Going Vegan Without Breaking the Bank

Christa Shelton by Christa Shelton on Fri, Jan 20th, 2012

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A: This is a very common concern among many people considering the veg lifestyle.  However, with proper planning, you will not be begging for change at any time during your new dietary journey!  While some vegan products can certainly be more pricey, all food items are not created equally and the same holds true for a non-veg lifestyle.

I think oftentimes, people considering making the switch go to the store, look at a few vegan products, most often meat substitues and deduce that vegan food is expensive and therefore cannot be justified based on their budget.  The first thing I will say is that you should consider all the things you will be eating that are not packaged substitutes, such as fruits and veggies.

I feel that once you start to do research and look at the myriad of vegan recipes out there, you will find that many of them require little ingredients and quite frequently are not the most expensive ones.

Also, places like Trader Joe’s have very reasonably priced items and another penny saver is your local farmer’s market if you have one to pick up your produce on a weekly basis.

Another great way to save is buying foods in bulk - just be sure to measure! Finally, I would encourage you to examine where your money is currently going.  There may be other areas where you could consider cutting back in order to accommodate the veg diet and again if you are doing proper planning you do not need to be of Bill Gates financial status to be vegan.

You must look at your values and decide what’s most important to you.  In my opinion, having good health is a top priority and it’s always worth the finanical investment.

About Christa Shelton

Christa has been practicing the veg lifestyle for almost eleven years. She blogs daily at Veggin' Out with Christa. She is passionate about veganism and educates people about its benefits through health coaching and speaking engagements in order to help those considering or transitioning to this lifestyle. She is also a VegNews Street Team member and a top health blogger and speakers bureau member for wellsphere.com.

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