How to Be Vegan on a Budget

Think veganism is expensive? Think again!

2020 has been declared the year of vegan. More and more people are choosing to incorporate veganism not only into their diet, but also into their wider lifestyle. If you’re thinking about cutting animal products out of your life, you might enjoy this guide to help you save some pennies.

Spoiler! Being a vegan is no more expensive than being a omnivore. And most often, it’s even cheaper!

Is Being Vegan Expensive?

People often worry that going vegan will be a fiasco for the budget. Luckily, vegan foods are some of the cheapest you can buy! Pasta, vegetables, olive oil, cereals, and legumes are all very affordable and likely foods you would eat before you chose to go vegan.

Some vegan foods such as fake meats and ready meals can be on the pricier side, but these are by no-means essential in a healthy and varied vegan diet. Here are our top-tips on how to plan your budget friendly vegan diet.

Tips and Tricks to Save Your Budget

In fact, being a vegan is not difficult and most importantly, inexpensive. Here’s how to save money and stay healthy on a vegan diet.

1. Come up with vegan alternatives to the dishes you already eat

As we said, you don’t have to give up everything you’re used to and start chewing grass when you go vegan. Look at the dishes that you usually cook (or buy ready-made) and transform them into vegan alternatives. Here are our top swaps:

• Use vegan mince or lentils to make Spaghetti Bolognese.
• Swap chicken or beef stock cubes for vegan stock cubes.
• If you like chocolate and cookies, then you can replace it with products from Supermarkets FreeFrom sections

Vegan alternatives are not  just cheaper, they also often have less saturated fat making them healthier too. “I have lost three extra pounds in the first month of my vegan lifestyle. And my weight continues to slightly lower each month!”, shared her experience Kaylie Brown, a freelance writer from Best Writers Online.

2. Buy Seasonal Vegetables and Fruits

Fruits and vegetables are one of the main components of a vegan diet. Luckily, they are often very affordable compared to meat so you should see instant savings in your bank account. Try and buy seasonal vegetables and freeze them to get the best quality at a low price. Carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, bell peppers, asparagus, peas, and zucchini are perfectly frozen and do not retain their nutrients for a long time.

3. Plan Your Weekly Menu and Create Your Grocery List

While you are getting used to your new lifestyle, it can be difficult to remember which ingredients you need to buy. It can be useful to create a weekly meal plan and build a shopping list from this. Cooking at home will also save you from temptation of buying food out, helping to save you even more money.

4. Look for Discounts in Supermarkets

Hunting for discounts on vegan foods is another way to make your shopping basket cheaper. Keep track of discounts on vegan products and take advantage of offers when you see them. The gurus of an vegan budgeting will track discounts in several supermarkets, find the best deals and make meals with only these products. This will substantially reduce your budget and inspire you to get creative in the kitchen with what you buy!

So, How Much Money Do You Really Need?

In the UK, you can easily feed one person for a month for £100-200 if you shop at budget supermarkets and look out for deals. Cooking meals at home will help keep your costs down, as will planning your weekly meals ahead of time. Fake meats and gourmet products will make your weekly shop more expensive, but they are likely to be the same price or even cheaper than your non-vegan shopping basket.

In Conclusion, money should not be a stumbling block between you and going vegan. Vegan food is often cheaper than meat and dairy, and knowing you are making the ethical decision will make it all worth it! Find out more about going vegan here!

About the Author

Gregory V. Chapman is the editor-in-chief of our website. He takes responsibility for all of our content – information about our company, blog posts, and our social media platforms.