I used to be vegetarian for years. I quit for two reasons:
1) It was expensive. Fresh produce, tofu, etc are not cheap, I discovered.
2) I researched an ethnography, and it is considered "in good spirits" to eat the food the host culture eats (also, you'd probably starve if you didn't!). Also, it is difficult to cater to a veggie diet in archaeological field school.

Please do not judge me. I'm really considering becoming vegetarian, or even vegan. I was wondering if anyone could give me some pointers on more affordable veggies. I tried my local farmer's market cause someone said it would be cheaper. It was actually more expensive. I'm pretty much living from paycheck to paycheck.

Also, if there are any other anthropologists or archaeologists out there, maybe you could give me some pointers?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'll eat just about anything (kind of have to in the field).

Research should help you. :-) Find out what the local fruits and vegetables are in season for this month, and buy those. Find out what the local vendors do with produce that needs to be eaten in the next two days; does it get marked down? Some grocery stores do this.

Hi, I'm a 4th year anthropology student, so I understand what you mean about upseting the host culture. I think it might depend on what kind of living situation you're in, if you're living alone or doing field reseach or enthnographic research. I don't know where you're doing your work. If it was in any area influenced by Buddhism, vegetarianism is probably popular, so they'd understand. My specialty is cultural anthropology of SE Asia, so I'm lucky.

I'm not in the field yet, but if I really had no choice, I would try to have as much as a vegetarian diet as I was allowed for that particular country. Look for vegetarian societies in the country you're going to/are in. They're lots of places.

The amount of fresh vegetables consumed on a vegetarian diet should not differ from that of an omnivorous diet. Everyone needs vegetables. It's not like, when you go veg, you suddenly just eat twenty pounds of carrots a day.

Eat as many vegetables as you normally would, and include in a cheap vegetarian diet: Bulk grains, dried beans, nuts and nut butters, cereals and milk, oatmeal, ice cream, cookies, etc.

Thank you all for your great replies. I know the amount of veggies shouldn't change, but honestly, I'm just trying to eat more, period. I've lost 25 pounds in the last year, and am now very underweight. I don't want to go the mac-and-cheese and ramen route again.
I miss whole grain cereal sooo much. I just hope I can find an affordable one.
I'll check the local green chile market. Last time, I loved beans, tortillas, and green chile (I'm a SW girl). But chile is only in season for a few months :-(
Thanks for the anthro reply. I wish I could control the areas I research, but sadly, I don't. I'm working under a professor-specific fellowship, and he needs work done in certain areas (Northern Territories of Canada, where they fish and hunt a lot). But it is interesting work, and I've met some really great people.

Unless you're living off of convenience foods, a veggie diet should cost less than a meat eaters diet. You should always be getting 5-8 servings of fruit and veggies daily, regardless of whether or not you also eat meat. As far as tofu, its not necessary first of all, and either way its $1.99/lb here, and I can't imagine getting a pound of ANY meat for $1.99 (unless its organs or scraps). Thats just if you buy the aseptic packs. They have it for $.30/block at the asian market. The asian market as well as farmers markets can be good resources for cheap produce. Don't spend money buying things that are out of season. Buy canned tomatoes instead of fresh most of the year, etc... Frozen veggies are also good and often cheaper than fresh, depending on what you're buying! And there's always the good ol' standby -- beans!

One can always be vegetarian when home, and then eat meat when situation deems it necessary. You'd reduce animal suffering, without causing too much conflict.

One can always be vegetarian when home, and then eat meat when situation deems it necessary. You'd reduce animal suffering, without causing too much conflict.

I'm about to go to uni to start an archaeology course, can't wait hee hee :lol:

anyways rabid_child is right, you can reduce animal suffering by choosing veg when possible, but eating meat when there isn't another choice, like you said you have to eat what your host provides. I understand about the field school too, the one I went on you could say you were veggie and get a cheese based meal most every night - but if you were vegan I think you'd be living off peanut butter sandwiches!

rabid_child wrote much of what I was going to write, but one thing I'll add:

What is the cost of *not* eating more veg*n, in terms of health, cruelty, karma, etc.?

