How To Go Vegetarian, I Mean Its So Expensive?

Question

The price of fruits and veggies, how is one suppose to buy food, when one has a low paying job?

Answer 1

Really you're not eating any more fruits and vegetables than [you should be] if you are not vegetarian.  You're just replacing meat-based proteins for other sources (plants, or eggs and dairy) which are in general a lot cheaper than meat.  A pound of dried beans is less than a dollar, and contains perhaps 14 servings once cooked.  If anyone can stretch a dollar's worth of meat that far I'd like to see it.

Answer 2

henrys market :) lol

begetarian doesn't simply mean fruits & veggies it meansno meat now you could eat fish but strict vegetarians don't eat fish you could eat nuts & grains, like almonds or cereal or dairy products, try to balance your budget with mixing it up and use coupons they really help save you money!!

Answer 3

I've been able to afford my grocery budget, and I'm making less than 10/hour   :(

Be sure to plan your meals ahead of time, I find this helps in list making, and making sure I don't buy things I don't need.

Try to visit the store a few times a week to get fresh veggies/fruits. You'll actually save money buying in smaller, more frequent increments. And, this ensures that your veggies/fruit are always fresh, and you're not pitching things that go bad.

Answer 4

Actually, the most expensive part of grocery bills is the meat.  If you avoid processed junk, and actually cook real food, vegetarian is as cheap as it gets.  After all, you can make a big pot of spicy lentils or a pot of beans for under $2.

Answer 5

Where do you live? In most places, fruit and vegetables are a lot cheaper than meat!

Check out lower priced supermarkets / grocery stores in your area, or try and find a local market.

Are you buying convenience meals? If so, get back to basics and start cooking with raw, basic ingredients that you can buy in bulk.

You might find this article interesting - it's about saving money by going vegetarian:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Sav...

Answer 6

It isn't expensive. My family is pretty poor but I can still support my diet.

Answer 7

try shopping at a farmers market.  They usually have great deals there.

Answer 8

Buy lots of dry beans.

Answer 9

To go vegitarian, it doesnt have to be as expensive as you think. First of all, you can buy canned fruits and vegetables from a generic store for 1/2 the price of a name brand. You can make countless purchaces at chains like ALDI that are very inexpensive.

You can actually find that being vegetarian can be less expensive than a non vegetarian.

Answer 10

Funny, I find meat and dairy to be expensive.

My shopping bill has been greatly reduced since I went vegan.

A walk around my local supermarket shows the following prices:

Chicken Fillets = $16.99 per kilo

Carrots (organic) = $1.50 per kilo

Beef Mince = $9.99 per kilo

Onions = $1.99 per kilo

Ham = $12.99 per kilo

Tomatoes = $2.99 per kilo

Salmon Fillets = $25.99 per kilo

Oranges = $2.99 per 3 kilo bag

Cheddar Cheese = $15.99 per kilo

Beetroots = $5.99 per kilo

For Example:

When we use to eat meat, our family we could consume the $16.99 per kilo of chicken fillets in just one meal. But the kilo of carrots for $4.99, will last us for one whole week.

Fruit & vegetables are even cheaper at the markets.

You could always grow your own fruit & vegetables. Even if you live in a unit block with a balcony you can still grow stuff - check out high-rise living & gardening DVD's by Bill Mollison.

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Answer 11

Eating vegetarian food is cheaper since you -animals and animal products, but increase on more natural foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, plant milks, etc. Shopping at a Farmers Market for vegetables and fruits is known to be cheaper. As well as buying the store brand of foods (Trader Joes, Whole Foods, HEB, etc store brand). Frozen or canned vegetables are also cheaper than fresh ones. Buying in bulk is also cheaper of foods you eat frequently. Quinoa, beans, nutrional yeast and tvp are good things to buy in bulk. You can buy ready/easy make cheap boxed food such as mixed veggies, couscous, falafel, etc. You could try and get a higher paying job if you cannot buy any food.

Links to check out:

http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/?v=07budge...

http://urbanvegan.blogspot.com/2008/01/2...

http://community.livejournal.com/cheapve...

http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue2/...

Answer 12

I don't think it is expensive.  You can do so much with pasta and rice which makes things pretty cheap.  Are you going to eat eggs and cheese?  Even that is cheap.  Stretch your veggies with brown rice - - yum --  and cheap too.  Get some really interesting soy sauce or other sauces like that.  You won't miss the meat and you will see that it's quite cheap!

Answer 13

Expensive?

Not unless you can't cook to save your life.

Bread, cereal, rice, pasta, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies are not expensive. Sticking to basics is much cheaper than any meaty diet(except hunting).

Answer 14

Fruit and veggies are definitely cheaper than meat.  To save money (and trips to the store) I use a lot of frozen veggies.  They are just as nutritious as the fresh, and in most cases probably better (especially if you live in the middle of nowhere like I do).

So use your dried beans, pastas, veggies (think lots of potatoes) as your staples.  A good diet's foundation is starches and luckily those are usually the cheapest foods around!

Good luck!

Answer 15

It really isn't any more expensive.  I am in transition of switching over and I spen no more money now then I used to.  If you think of the difference - if you buy a pound of hamburger and a gallon of milk think of howmuch veggies, fruits, and other products you can buy for the same price.  You get more and its better for you.  Do alot of research and get to know specific brands that are vegan - it helps in the shopping process and they are the same price as non vegan foods.