Im poor and need advice?

Question

What are good vegetarian foods that are cheap??? I'm moving out of my moms house and need some advice on what I can eat thats good for me but most important thing is it has to be CHEAP. I don't care about the taste.. I'm not picky about food. I don't know how to cook either but will learn if I have to. I think beans and rice is cheap.. what else is good??

Answer 1

Try out this website

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

Answer 2

Learn to make soups from scratch. That's what I did when I was broke.  Also look for public assistance right away.  I think I got about $80/month in food stamps.  Get your cooking stuff at the salvation army or other such store.

Answer 3

Eating vegetarian is actually quite cost efficient.  Here are some tips.

1) Don't worry about Organic foods, which cost more.  Just wash your fruits and veggies and dry them before eating.  

2) Eat tofu.  It's cheap and is a good source of protein.  Buy the pre-flavoured stuff or marinate it overnight before using it.  You can use any bottled or pre-made marinade.  For example,  marinate some thick slices of tofu with Teriaki (spelling??) sauce, brown on both sides in a pan, and make a sandwich/wrap/pita with lettuce, tomato, etc.

3) Plan your meals.  Write out a week or two worth of meals and make a list.  That way you won't waste food that spoils in your fridge because you had nothing to cook with it.

4) Lentils, Quiona, brown rice, puffed wheat, chickpeas, black beans, etc are all cheap and nutritious.  

Good luck.

Answer 4

There are lots of cheap veg food ideas here:

Vegan Eating on a Budget

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

I think potatoes are pretty cheap, but I'm not sure how much they generally cost.

Good luck!

Answer 5

the supermarket will have tons of things for you.

stock up on soups and broth

egg noodles - can eat with butter or in broth

boxed macaroni and cheese, fettucine alfredo are easy to make

frozen hor dervouirs and pizza and hot pockets

cheese and bread

Answer 6

I saw someone else put this as a suggestion for a vegan snack and I'm gonna steal the idea, cause it sounded aces.

ANTS ON A LOG.

Which is Celery with peanut butter in the middle, with raisins on top.

Enjoy.

P.S. Sorry to the person whos idea I stole.

Answer 7

I'm poor too, so I understand!  What you don't have to do is live on beans, rice and potatoes just because they are cheap.  You won't be getting all the nutrition that you need to fuel your body.  What I do to save money on food is go to farmers markets or my local strip district and get fresh fruits and veggies (most of the time organic is not beyond your budget!) and then go to a bulk section at your local co-op or whole foods and buy raw nuts, lentils, beans, dried fruit etc there.  It's much cheaper and healthier than packaged foods.

I know it seems impossible for you to get by on a budget and eat healthy (poor quality food is always cheaper) but you can.  It's one thing in life that you don't want to skimp on, remember that it's your body and it needs good nutrition to function properly.  

Good luck!

Answer 8

Potatos are an extremely good choice for nutrition, price and

heartiness. They can boiled, fried, baked, even bbq'd. I like

a plain old boiled spud with salt and pepper.

Rice is good, but in my opinion needs a bit of help in the

flavor dept.

Beans are boring but also very nutritious. Good luck to you on your own. It's tough, could be scary but totally possible. You can do it!

Answer 9

I practically live on this dish. I fill a small sauce pan about half way with water. I then add a vegan bouillon cube, handful of Whole Foods Basmati rice, handful of red lentils and spices (Garam Masala, corriander, ginger, corriander or whatever you wish). Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to gas mark 2, cover and cook 15 minutes. The lentils blend in with the rice and it makes this risotto type dish. For added nutrition throw in some roasted veggies (whatever is on sale).

I make french toast with pumpkin pie spice, almond milk and eggs in the batter. It is cheap and delicious; it is a 3am after party fave in our home!

Answer 10

Bless your sweet heart!

If you are of age, check out Food Stamps:

http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10101.html

Cooking is easy nowadays...go to your grocery store and ask a clerk to show you were boxed foods are that only need to have water added to them to make a meal.

There are all kinds of canned foods which are already cooked for you.  If you are having soup, read the directions.  Most need water added to them.  Be sure to try the Bean & Bacon soup.   Very good and will give you protein for your body.

You can buy large bags of all types of vegetables in the freezer section.  Ask a clerk to show you were these are.  Read the directions...you will only need to take a small portion out and then put the bag back into your freezer to eat at a later date.

