veganism expensive?

[Alex76]

Hi
At the moment am veggie i want to be vegan but my husband says it too expensive as we are on disability benifets ( my husband is also my carer because of my mental health problems and he dont work as he is a full time carer )
and money is tight also my husband thinks that i will not be able to eat enough to keep me healthy
My husband is also a meat eater and has said to me that it dont hurt the animals to produce eggs and milk but i disagree it does hurt them
he is trying to be understanding and know how upset it has made me to having to eat things that i dont want to eat
He also says we wouldnt be able to go out for a meal because no where that he likes do vegan food , my husband at a push will eat veggie but he dont like it all the time
The main reason is the cost and the fact he dont think that i will be healthy with it
I know there are students and people on benifets that are vegan and i would like to know how they manage to feed them selves when they have so little money Also i would like to know what things are low calories as well as i need a low calories diet as i am obese and am trying to lose weight

 

[Freesia]

Lentils and beans are cheap. So are fresh vegetables and fruit. Tofu is reasonably priced. As is rice and bread. Just stick to the basics and lean towards wholegrains. My ex used to cook vegan food when he was on a benefit to save money. And he was an omni who was very saving conscious.

 

[AeryFairy]

To be frank, you are right - dairy and eggs do hurt the animals, mostly due to the way they are produced. I won't go into details, but if you want information, there's plenty of it out there - try the vegan society website for starters.

I don't find veganism expensive in general. The way I do it on a normal budget will reflect a regular meat-eater's costs because I buy specialist vegan products like cheese, burgers, sandwich meats, and so on. But if necessary, I can cut this cost right down using the advice given above - beans, lentils, and supermarket-brand soya mince (roughly £1.50 per bag) for protein, pasta, rice, and potatoes for carbohydrates, and fresh vegetables. On a budget, I can make six meals for around £2 by cooking one-pot meal options such as curry, chilli, stew, casserole, and soup. We've got plenty of recipe ideas in the frugal section if cost is a worry

You can also learn to find vegan food in unlikely places when eating out. Just tonight I went for a meal at a popular pub chain - I had pasta with tomato sauce and peas, as well as some onion rings and breaded mushrooms. It wasn't technically a menu option, but I googled the pub name along with the phrase 'allergy menu', and found various items which were vegan-friendly. You can also try talking with waiters or chefs to see if they can sort you out with a special meal, or search through the menu for individual vegan items and see if you can make your own (rice with stir-fried vegetables, jacket potato and baked beans, or a grilled vegetable sandwich are some of my favourite go-to meals in these cases).

As for the low-calorie diet issue, dairy and eggs are very high-calorie foods, and also high in fat. As long as you substitute the protein in them, you'll be doing your body a lot of good

Finally, I just want to say that even if you don't make it to fully vegan just yet, every animal product you don't eat is a step int he right direction. If you don't feel comfortable making the complete transition just yet, maybe try to just cut it out but by bit. Order a vegan meal next time you are out, or substitute your regular butter for vitalite, or leave the cheese off when you have pizza. Just see how you go. And if you ever want to ask questions, come to the forums! We're here to help

 

[Clueless Git]

Hi Faint

Omnivorism = cost of feeding many vegan animals + associated costs of raising, keeping, transporting, slaughtering and processing many vegan animals.

Veganism = cost of feeding one vegan animal + only costs which that one animal, be it vegan or omni, would incur anyway.

Subsidies to the meat industry massively disguise the true cost of meat but not to the degree that the above doesn't still hold true.

One 'trick' for you; Veganise omni meals that both you and your hubby already like. Pies, bakes, casseroles, curries, stir fries etc .. They all take very kindly to the use of extra vegetables, beans, lentils, mushrooms, TVP, tofu etc in place of more expensive meat.

If there is an additional cost to top-notch vegan eating at home it is not a financial cost. Just the cost of a little more creative thinking is all.

 

[peacefulveglady]

I am in the same boat we are both on disability and we are on a budget and I am trying to transit and its hard on a budget, we are getting more and more into lentils and beans and whole grains and other things alike.

 

[ledboots]

I am in the same boat we are both on disability and we are on a budget and I am trying to transit and its hard on a budget, we are getting more and more into lentils and beans and whole grains and other things alike.

That is great, pvl. I have been moving, and money is tight with the expenses, so I have been pretty creative about the beans and grains lately too! That and fruits and veggies in season, and Sunday afternoons at the farmers' markets where they often mark down the price on a bunch of produce. Oh, and white and sweet potato everything, since we all love them; there are a bunch of differnt kinds and one is usually on sale.

 

[peacefulveglady]

I do believe that if planned out right Veganism is less expensive then Omni diet and its much more healthier.
I am also checking into vegan clothes, shoes and everyday items as well.

 

[lucky_charm]

I live in Scotland too and during the week I live alone on a low budget. I spend £8-£15 on food per week (this does breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks Monday to Friday). I mostly shop in lidl which keeps costs down as im not tempted to buy speciality vegan items (they dont really have any) and I cook most of my own dinners in big batches and have leftovers for lunches or other dinners.

The kind of things I cook are:

Pasta: (50p for 500g pasta from lidl, I use about 150g to make dinner & have enough for next days lunch) with a tomato based sauce (say £1 for a jar) and some leafy salad (50p for half a bag or less if you buy the whole lettuce and make it yourself). £2 for 2 meals

Risotto: (£1.80 for the arborio rice but it lasts me about 6 meals as its very filling so you don't need much) with mushrooms (£1 for a punnet from lidl, does 2 meals worth) garlic (probably about 10p for 2 cloves) veg stock (£1 for 10 cubes) and a little margarine plus salad as before. About £2.20 for 2 meals.

Other meals with similar costs are: stir fry with noodles, veg chickpea curry with brown rice, bean chilli with couscous, baked potatoes with houmous and salad, home made roast vegetable pizzas (no cheese), minestrone and bean soup with crusty bread, lentil stew with bulgur wheat etc.

 

[peacefulveglady]

We have a fruit and Veggie market down at the block and they sell natural stuff as well and they have bulk bins for beans, I might start going there in a few weeks.

 

[mary1]

As long as you stick to whole foods (not prepackaged processed foods), eating vegan is way cheaper than eating meat and dairy. Lower priced stuff that will nourish and satisfy are brown rice, beans, lentils, and root vegetables.

 

[PTree15]

Here's just one example of vegan/vegetarian eating being cheaper.
I bought a 1 lb. bag of dried chickpeas for $1.09. I cooked 2/3 of the bag and made the following:
A pound and then some of hummus, 6 chickpea cutlets (which I froze uncooked) and a batch of chickpea salad. I still have a third of the bag I can cook and probably get another batch of hummus out of that. Premade hummus alone would cost more than $6 in the store for the amount I made. Mind you the tahini you need for the hummus can be a bit pricey ($5 to $8 a can), but it lasts for several batches, plus it can be used in other dishes.
Yes, some of this takes a little planning, but it's so worth it. And I like my hummus better than most store brands, except maybe Joseph's, which is pretty tasty.