Hello my fellow vegans, 
I'm new here and I would like your input on how affordable is it to be completely vegan?
I'm new here and I would like your input on how affordable is it to be completely vegan?Affordability ?
- Thread starter JM1
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Anytime a switch is made from the usual and customary it takes a lot of learning before you embrace it.
The truth is, and I can say this because I'm also from the US, being vegan can be less expensive than eating the usual omni diet, and omni products
Really though, it's all what you want it to be, and what you are comparing it to
I'm in Cleveland, OH, and I've found the places to shop for bargains, both locally and some online.
Dried beans,legumes, pastas, frozen veggies, whole grains, are all staples for me, and quite inexpensive. I buy organic based on availablity and sales. The trade off in price is buying vegan cheeses and the faux meat products (I like Beyond) instead of meat and dairy, as well as cashews which I do try and keep organic for their questionable production. That's not much that's more
I'm a huge fan of the Instant Pot, and soups, salads, tofu and seitans
The truth is, and I can say this because I'm also from the US, being vegan can be less expensive than eating the usual omni diet, and omni products
Really though, it's all what you want it to be, and what you are comparing it to
I'm in Cleveland, OH, and I've found the places to shop for bargains, both locally and some online.
Dried beans,legumes, pastas, frozen veggies, whole grains, are all staples for me, and quite inexpensive. I buy organic based on availablity and sales. The trade off in price is buying vegan cheeses and the faux meat products (I like Beyond) instead of meat and dairy, as well as cashews which I do try and keep organic for their questionable production. That's not much that's more
I'm a huge fan of the Instant Pot, and soups, salads, tofu and seitans
Lou
Forum Legend
Very affordable.Hello my fellow vegans,
But first, let me say it does depend on what kind of vegan you choose to be. If you choose to buy lots of plant based meats, milks , fast food, restaurant food, and prepared and/or frozen foods - it will be less affordable because most of those things are not cheap and for the most part they are more expensive that their animal based counter parts.
I used to have a link that had a chart of the price of a gram of protein in things like eggs, milk, meat, beans, etc. and now I can't find it. but... as I remember it eggs, cow's milk, and chicken are some of the cheapest sources of animal based proteins. but they aren't nearly as cheap as things like rice and beans.
One example that seems to trip people up is comparing what seems like fair comparisons, but aren't
Vegan milks for ex, aren't the best sources of calcium compared to dairy milk, and with the exception of soy milk, not the best comparison for protein. Kale, beans, tofu and seeds are good calcium choices, and pretty much all plant foods are for protein
I strongly suggest looking at the daily dozen foods list Dr Greger came up with--whether you intend to follow it or not!
This is a list of food catagories and how many serving sizes to eat in a day that will give you a full days nutrition. This list on it's own is about 1200 to 1400 calories:
Flashback Friday: Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Checklist | NutritionFacts.org
Vegan milks for ex, aren't the best sources of calcium compared to dairy milk, and with the exception of soy milk, not the best comparison for protein. Kale, beans, tofu and seeds are good calcium choices, and pretty much all plant foods are for protein
I strongly suggest looking at the daily dozen foods list Dr Greger came up with--whether you intend to follow it or not!
This is a list of food catagories and how many serving sizes to eat in a day that will give you a full days nutrition. This list on it's own is about 1200 to 1400 calories:
Flashback Friday: Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Checklist | NutritionFacts.org
Jamie in Chile
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Obviously there is huge variation in the cost depending on where you are, what foods you eat etc,
I would say if you are completely vegan you pay about 5% more for food
However if you eat almost no processed foods, just basics like fruit and veg and stuff mentioned above by Silva and do a lot of your own cooking, it will be about the same
If you eat large amounts of processed foods, restaurants, fast food, it could be >5% more
For a wealthy person, it´s not that much difference however
Toiletries and brand new clothes are arguably more expensive as well for vegans
I would say if you are completely vegan you pay about 5% more for food
However if you eat almost no processed foods, just basics like fruit and veg and stuff mentioned above by Silva and do a lot of your own cooking, it will be about the same
If you eat large amounts of processed foods, restaurants, fast food, it could be >5% more
For a wealthy person, it´s not that much difference however
Toiletries and brand new clothes are arguably more expensive as well for vegans
Last I checked meat prices they were pretty on par with things like Beyond, Gardien, Morningstar & Boca.
Dairy cheese though is a lot cheaper, and getting sooooo much better!
As for non food items, vegan goods are certainly more, however, it really is both environmentally and financially better to make your own from ordinary ingredients.
If you can't afford to change your clothes or shoes I hardly find that a neccesity. I buy mine second hand for the most part
OP
OP
Jamie in Chile
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Hi Silva, I haven´t bought any clothes or shoes for some years, not even second hand (I do have some new socks/underwear last year). Have got some pretty worn stuff though.
Curious what I wrote that gave that vibe?
I was vegetarian in my teens until i married and had kids, and let obsessing over concerns sway me to eating some meat again. That lasted till they were older. I always knew I should give up all animal products and finally did around 2010-2012.
Now I do need to point this out--My purpose in veganism is to enact change, not personal purity.
I care far more about someone calling themselves vegan if they buy something that contains a packet of meat or cheese and thrown it away than I am someone who eats something that contains animal products that would otherwise be in the garbage.
With the prevalence of animal products in most everything we use, I make a clear distinction over the personal capabilities of the individual based on finances, those they care for, and what is available to them.
