[Werewolf Girl]

http://vegnewssavvyvegan.blogspot.co...c-markets.html

I thought this fantastic blog post was worth sharing with everyone here. It's filled with a lot of useful information on how to eat really cheaply as a vegan and try a bunch of exciting new food as a bonus.

There is a common misconception that being vegan means relying on a lot of soy products and fake foods and that is NOT true. You don't have to break the bank at Whole Foods to make satisfying healthy meals, I've found an abundance of cheap fresh produce and grains and legumes at specialty asian markets before and I was amazed at the amount of food I got for so little money. I still love some of the expensive specialty vegan foods but I'm trying to wean myself off junk and this is a style of eating I could really get into

 

[1986]

Thanks for starting this thread. I live in the UK but the same applies here. In big cities where there are large communities from the asian subcontinent there are some fantastic foods to be had for a fraction of the price you would pay in the supermarkets and health food shops. Nuts in particuar almonds and cashews are often way cheaper there as are all the pulses and many grains. A lot now sell wholemeal rice and often their cous cous and bulghar etc is superior in quality and price. I pay much less for tofu from my local Indian supermarket chain and my local Chinese cash and carry does some fabulous mock duck and seitan for about half of the health food shop price.

 

[lucky_charm]

Yeah that's definitely true, my mum buys a lot of 'mock meats' noodles, tofu, stir fry sauces etc from the Chinese supermarket because it's much cheaper, tofu especially.

 

[Beetlejuice]

deleted

 

[ICU]

Thanks for sharing. My two favorite places to shop are the Asian & Indian-Pakistani markets.

 

[PTree15]

Agreed on the ethnic markets. I can't believe how much cheaper sriracha sauce is in the Asian stores. I get veggie pot stickers there for half the price of the typical grocery store.

 

[cyanocobalamin]

Watch out for cheap Asian store tofu and soy milk. Sometimes they add non-vegan things to it and don't feel obliged to put in the ingredients. In the U.S., soybeans are often used as a rotation crop for cotton, meaning the field they grow in are saturated with pesticides. Most soy beans in the U.S. are grown for cattle feed and are GMO. Buying organic soy beans, tofu and soy milk helps you avoid those problems. Asian markets may or may not have organic soy products.

 

[GhostUser]

Depends on what type of Asian. The stuff at Japanese markets are not cheap. Got to pay extra for the extra packaging.

The spice deals at my local corner Indian market is pretty good though. My now finished 2.2 oz bottle of Spice Island tumeric was around 6 to 7 dollars from Albertson's. I bought a pound of tumeric from the Indian market for less than 3 dollars.

 

[runnerveggie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malcontent

Depends on what type of Asian. The stuff at Japanese markets are not cheap. Got to pay extra for the extra packaging.

The spice deals at my local corner Indian market is pretty good though. My now finished 2.2 oz bottle of Spice Island tumeric was around 6 to 7 dollars from Albertson's. I bought a pound of tumeric from the Indian market for less than 3 dollars.

Yeah! I love the whole spices at the Indian market especially - they cost a fraction of what they would at the grocery store or Penzey's.

 

[NAGEV]

anyone knows where the produce is cheaper? and where to get produce coupons? it seems there is coupons for everything but produce :/

 

[Doktormartini]

You can shop at Whole Foods and still save money. I do almost all of my shopping there and like 90% of what I buy is organic.

 

[cyanocobalamin]

I have friends who swear that Whole Foods, while being expensive, has great sales. I think that works for them as they visit several different food stores a week and stock up when they find a good sale.

 

[cyanocobalamin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RunnerVeggie

Yeah! I love the whole spices at the Indian market especially - they cost a fraction of what they would at the grocery store or Penzey's.

At least with the Indian groceries in my area, you have to buy the spices in very large quantities. Fortunately for me, my area has several co-ops with bulk spice drawers. I can buy ten cents worth of any given spice if I want to. Works great for me, as hardly ever anything is wasted from buying too much.