My vegetarian best friend did an archaeology field school in Sicily and had no major problems although she got pretty tired of pasta w. tomato sauce! Currently, she's doing a dig in Pompeii and is having a great time and no problems with food so Italy seems to be a good place to be veg in field school.
I think it really depends on where you're working with some countries being MUCH harder than others to be veg and working in the field.
:sigh: I have a BA in archaeology and miss it so!

welcome to the boards!

first, no one here is going to jump on or judge you--i hope anyway. i mean, sure, we get spirited, but for the most part, everyone is open.

second, i find that if in a situation where it is *imperative* to eat meat, then there's nothing wrong with doing so. i remember being told a story by a priest-friend who was 'stationed' in a small church next to one of the poorest slums in mexico. he was invited to breakfast in the home of one of the families--literally a shack. they were serving him eggs, beans, rice, tomatos. Eggs were considered very special and very expensive. when he was served the eggs, he thought they were burned--they were black! he thought it was a special way of prepping them or something, so he went to take a bite. moving the fork near the food, it was flies! that's what made the eggs black! he didn't want to eat the eggs after that, but not doing so would have been not only rude, but cruel. These people had given more than they could afford to him, and he could not push it away.

I think that it is appropriate to eat something you wouldn't normally eat in any number of circumstances. So, if you're 'normally' vegetarian, but your job requires you to travel with berber tribes across high steppes, then eat goat.

Similarly, instead of buying a 'whole grain' cereal that comes in a box, buy your own muslie mix. you can make various kinds of porridge, various kinds of cereals with nuts, seeds, grains, and dried fruit. it costs less to buy the individual ingredients in bulk, and then boil them up into your cereal--or make home-made granola.

as for fresh produce, you just have to shop around. we found that the local HFS is less expensive for organic produce than any other spot. We do get good deals at some road-side stands too. in our area, there'sa business called "produce junction' where the older produce that would go to regular grocery stores is given at a reduced cost to the store, and then they sell it for really cheap. For instance, this week, 10 lbs of bananas for $1. yup. so, when i purchased from there, i would get those bananas, keep some out for eating, freeze others, and dry others. So, there ya have it. perhaps look for a place like this. Also my friend gets good deals at those 'big box' discount wholesale warehouses like 'costco' and 'sams club.'

I think that usually what happens is that there are lots of items that are from the region of where you are & that is what I think is meant by that. Buy fruits & veggies that are in season & it should be more affordable. You are not going to find blueberries in/out of season out in the midwest the way you will here in New England. I think you need to do it gradually if it's easier but try to buy "staples" like brown rice, soups, whole wheat pasta & then depending on the season mix w/ proper fruits & veggies.

Thanks again for all your help. Actually, a meat diet was cheapest for me because my best friend owns a free-range farm. Lots of chicken and eggs, often without monatery charge. I would do errands for her and fix things in her house (my specialty). She knew my money situation, and was very sweet about helping me out.
There's an Asian Market in El Paso, but it's too far. I also used to go to Juarez, but that became too far as well (gas prices are insane!). Also, I began to feel very guilty that I was taking advantage of Mexico's poor economic situation.
Thanks again for the advice. I guess it's back to beans and tortillas!

Buy rice, ramen, and tinned fruits/veggies in large quantities. Just eating rice and peaches, you can eat for $3 a day. Ramen is about 50c a bowl. If you ask at a bakery, they will sell you yesterday's bread really, really cheaply (some just give it to you).

do you have any smaller mom and pop grocery stores near you? those are always cheaper than a regular grocery store. we have 4 or 5 near our house, so we pretty much never shop for produce at the larger chains.

do you take advantage of sales? once in a while, you can get frozen and canned veggies (esp. beans) super cheap, and they last forever. dried beans are really cheap too.

Hi Curious, I lived on beans and rice for several months, so I know where you are coming from. It's possible though not as healthy. Organic is wonderful, but you have to be realistic because of the price. If fresh veg's and fruits are too expensive, you are going to need to buy frozen, canned or dried. Maybe not the most glamorous to start out with, but you can create great stuff from scratch! Meat is the most expensive food you can buy, that's true. A large bag of brown rice and a few bags of dried beans will cost less than $10.00, and feed you for a few weeks. You just need to think out of the box now, and you'll have to plan ahead. There are lots of websites for frugal people on how to make food stretch...you just have to adapt them to veg. When your career takes off and you make more money you can try the meat substitutes and marinated tofus that are more expensive, or you can try them occasionally as your budget allows. The vegan approach may be more expensive only because eggs and milk are pretty cheap and the substitutes are often not, and vegan cheese is pretty high.

I'm an anthropology minor, so I won't be in the field. But, that definitely was one of my concerns when deciding whether to major or minor in it. My professor said that it is quite easy to find an area that caters more to a vegetarian diet, such as India. You could always eat as much of a vegetarian diet as possible during your research, then be totally vegetarian/vegan when you are home. :) Good luck! I know it's hard.

