is fun! :bobo:

But... this is all in relation to my area. Each place is different so you may have to develop your own eye for what's available in your area and how cheaply you can get certain things. If you can find things in bulk, that's usually the nicest cause you get things at good price without paying for the extra packaging.

are you reactive to leeks or spring onions (green onions or scallions)? if not then use them in place of onions in a recipe. They might be a bit easier on the system.

veg stocking all depends on how you eat and what you like to eat. there are subs for just about anything, now but some of those subs are quite expensive and sometimes hard to find. It's much better to try to make your own if you can and use whole foods whenever possible. I think it's brilliant you learning to stir-fry first, though. Stir-fry is very forgiving for the new cook and it always comes out right tasty, no matter what you do to it.

What my boyfriend says "Crockpot time, baby!" You can get them cheap at 2nd hand stores, there are tons of veggie recipes here and on vegweb for them.

~tofu and seasoning
~veggies you enjoy
~Fruits that you enjoy
~butter
~milk product you desire
~"fast food" such as noodles, potatoes and salads
~dressings and seasonings
~canned goods
~beans
~snack foods
~nuts
~cerials and granola
~baking needs such as flour, sugar, salt etc.

I spend on average 15-25 dollars per week, so I'm with you. Unless you want to eat everything organic, I suggest buying at your regular grocery store when you can. You can also grow your own foods if easy and convinant, I don't have a green thumb, but even I can grow lettice, which *when the weather is right*, buying it all ready partly grown, can save me over $2 per plant that grows correctly. Buy the stuff on sale, even if you usually would buy a different kind (obviasly this is only if it dosn't go against your diet), for example, I usually buy the organic versian of my vegan butter, but this month my HFS has vegan unorganic butter on sale, so I'm buying that instead. If you buy your bread, then start making it! This'll be super easy if you have a bread machine (I can't make bread without the machine), all you have to do is throw the ingrediants in and press a button, and each loaf will probally cost you on average .50 cents. You don't want to overdose on the granes, but some grainy food can be supper cheap, such as rice. Try having rice and beans, it's deliciase. Just mess around some, and you'll get the hang of it. One last tip: if you eat lots of nut butters, make your own!!! You'll nead a good grinder, nuts, salt, (possably sugar) and oil, throw it in and press a button... and that's all!
Good luck,
Jennifer

Well, I can understand where ya coming from. My budget for food is about 30 bucks more than yours. Here's what I usually stock up on.

1. Frozen veggies.- Swear by them. You can do anything with them. I usually buy the frozen soup veggies for soups and gumbos, pot pies, and get frozen brocolli, carrots, and corn for side dishes. They're pretty cheap and they last. Also, since you want to try your hand at stir frying, try buying the stir fry veggies. All you need, and pretty cheap, too.
2. Grains - Brown rice, whole wheat pastas. You can make a great pasta dish by just sauteeing some veggies, tossing with pasta, olive oil, and spices. Cheap, but good. Also grab some boxes of rice mixes. (jumbalaya, dirty rice, red beans and rice). They're pretty reasonable and you can make a meal out of them by adding vegetables or tvp.
3. Frozen Fruits - Peaches, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple. Reasonably priced and always ready on hand to make a fruit salad or dessert.
4. Canned tomatoes. - When fresh tomatoes are expensive, get canned. You can make salsa, pasta sauces, chili, and all that kinda good stuff with a couple cans of them.
5. Canned/Dried beans. - If you don't have alot of time to cook, you can get canned, but I really recommend getting dried. You'll save more money, and you can always throw them in a crockpot, do your errands or whatever, come home and have them ready for you. Beans are pretty versitile. You can make pintos and use them for red beans and rice, burritos, and other stuff like that. Great to have around.
6. Baking items - whole wheat flour, yeast, salt, baking power, egg replacer, baking soda, cornmeal, and sugar. Stay away from boxed mixes. They're too expensive and you can make your own cheaper.
7. Tortillas. Yes, tortillas. You can make pretty much anything with them. I use them as pizza "crusts" when I'm in a hurry, use them for enchiladas and mexican casseroles, and of course the usual burrito and taco night.
8. Soy foods and meat replacements - Eh, you're going to have to buy these in limited quantities. They're usually pretty expensive. Stick to the basics. - "ground beef" replacer (for burritos, pasta sauces, stuffing veggies, etc). You can either get the frozen kind or TVP. TVP is going to run you alot less money. I'd also grab a couple boxes of veggie burgers. You can do lots with them. Besides being a burger you can make salisbury "steaks" with gravy with them, too.
9. Tofu -..good and cheap. Tofu scramble, sauces, the use for this stuff is endless.
That's pretty much what I buy every month. I stick to the simple stuff and use cookbooks that have simple recipes in them. Always check your stores for sales, and if you can, clip a few coupons. I buy fresh produce when its reasonably priced, but if it can be bought frozen, thats what I stick to. Oranges, apples, and other fruits like that have to be bought fresh, but check for sales on this.

I think it's brilliant you learning to stir-fry first, though. Stir-fry is very forgiving for the new cook and it always comes out right tasty, no matter what you do to it.

Haha!!! :lol:
Unless your me! I guess that I'm just an exception to every rule! Eather that, or a horrable cook :D . Stir-frys was one of my firsts, I can cook much better now.

Don't worry if you mess up what you cook *you CAN take this from me, of all people*, you may just nead to get use to cooking and grow in your skills, or you may need to find a new recipie. If you know/think you are doing everything right, and yet it turns out bad every time, then it's probally the recipie, not you- at least that's what I tell myself to make me feal better, :D.