The whole "as far as possible and practical."
welcome to the forum
yes, it is very affordable to be completely vegan and we try to eat as many whole foods as we can and when we eat vegan alternatives like Fieldroast Sausage we only have a half a package at a time, whereas if we bought sausages, back in the day, we would eat the whole package at once so $4 for two people for the "meat" portion of the meal is very inexpensive - we love starches and pastas and potatoes are inexpensive and we buy lots of frozen veggies and berries so that also makes eating those foods cheap as they don't go bad and then supplement with garlic, onions, mushrooms, greens etc that are fresh
lots of good suggestions made by others and I wish you all the best in your vegan lifestyle
Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com
yes, it is very affordable to be completely vegan and we try to eat as many whole foods as we can and when we eat vegan alternatives like Fieldroast Sausage we only have a half a package at a time, whereas if we bought sausages, back in the day, we would eat the whole package at once so $4 for two people for the "meat" portion of the meal is very inexpensive - we love starches and pastas and potatoes are inexpensive and we buy lots of frozen veggies and berries so that also makes eating those foods cheap as they don't go bad and then supplement with garlic, onions, mushrooms, greens etc that are fresh
lots of good suggestions made by others and I wish you all the best in your vegan lifestyle
Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com
Lou
Forum Legend
Looking back it doesn't seem hard. but I remember at the time there were some difficulities. And looking back I think a lot of the difficulties I perceived were more like mental roadblocks than real ones.Thanks a lot, I'm Spanish so eating rice and beans is our norm
Was it heard for you to make food choices when you became vegan?
For instance, I remember having a lot of trouble with lunches. Now I can't remember exactly why. I do remember I didn't like to bring a salad to work but now I can't remember why of if I had any good reasons. I know that sometimes I worked thru lunch at my desk and that one handed things were better for that.
For "beginning vegans" I like to recommend using a recommended meal plan. It takes a lot of the imagination, research, and guess work out of being nutritionally complete. Pick up a book on vegan nutrition (there are plenty at the library). They almost all have at least a 7 day meal plan to follow. Or you can get one online.
Just google vegan meal plan and you will see quite a few free ones. Some of the results will be subscription meal plans - where they deliver the ingredients - just skip those.
There are even some YouTube Vegans who not only have videos of meal plans but show you how to make the stuff. Some of them are very budget friendly.
If you can't find any you like come back here and ask us for suggestions.
Lou
Forum Legend
Oh! Another thing that helped me transition is what I call a paradigm shift. We grew up with thinking of a meal being on a plate with a third (or whatever) being meat, a third being a starch, and a third being a green veggie.
but vegan meals don't lend themselves to that. Instead think of meals being on the plate as layers. We already do that for a lot of meals. Sauce over pasta. beans over rice. stew over mashed potatoes.
but vegan meals don't lend themselves to that. Instead think of meals being on the plate as layers. We already do that for a lot of meals. Sauce over pasta. beans over rice. stew over mashed potatoes.
OP
OP
I love this quote!!!-"My purpose in veganism is to enact change, not personal purity."
I was just asking out of curiosity... What initially motivated you to become vegan?
I'm fortyish and don't recall knowing any one vegan in my youth, so I'm curious about what inspired you or motivated you to become vegan at a young age and did you completely abstain from animal products?
I always questioned why people did what they did, esp when it seemed so backwards
I read the book Soylent Green when I was around 12, suggested by a penpal. She took it as horror, I took it as why the F" don't we do that?
It just seemed so stupid to intentionally breed animals just to kill them and eat them when they die anyway!
I'm not a very sensitive person, far more pragmatic. I grew up visiting relatives dairy farms, and never felt a need to interact with them, but also never wanted them to be herded off to the milking barn, at least not after they got the 'modern' machinery they hooked them up to. I never thought much when they did it by hand, and the calves always seemed to grow up with their moms
Dairy was by far the hardest food for me to give up though. I now like vegan cheeses as much as I liked dairy though.
It takes time to change.
It takes time for your brain to switch from what it expects. I think it was a good 6 months or more before I didn't feel I had to "think" about everything I bought, or ate
I also was a bit OCD, and initially I'd research all the "is it vegan?" lists of weird ingredients, email companies to see if their 'palamate' or something was sourced from animals or plants. I had to stop that, it made me crazy, without any benefit to keeping animals safe
I keep far away from foods that are like fried in oil that animals are cooked in, but that is a gross taste thing, not a vegan goal
My best analogue when you switch your diet is think of it as like learning a new language, when everyone around you speaks what you've grown up speaking. You decide to learn a new language, so you do all kinds of research, find others to speak with--it feels really ackward for a long time. You can either give up because it's taking so long, and seems hard, or pursue it, and one day will come, when it starts to click, and it's no longer so foreign. You hear it, say it,are understood
beancounter
The Fire That Burns Within
From the standpoint of food, it can be inexpensive,..or very expense depending on your taste.Hello my fellow vegans,
Vegan products such as cloths and shoes will definitely be more expensive than non vegan options.
Lou
Forum Legend
What? Wait! You don't mean
"why don't we eat people?
You weren't thinking of letting them die of old age, and then eat them?
Dairy was the first thing I stopped eating, It seemed like the life of dairy cattle was even crueler than beef cattle. But I realize now that conclusion was as much based on perception and ignorance as reality. Also I was never a huge cheese fan.
2024 U.S. Animal Kill Clock
animalclock.org
Everything that lives dies, is it not more insane to force breeding just to kill?
No, I'm not suggesting we eat people, although someone eating dead people does sound more reasonable than cemeteries
Tibetan Sky Burials | Anthropological Perspectives on Death
scholarblogs.emory.edu
People like to talk about how eating meat helped us evolve, but that started with eating the remains of animals carnivores ate their fill of,so, let's leave it at that and be happy about how plants can keep us living far healthier in our current century!
Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That was another good film to discuss the ethics of meat eating
Texas Chainsaw Vegan Horror: I like meat, please change the subject! - Luddite Robot
Tobe Hooper's celebrated and reviled The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the original vegan horror film. Here are some reasons why it holds up.
ludditerobot.com