College kids LIVE off of Ramen noodles.

Click the link below for Ramen package cooking - Video;

Package comes with flavor packet.  

Cost about twenty five cents at grocery stores:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMo405LJy...

Tossed Salad (video):

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-make-th...

Do you eat eggs?  If so, they are inexpensive and you can eat them often if you run out of food.  Buy a 1/2 dozen or one dozen and keep them in your fridge.

If you have to, you can eat oatmeal three times per day.  Very healthy for you.  Keep a box of the small packages on hand at all times.  Read the directions...one package with 1/2 cup of hot water...let it sit for about a minute or two to soak up the water....add sugar if you want to.

Answer 11

goveg.com

vegweb.com

vegconnect.com

veggieconnection.com

allveggielinks.com

advice:go shopping with your mom next time and pay attention to how much things cost lol

Get vegetarian and vegan friends to help you out with shopping go to health stores

get or borrow from a library these good vegetarian books

1. 15-minute vegetarian : 200 quick, easy, and delicious recipes the whole family will love / Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay.



  

2.    

Amber waves of grain : traditional American whole foods cooking & contemporary vegetarian, vegan & macrobiotic cuisine / Alex and Gale Jack ; foreword by Michio and Aveline Kushi ; illustrations by Rod House.



  

3.    

American wholefoods cuisine : 1300 meatless wholesome recipes from short order to gourmet / Nikki & David Goldbeck ; preface by Barbara Haber.



  

4.    

A beautiful bowl of soup : the best vegetarian recipes / by Paulette Mitchell ; photographs by William Meppem.



  

5.    

The best of Lord Krishna's cuisine : favorite recipes from The art of Indian vegetarian cooking / Yamuna Devi.



  

6.    

The best vegetarian recipes : from greens to grains, from soups to salads : 200 bold-flavored recipes / Martha Rose Shullman.



  

7.    

Betty Crocker easy everyday vegetarian : meatless main dishes you'll love!



  

8.    

The big book of vegetarian : more than 225 recipes for breakfasts, appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, main dishes, sides, breads, and desserts / by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley.



  

9.    

Cafe Flora cookbook / Catherine Geier with Carol Brown.



  

10.    

Carb-conscious vegetarian : 150 delicious recipes for a healthy lifestyle / Robin Robertson.



  

11.    

Classic vegetarian cooking from the Middle East & North Africa / Habeeb Salloum.



  

12.    

Compassionate cuisine : gourmet vegetarian recipes & the philosophy and culture of caring / Vrnda Devi.



  

13.    

The complete book of vegetarian grilling : over 150 easy and tasty recipes you can grill indoors and out / Susann Geiskopf-Hadler.  



  

14.    

The complete idiot's guide to being vegetarian / by Frankie Avalon Wolfe.  



  

15.    

Complete vegetarian cookbook / Charmaine Solomon.



  

16.    

The complete vegetarian handbook : recipes & techniques for preparing delicious, healthful cuisine / by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley ; illustrations by David Pollard.



  

17.    

The contented vegetarian / Matthew Drennan and Annie Nichols.



  

18.    

Cook 1.0 : a fresh approach to the vegetarian kitchen : breakfast, lunch + dinner / Heidi Swanson ; foreword by Art Smith. (



  

19.    

Cooking the Cuban way : culturally authentic foods, including low-fat and vegetarian recipes / by Alison Behnke and Victor Manuel Valens.



  

20.    

Cooking the Vietnamese way : to include new low-fat and vegetarian recipes / Chi Nguyen and Judy Monroe.



  

21.    

The enlightened kitchen : fresh vegetable dishes from the temples of Japan / Mari Fujii ; photographs by Tae Hamamura ; translation by Richard Jeffery.



  

22.    

Entertaining for a veggie planet : 250 down-to-earth recipes / Didi Emmons.



  

23.    

Ethical markets : growing the green economy / Hazel Henderson with Simran Sethi ; foreword by Hunter Lovins.



  

24.    

The ethnic vegetarian : traditional and modern recipes from Africa, America, and the Caribbean / Angela Shelf Medearis, author of Ideas for Entertaining from the African-American Kitchen.



  

25.    

Everyday Greens : home cooking from Greens, the celebrated vegetarian restaurant / by Annie Somerville.



  

26.    

