[bekajoi]

How have your finances changed since switching to vegetarianism? Veganism?

(figured I'd start a thread for it by itself...)

 

[jeezycreezy]

What? Other than the fact I'm stupid enough to pay three or four times as much for imitation products that don't taste half as good?

j/k

Vegan products rock. Oh yes they do.

Yeah no. Having been vegetarian/vegan since 1992 when I lived at home and had no money I fear I must recuse myself from this discussion.

 

[nookle]

Good call bekajoi!

 

[jeezycreezy]

Actually, is this the kind of input you're after?

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/s...ad.php?t=58517

 

[~Wonder]

I spend less time pickin' meat out from my teeth which I devote to working which makes me money so I can waste it on expensive fake meat that never gets stuck in my teeth.

Actually, I don't eat much fake meat, I'm more of a bean man myself. So what I save on fake meat I spend on beer. Mmm... beer. I think I'll go have some.

But yeah, my finances haven't changed too much since going veggie. Although I'm more willing to spend money on decent food than I was when I was an omni. I used to live off those God afwul chicken with broccoli and cheese things that you can buy in the freezer section. I really shouldn't be alive.

~Wondre

 

[Sevenseas]

It depends on how much you want to rely on readymade meals (or whatever you call them - the stuff that you just put in the oven without doing anything else) vs. making food by yourself. If you're a good cook, I guess it can be pretty cheap.

But anyway, that's why people should buy more vegan meals, to raise the demand and lower the prices.

 

[Misty]

I think my grocery bill has been healthier since becoming veg, I use a lot of beans and lentils now, which are so cheap out of the bulk bins. I recently made my first batch of home made soy milk and then made tofu, so yeah.

I do still buy veggie burgers n stuff, but I don't really think the amount I buy make a huge impact on my bill.

Maybe the only thing that has made an impact is that I now buy free range eggs for those in the household that eat eggs. $5 a dozen compared to $1.30, but I can't believe I was so naive to one think that $1.30 for a dozen eggs was a bargain.. where was my head?

 

[bekajoi]

I found the switch to vegetarianism was cheaper. The same foods, minus the meat. The cheese and eggs weren't expensive, and helped with the iron and protein~

The switch to veganism was a little harder. More fresh nuts, more green leafy veggies. Soy milk isn't cheap here.

I cook from scratch a LOT. 99.9% of the time, that is. So that probably still saves me $$, but I didn't really buy prepared meaty foods either.... hmmmm..

Good thread, jeezy!

(I was derailing our other thread to a new place, that's all!)

 

[Jessikah]

Hrm, I'm not too sure.

I think I *may* be spending more on groceries, but I am not too sure. Now I am 'aware' I buy organic fruit and vegs from a family business that delivers it to your door. We spend about AU$60 a fortnight on that, which isn't too bad.

That being said, we usually run out of the fruit so we buy some more from the local supermarket as we need it. We also do small shops as we need it too. I really have no idea, LOL.

I'd say about the same, but the QUALITY of my food has improved. No more pre-packaged snack foods, chips, meals. My 'junk' food now consists of air-popped popcorn, dates (mmm), banana smoothies or icypoles that I make myself.

I really think Veganism is helping my health too. I've lost about 2.5 kilos the last month! Okay, this thread isn't about weight, but MONEY!

-Jess

 

[eko291]

not really. We used to eat out a lot. Eating out is less expensive. We also cook a heck of lot more now too. Even though some of the 'organic' products can be more expensive, it still isn't as bad as dropping 50 a night on dinner out.

 

[Elijah]

My food bill has definately went up!!

I spend on average between $300-$500 a month on fruits, veggies, beans, nuts/seeds, dried fruits etc.

I buy organic when possible especially the highly contaminated foods such as spinach and strawberries.

I suppose I ould save money cooking my own beans but I do not. I buy canned no-salt organic beans.

I do plan on getting a soy-milk maker so I can save money on that.

It costs $2 a quart for good plain soymilk! That is $8/gallon. I only use a quart every week or two for recipes but still that is expensive.

The bread I buy is $4.00 a loaf (Ezekial Sprouted Grain/Seed). Carrot Juice is $12/gallon.

So Cow's milk is $3/gallon

Soy Milk is $8/gallon

Carrot Juice is $13/gallon

Shouldn't this be the other way around? Our government gives price supports to the grain/animal/dairy industry to make animal products cheaper and more affordable.

Amount of price supports given to the fruit and vegetable inustry... $0.

Point is that it would be alot cheaper to buy fruits and veggies if the government supported those industries.

 

[synergy]

I know I spend more money on food, but I think it's worth every penny to eat as organic as possible. My food bills do go down during the summer when I go to farmers markets though.

 

[GhostUser]

I eat all organic, and my food bill is lower.

 

[jeezycreezy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by veggiejanie

I eat all organic, and my food bill is lower.

Show off!

 

[Gita]

it depends on what you eat. Obviously a person who shops at a regular discount supermarket, and eats only rice, beans, non-organic vegies, some common soy foods, or ovo-lacto vegetarians (dairy products) can have a lower shopping bill than a person who shops only at organic markets and buys specialty soy foods/ meat analogues and goes to restauraunts. I think most people are somewhere in the middle, eating cheaper foods and having an occasional splurge. If you have time to garden (obviously in the spring) and a freezer, you can cut down on your bill too.

 

[UseHerName]

I find it expensive, because of the fruit and veggies. I was told by a dietician to replace junk with healthy alternatives. Not cheap.

 

[Tray]

I ate a lot of "convenience foods" as a (lacto-ovo) vegetarian, which was kinda pricey. When I switched to vegan, I started buying more vegetables, beans, etc., which are less expensive in theory, but I eat a LOT more now than I used to. So in the end my total grocery bill stayed about the same going from vegetarian to vegan. And for reference, I'm single (so I only feed myself) and I'm a terrible cook.

 

[DelicGrape]

I buy most of my own veggie food (some things, like bread, my parents buy.) But mostly I buy my own fruits/vegetables, veggie meats, granola bars, juice, cereal, and other things along those lines. Since I am the only vegetarian in my house, things last a pretty long time. Sometimes I will buy frozen diet meals, because 1) I'm not wasting money on food leftovers that go uneaten, and 2) it saves a lot of time. I try to stick to the cheaper brands/meals. I spend about $20-30 a week.

 

[colorful]

It really depends on where I shop and how many "specialty" products I am buying. I do cook a lot from scratch, I soak/cook my own beans, make my own granola, etc.

As far as vegan vs. lacto-ovo vegetarian, I have found that vegan is actually a bit cheaper. Soymilk is about the same price as the Organic Valley cow's milk I was buying. But what really got me, price-wise, was buying organic cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, and eggs. When I removed those items from my food bill it actually got quite a bit cheaper. Now that we're off dairy and eggs again, we are eating more tofu (which is WAY cheaper than organic cheese!) and beans.

 

[Toilet Duck]

I think the change from vegetarian to vegan hasn't made too much of a difference. Fake cheese costs about the same as a piece of good quality real cheese. The only thing it really costs me is a little more time so I can think about what I need to buy and where to get it.