How to eat vegan + save money

I am often asked ”Isn’t eating vegan more expensive?” Not sure who started this crazy rumor but it simply isn’t true. Eating vegan is a great way to save money and live on a budget. I am a new business owner on a tight budget and eating vegan has made it easy to stay healthy on the cheap. Living vegan is also a great “health insurance” because our diet helps prevent and cure illnesses which is a HUGE cost saver. After some trial and error I have some great ways to save money that I’d love to share.

Top 5 tips for eating vegan + saving money:

1. Get Real: When you start buying fake meats, cheese, exotic “super foods” etc. those foods add up fast! Keep your kitchen stocked with simple fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. Save your cravings for #3.

2. Local Love: I’ve found GREAT deals at my farmer’s markets on fresh local, organic fruits and veggies. My tip is to go shop at the farmer’s market late… usually the farmers don’t want to ship everything back to the farm and will give you great prices. See if your community has a CSA program. In Las Vegas a new CSA just launched. Also, check out your local community garden. How cool would it be to grow your own veggies and connect with your neighbors? I volunteer and have a garden bed for my business at Tonopah Community Garden and it’s an awesome experience to grow yourself. Here is a great chart from Happy Herbivore to cook by ingredients you found at the market or grew in the garden.

3. Dine Out: Yes, dine out. If you are craving something like vegan pizza it is usually cheaper to go and buy a slice then to buy all the ingredients to make it. {This tip is more towards singles or couples} Splurge on vegan food outside the home to cut cost of buying lots of ingredients you won’t use often.

4. Go Big: That’s right, buy in big bulks. I love loading up on my rice, couscous, beans and legumes in bulk. I take turns of what I am buying in bulk so it’s not a million pounds to carry in the grocery store and spreads the cost over all my grocery bills.

5. Old Faithful: Have your favorite stable seasonings on hand. My favorites are sea salt, garlic, misco, extra virgin olive oil, gomasio, nama shoyu, crushed red pepper and black pepper.

Hope these tips help your wallet and you stay healthy!

Check out what I found today at the Fresh 52 Farmer’s Market for $20.25 ~ kitty not included ; )