The flexitarian table : inspired, flexible meals for vegetarians, meat lovers, and everyone in between / Peter Berley, with Zoe Singer ; photographs by Quentin Bacon.



  

27.    

Fresh food fast : delicious, seasonal vegetarian meals in under an hour / Peter Berley and Melissa Clark.



  

28.    

The gluten-free vegetarian kitchen : delicious and nutritious wheat-free, gluten-free dishes / Donna Klein.



  

29.    

The healthy hedonist holidays : a year of multicultural, vegetarian-friendly holiday feasts / Myra Kornfeld ; illustrated by Sheila Hamanaka.  



  

30.    

Hope's edge : the next diet for a small planet / Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe.



  

31.    

How to cook everything vegetarian : simple meatless recipes for great food / Mark Bittman ; illustrations by Alan Witschonke.



  

32.    

How to cook everything. Vegetarian cooking / Mark Bittman ; illustrations by Alan Witschonke.



  

33.    

India's vegetarian cookery / Monisha Bharadwaj ; photography of India by Jenner Zimmermann ; food photography by Will Heap.



  

34.    

Living among meat eaters : the vegetarian's survival handbook / Carol J. Adams.



  

35.    

Living in the raw gourmet / Rose Lee Calabro.

  

36.    

Low-carb vegetarian / Margo DeMello.



  

37.    

Low-carb vegetarian cooking : 150 entrees to make low-carb vegetarian cooking easy and fun / Sue Spitler with Linda R. Yoakam.

  

38.    

Mediterranean harvest : vegetarian recipes from the world's healthiest cuisine / Martha Rose Shulman.



  

39.    

Mediterranean vegetarian cooking / Paola Gavin.



  

40.    

New vegetarian cooking : 120 fast, fresh, and fabulous recipes / Rose Elliot.

  

41.    

One-dish vegetarian meals : 150 easy, wholesome, and delicious soups, stews, casseroles, stir-fries, pastas, rice dishes, chilis, and more / Robin Robertson.



  

42.    

Passionate vegetarian / by Crescent Dragonwagon ; illustrated by Robbin Gourley.

  

43.    

The PDQ (pretty darn quick) vegetarian cookbook : 240 healthy and easy no-prep recipes for busy cooks / Donna Klein.

  

44.    

Quick-fix vegetarian / Robin Robertson.

  

45.    

The Real Food Daily cookbook : really fresh, really good, really vegetarian / Ann Gentry with Anthony Head.

  

46.    

Regina's international vegetarian favorites / Regina Campbell.



  

47.    

Silk road cooking : a vegetarian journey / Najmieh Batmanglij.



  

48.    

Twelve months of monastery salads : 200 divine recipes for all seasons / Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette.

49.    

Vegetable soups from Deborah Madison's kitchen / Deborah Madison.



  

50.    

Vegetarian / recipes, Dana Jacobi ; general editor, Chuck Williams ; photography, Bill Bettencourt.



  

51.    

The vegetarian bible / Sarah Brown.



  

52.    

Vegetarian cooking for beginners / Fiona Watt ; illustrated by Kim Lane ; photography by Howard Allman ; recipes by Catherine Atkinson.



  

53.    

Vegetarian cooking for dummies / by Suzanne Havala.

  

54.    

Vegetarian cooking for everyone / Deborah Madison ; [photographs by Laurie Smith ; illustrations by Catherine Kirkwood].



  

55.    

The vegetarian family cookbook / written and illustrated by Nava Atlas.

  

56.    

The vegetarian meat and potatoes cookbook / Robin Robertson.

  

57.    

Vegetarian recipes from around the world / by Sue Townsend and Caroline Young.



  

58.    

Vegetarian sandwiches : fresh fillings for slices, pockets, wraps, and rolls / by Paulette Mitchell ; photographs by Ondine Vierra.



  

59.    

Vegetarian suppers from Deborah Madison's kitchen / Deborah Madison.

  

60.    

Vegetarianism and teens : a hot issue / Kathleen Winkler.

  

61.    

The wild vegetarian cookbook : a forager's culinary guide (in the field or in the supermarket) to preparing and savoring wild (and not so wild) natural foods, with more than 500 recipes / "Wildman" Steve Brill ; foreword by Arthur Schwartz.



  

62.    

A year in a vegetarian kitchen : easy seasonal suppers for family and friends / Jack Bishop ; photographs by Richard Jung



  

63.    