 

[silva]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NAGEV

anyone knows where the produce is cheaper? and where to get produce coupons? it seems there is coupons for everything but produce :/

Search for food co-ops in your area. Local farmers sell shares of their harvest and you pay for shares through the growing season. You usually pick them up at established areas and what you get is dependent on their yield.
I know I'm going to try to grow things like greens, peppers, herbs and tomatos from organic seeds or plants. i'm trying for containers and for the greens raised beds.

 

[Identity_thief]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RunnerVeggie

Yeah! I love the whole spices at the Indian market especially - they cost a fraction of what they would at the grocery store or Penzey's.

Me too! I can't find the time/motivation to go to my nearest asian/indian store weekly - so I tend to bulk buy the best stuff. I always get my spices from there in 500g bags (sometimes a kilo but I don't want them sitting around too long and loosing their freshness), I use them so reguarlly not only would it be a huge waste of money to buy them at the supermarket but I'd be buying new jars every week! I also get creamed coconut from there, it makes the equivilent of 3 or so cans of coconut milk, and it costs SO much less - 49p for a block, as opposed to like £1.something for a can of coconut milk at the supermarket!

They also have these super-soft brand of chickpeas that I try to buy when I go but I can't carry back too many (it's uphill the whole way!), they're cheaper than the supermarket and have a much nicer texture than the supermarket ones.

My only complaint about asian shops (at least, all the ones I've been to!) is that they have the WORST layouts ever, they have stuff in piles in the middle of the floor, things higledy pigldey all over the place and it always takes me ages to find what I need! It's not a big deal, but I always wonder why all the asian shops near me seem to lack any order whatsoever!

 

[HNV]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doktormartini

You can shop at Whole Foods and still save money. I do almost all of my shopping there and like 90% of what I buy is organic.

I buy from Whole Foods a lot. Aside from the local farmer's market, it's really the only place I will buy produce from.. If you stick with the in season produce, then you get the best prices.. Non-seasonal produce is what eats up the $$$....

I stick with seasonal produce. It's cheaper and tastier..

 

[Werewolf Girl]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-...=Shop_Seasonal_

Kathy Freston just posted this fantastic article about eating vegan on the cheap and I figured this thread was perfect rather than starting a new one. Great tips!

Freston gets a lot of flack for pushing processed foods as vegan 'training wheels' but in this article she shows how cheap and easy whole foods can be too.

Quote:

As I coach people on becoming vegan, one common refrain I hear is that it's too expensive. When funds are low, the cheap burger or basket of chicken can appear to be the best value -- the most calories for the lowest price. We've been aggressively peddled the idea that a healthy diet is an expensive diet, something only for rich folks. And our experience seems to bear that out.
I understand the frustration. It doesn't seem right that meat should be so cheap and fresh vegetables, especially organic ones, relatively expensive. But once you look into it, the true cost of eating animal protein is higher than you can imagine. And being veganish in your approach to food is not only healthier by every measure, but it can actually be considerably cheaper as well. In fact, many staples of a vegan diet cost very little and can be found in any grocery store -- not just in specialty markets. Whole grains like quinoa or barley or brown rice, legumes like chickpeas or soybeans, and other beans like black-eyed peas and black beans are very inexpensive -- certainly cheaper than processed and packaged foods. Bought in bulk whole grains and beans can cost just pennies per meal. And because they are full of fiber they make you feel full and satisfied (put them into soups, stews, salads, burritos, etc.), without the dangerous saturated fat of animal protein. Fresh vegetables and fruits can be found at supermarkets and farmers' markets for very reasonable prices. Organic and specialty stores are great, but it's certainly not necessary to empty your wallet in order to eat healthfully.

 

[cyanocobalamin]

I thought some of her points were exaggerated, but then it again it has been decades since I ate SAD style, so I have no idea what their costs are, only that mine have gone up.

Whenever eating cheaper as a vegan comes up, people post long overwhelming lists. I think the two most important points are simply to make more things yourself and pay attention to prices in different stores.