The Sam's club theory is always good. Whether or not you shop there, buying in larger quantities will help you stick to your budget. In addition, since you're already altering recipes for your food intolerance, you might try altering recipes according to what you already have if you haven't been shopping in a while but you don't want to spend any more.

PS: I love the Mikado. I'm in a production right now (opening night is Thursday the 7th). On many a screen and fan...

A helpful tip would be to alter your selection of foods. Go here if you haven't already....and check out a guide to shop.....buy a few things at a time....then next time....substitute something you usually get....with something new.
http://www.vegkitchen.com/Veg_pantry.htm

great link

I second the suggestions for frozen food. I usually spend $14-$18 a week on groceries (well within your budget) and frozen fruits and veggies help me quite a bit. I only buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season and that helps with the cost, too.

I used to make my own bread. It's tastier and it ended up costing about 40 cents a loaf.

Pasta is cheap, and even cheaper if bought in bulk; since it's dried, you can stock up on it.

You can usually get potatoes and grapefruits in those huge bulk bags. Yummy.

As far as things for your pantry -- baking soda, spices, vanilla, etc... I usually make a list of everything I need, and I buy one of those long-lasting items a week. That way I don't end up with a $100 grocery bill in one week, and it usually cycles out nicely. Spices can get pricey, but one at a time they're not too bad.

I second the suggestions for frozen food. I usually spend $14-$18 a week on groceries (well within your budget) and frozen fruits and veggies help me quite a bit. I only buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season and that helps with the cost, too.


Holy hell, thats cheap! I have been trying ... and failing at the 25 dollar a week limit. I always end up hungry and annoyed.

awesome. another reason to go veg*n... I'll save money!!!

I just stocked a mostly empty kitchen for about $100. It helped a lot that I'm now living in a place with a MUCH lower cost of living than I was previously. ($1.99 for a block of tofu!! It was close to $4 at home! Of course, its also $.30 a piece at the asian market but its not aseptically packed and that makes me nervous). I already had on hand a box of cereal, two boxes of soymilk, a package of tofurkey slices and one of soy cheese, a few jars of peanut butter, some jelly, my brother brought me mustard, ketchup and barbeque sauce leftovers (lol), a few different spices, and I do have a bunch of shelf stable veg convenience foods and various types of brown rice I bought before I moved cause I had a $50 gift certificate to the HFS back home.
I bought... Broccoli, baby carrots, lettuce, a cucumber, four tomatoes, three bananas, a pound of grapes, two apples, celery, two broccoli crowns, a bag of sugar snap peas, a big bag each of frozen peas, chopped broccoli, and mixed veggies (I think its like broccoli carrots and waterchestnuts...), tofu, whole wheat bread, oatmeal (not instant! a canister of oats), sugar, flour, salt, pepper, cinnamon, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, vegetable oil, 3 cans of beans, 2 cans of diced tomatoes, 1 jar of premade tomato sauce, 2 packages of pasta, saltine crackers, honey wheat pretzels, a can of mixed nuts, frozen waffles, two cups of soygurt, kalamata olives and whole wheat tortillas.
This week I've been eating oatmeal or cereal and bananas or soygurt for breakfast, veggie sandwiches plus or minus soycheese or tofurkey for lunch, grapes for a snack, and dinners vary... I've had a few salads, one with a grilled soycheeze for dinner, one with brown rice and frozen peas. Last night I made a tofu and veggie stir fry. I had some pasta and peas one night. I did end up going out again to the asian market and spent $6 on soy sauce, sesame oil, boc choy, snowpeas, and a can of leechee nuts (mmm... leecheenuts), and the plan tonight was boc choy with peans and brown rice... but I think my friend is taking me out to dinner so maybe that'll be tomorrow.

"the problem is, my budget is limited to under $100 a month."

Well, that puts a tight cap on things. Rice and pasta must be staples, vegetables, fruits, definately beans. You don't have the money to buy anything prepared really, these would be what you want, and really stuff that should be basic to any veg diet.

[QUOTE=4EverGrounded]owch. sounds like a real challenge, there.

this is what I keep on hand - you can edit the list to suit your needs.

My "bare bones" stocking is:
*whole grains - millet, quinoa and brown rice, mostly
frozen veggies - currently, corn kernals, mustard greens, spinach, collard greens, green beans, peas, brussel sprouts, some blend with carrots in it and a couple of ears of corn on the cob.
*spices - LOADS of spices. can't live without 'em.
*canned beans - suuuuuper handy to have on hand. Open a can, rinse it well, toss into everything, YUM. If you've got time, dried beans are lovely, too.
*Canned tomatoes - only 2 types I've found are the most versatile: diced tomatoes packed in their own juice and tomato paste. These will add a nice boost into anything you want.
*silken tofu - only cause I use it to make dips or mayo.
*fresh veggies - oh, yes. anything I can find on good price, I'll buy it. seasonal produce is fun! :bobo:
QUOTE]

Ditto, except I would also add pasta to this (whole wheat or spinach is awesome).
:yes:

I get some of my food from Big Lots or any other sort of discount store. (Learned to do this from people at VB) I've found organic toaster pastries (not saying this should be one of your staples!), rice milk, and red pepper spread at Big Lots...each under a dollar!

I just went to my local Asian market and found tofu for very cheap. I also bought these yummy noodles that look like sticks when you buy them, but turn into the softest noodles when you cook them...udon noodles? I think that's what they're called. They're yummy and only 69 cents.

Anyway, with my Asian food finds I made Sweet and Sour Tofu w/ noodles. The whole thing probably cost me $1.50 and will last me 3-4 meals! Woo-hoo.

Good Luck!
-Julie