Thanks again for all the help. Beans are pretty cheap here. A friend of mine and I have decided to carpool to south El Paso, where things are a little more affordable.
We don't have too many mom and pop stores left, unfortunately. WalMart has squeezed everyone out, and we are a small town filled with poor people.
I've just finished week one of veg. I feel pretty good.
BTW, I've noticed a lot of Harry Potter fans on this board. Right on! Can't wait for the next book!

Woo hoo!! counting down to Harry Potter! :D

Check out dollar stores and unclaimed freight stores... you can catch some really great deals on canned goods, pastas & rices that way. Try bakery stores for cheap whole wheat breads or tortillas or small local tortillerias for cheap tortillas you can freeze (just watch those tortilla labels for lard as an unfortunate ingredient in some!).

Do you know anyone with a Costco or Sam's Club membership? You can buy your beans, rice and frozen goods there for mcuh cheaper prices per serving than the neighborhood grocery. Canned goods come in multi-can cases for the smaller cans, or you can buy the foodservice size cans and freeze in smaller portions. Might cost a little bit more up front but will feed you for a long time and be cheaper in the end.

I'm pretty broke right now too so I feel that part of your pain.

Check out dollar stores and unclaimed freight stores... you can catch some really great deals on canned goods, pastas & rices that way.
Liquidation places too. I've scored Amy's organic canned soups at a dollar store, and when I was ovo-lacto, Amy's frozen pot pies at a liquidation joint.

Grow your own, or used tinned fruit and vegetables. Bread is cheap, rice is cheap, improvise. Buy in bulk. Good luck!

As the others hve been saying, buy in bulk, and/or buy dry beans, rice, lentils, pasta and other grains...

Learn to cook the dry beans and whatever else... it's so easy and cheap. And you can cook a bunch and freeze the extra too.

For example, some dry balck beans and quinoa. Only need a small amount of them dry... but cook them up - Right there you have half the makings for a good, nutritious meal and it's seriously just costing you a few PENNIES...

Grocery Outlet stores, 'scratch-and-dent' warehouses or outlets, dollar stores, Big Lots, those sort of places will have items for cheaper too.

And I guess I don't know what New Mexico has for seasonal produce right now (I should since my sweetie <------- lives there) but buy whatever is local and 'in season' and it will be cheaper than the produce shipped in from across the country.

I'll check the local green chile market. Last time, I loved beans, tortillas, and green chile (I'm a SW girl). But chile is only in season for a few months I can relate, really I can. :yes:

So chiles are in season just a short while. These are Hatch chiles, I'm assuming? Even if they're not, buy them as much as you can during the season, then and either roast them on open fire or grill them. Then, wrap and freeze them. Viola! Chiles that will take you through to next chile season. :hungry:

Refried Beans... I personally love the No-Fat variety at Safeway cause there's only beans, water and salt in them. Nothing freaky or hard to pronounce in those things - just open a can, doctor them the way you want and you're on the way. For regular dried beans, they can be seasoned up, cooked the way you like, frozen in smaller batches and enjoyed on everything humans can consume. :lick:

Tortillas - not expensive at all and oh, so nice to use. I like Guerrero brand, myself cause they're good for frying, making soft tacos out of or using in enchiladas (mmmm enchiladas... :hungry: ) AND they don't have a ton of freaky ingredients in them.

And did I mention El Pato is vegetarian? And cheap? (it was where I used to live anyway). If you like spicy stuff, stock up on the El Pato. It'll give everything a bit of kick.

If I remember that area right, it seems to me they have good avocados there? The kinds that are rich, creamy, and OH so good? :drool: Take advantage of those lovelies. They're chock-full of the good fats and can be fixed up about a bazillion different ways.

I don't know if you have bulk sections near you, but if you do, then rice is your friend. The bulk areas that I remember had only white rice in them, but if you can find brown then by all means, get it. You can't make a decent spanish rice out of brown rice (I've tried), but you can use it every other way possible without problems (stuffed chiles...... oh, man! :drool: ).

The area I used to live in was awful for frozen veggies, but I could find at least one or two good bags that would supplement my fresh foods cooking. It might not be much, but it will help round things out a bit.

Long story short: shop around, keep your eyes open for specials of all types, freeze anything and everything you can, and don't worry about eating tofu if it's too pricey, stock up on things that keep well, and take as much advantage of local produce as much you can.

Hope this helps a bit.