Yoga kitchen : recipes from the Shoshoni Yoga Retreat / Faith Stone and Rachael Guidry..  



  

64.    

You don't need meat / Peter Cox.



and some vegan books

125 best vegan recipes / Maxine Effenson Chuck & Beth Gurney.



  The complete vegan cookbook : over 200 tantalizing recipes, plus plenty of kitchen wisdom for beginners and experienced cooks / Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay



  The joy of vegan baking : the compassionate cooks' traditional treats and sinful sweets / Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.



  The Mediterranean vegan kitchen : meat-free, egg-free, dairy-free dishes from the healthiest place under the sun / Donna Klein



  The new vegan : fresh, fabulous, and fun / Janet Hudson



  The new vegan cookbook : innovative vegetarian recipes free of dairy, eggs, and cholesterol / by Lorna Sass ; photographs by Jonelle Weaver.



  Skinny ***** in the kitch : kick-*** recipes for hungry girls who want to stop cooking c**p (and start looking hot!) / by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin



  Vegan express / written and illustrated by Nava Atlas



  

The vegan gourmet : full flavor & variety with over 120 delicious recipes / Susann Geiskopf-Hadler, Mindy Toomay



  Vegan planet : 400 irresistible recipes with fantastic flavors from home and around the world / Robin Robertson



  The vegan sourcebook / by Joanne Stepaniak ; special nutrition section by Virginia Messina



  Vegan world fusion cuisine : healing recipes and timeless wisdom from our hearts to yours / [Mark Reinfeld, Bo Rinaldi and the chefs of the Blossoming Lotus, with a special foreword by Jane Goodall].



  Veganomicon : the ultimate vegan cookbook / Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero.

oh yeah like the person said before me try to apply for some foodstamps they help out and they will give you if you need it

Answer 12

well, since you're vegitarian you need protein. beans have protein, and canned beans are cheap. also, if you have any local vegetable stands near your house those are good and cheap, since they are local and they stand owners usually make the prices.

i found this article about eating cheap and being vegetarian. maybe that will help too. good luck

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/0...

Answer 13

Beans and rice are great!!  Potatoes are really cheap, especially if you buy a 5 or 10 lb. bag of them.  To have things last longer without wasting them, store in the fridge.  Fruit and vegetables all do pretty well in the fridge.

Other cheap foods:

tofu

pasta

lentils

frozen veggies (frozen are usually cheaper than fresh)

rice/quinoa/oats/millet/bulgur/couscou...

You may want to invest in a little bit of oil for frying/sauteeing or for on top of pasta.  Go with olive oil.  It's not the cheapest but it lasts a while if you use it sparingly.

Answer 14

A bag of dried beans is just pennies- add a little bouillion, some carrots, celery, onion and garlic and you have a pot full of soup that will feed you for days.  

Potatoes are cheap, as is pasta.

Answer 15

Yes beans and rice are good, and potatoes are cheap. You can often get a 10 pound bag of russet potatoes for about $2 where I live. That's a lot of food for the money.

Make sure you buy greens because you'll need them in your diet. Salad tends to be less inexpensive than a lot of other things. Buy a big bag of spinach when it goes on sale and eat it raw. If you cook it then it will wilt down to almost nothing, but as a salad it will last awhile. (And spinach is one of the veggies highest in protein so it is great for vegans.)

Please make sure you get enough vitamin c in your diet. Eating peppers is the best way to do that, but if you don't like them then buy lemons or oranges when they're on sale, and use the juice frequently in salad dressings and as a flavoring ingredient.

Are you avoiding dairy? Because a gallon of milk is a lot of protein and lasts a good long while for the money, but many vegetarians don't do dairy... Plain yogurt is not too expensive and you can use a little at a time in dressings, as garnish, to make recipes creamy, etc.

For flavoring things garlic and onions are great and neither are expensive. Plus they both keep quite awhile in the fridge.

Other than that, shop the produce sales. Look in the newspaper for what is on sale at various stores in their produce sections. Think about what is a good value for the price. For example if a grocer is selling cantalope for $1, that is going to be cheaper than buying them for $1 a pound. Sometimes buy 1 get 1 free is a good deal, but figure the cost of each one by dividing the price of the first one in half. Is it really less than if you bought it somewhere else?

I buy some of my veggies frozen. You may find better deals sometimes that way.

Good Luck!