When you decide to become a vegan, you are making a big decision that will affect many areas of your life, not just what you eat. Some people avoid going vegan because they enjoy dairy or a steak while others avoid it because they think that it is too expensive to maintain. The truth is that it can sometimes be more expensive to buy vegan alternatives but it is affordable if you know what you are doing.
In this guide, we are going to offer some tips to help you live a vegan lifestyle on a budget. Read on to get started on your new way of life.
Get Educated
The first thing that you should do if you want to live a vegan lifestyle is to spend some time educating yourself. Becoming a vegan isn’t easy and there are many more parts to it than you might think. You’ll need to know what kind of materials your clothes are made from, what kind of furniture you can have in your home and much more. Then, when you consider the kinds of restrictions that vegans have on food, there is a lot to consider.
The good news is that there are so many resources out there for vegans to use. You can read, watch and listen to experts discuss their journey and offer some tips. The more you know about being vegan, the easier you’ll find it to adapt to the lifestyle — even if you are on a budget.
Try Online Discount Stores
One of the biggest expenses that you’ll come across when you are living your vegan lifestyle is the cost of your weekly food shop. Most of the popular supermarkets will have some vegan alternatives but they won’t always have a lot of options. On top of that, they might be slightly overpriced as the supermarkets know that vegans don’t have too many options to choose from.
To combat this, you should consider shopping at the cheapest online supermarket instead — Low Price Foods. This site is one of many that provides you with the cheapest online food shopping that you need as a vegan on a budget. If you get cheap food online through this platform, you will save a lot and still be able to get all of the vegan food that you need.
Eat Seasonally
If you want to live a vegan lifestyle on a budget, you are going to need to spend a lot of money on fruit and vegetables each month. The vegan diet can be limited at times and so these are the food groups that you are going to be able to rely on. However, you will find that some fruit and vegetables can be more expensive depending on the season.
To continue to eat these foods without overspending, you should try to eat food that is in season. For example, strawberries are more common in the summer so you will expect to pay much more for them in the winter. This is something that you will learn more about over time but if you take a look online, you can find out more about seasonal foods and how they work.
Try Frozen Food
You might want to eat fresh food but this isn’t always going to be possible if you are living a vegan lifestyle on a budget. On top of that, once you try frozen vegetables, you’ll realise that they can be just as nice and just as nutritious. Many of the popular supermarkets will offer everything from frozen peas to butternut squash and broccoli. These vegetables will be frozen right after they are harvested so will still be nutritious.
If you start buying frozen food, you will also be able to make it last longer. With less waste and a lower costs, this tip makes being a vegan much easier. Make sure to check out the frozen section next time you visit a store. You might even be able to pick up some frozen vegan goodies that taste just like meat!
Plan Your Meals
Another great way to live a vegan lifestyle on a budget is to plan your meals carefully. If you know exactly what you are planning on cooking and snacking on in advance, you can save a lot of money on food that you would be potentially wasting. Meal planning is something that many people do, not just vegans, and it can be very effective if you haven’t tried it before.
To plan your meals, think of everything from your breakfast to your dinner and any snacks in between. Then, you can write a list that includes exact measurements of how much of each ingredient you need. This way, you can stick to your budget and still get all of the vegan ingredients that you require.
Buy Second-Hand
When you are enjoying your new lifestyle as a vegan, you also need to think about the clothing that you buy. The last thing you will want is to buy something that is made from leather or that has harmed animals when it was being made. Not all clothing is vegan but this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to find plenty of great items that suit your new lifestyle. To stick to your budget, you should consider visiting your local charity store or shopping on a second-hand website such as Depop.
When you buy second-hand, you can save a lot of money and still get the items that you need. Just make sure to check with the seller where the item came from and ensure the manufacturer aligns with your beliefs. This way, you can save money and have more to spend on food.
Buy Vegan Staples In Bulk
Finally, if you want to live a vegan lifestyle on a budget, we highly recommend that you buy some of the vegan staples in bulk. There are plenty of great items that you will typically use in most of your meals such as brown rice, lentils and oats. These can usually be purchased in large bags that you can transfer to jars and use as you please. The more you buy in bulk, the more money you’ll save over time.
Often, the best places to get these items is at an online discount store or at a zero-waste store if you are trying to reduce your carbon footprint as well. We recommend getting some nuts, seeds, dried beans and quinoa as these will probably make up a lot of your diet. Then, you can add your fresh or frozen vegetables and make a tasty meal.
It Is Possible
You shouldn’t let the fear of having to pay more for vegan food or products put you off living a lifestyle that you want to live. There are many ways to cut costs and still maintain a vegan lifestyle just with some compromises along the way. You might not always be able to buy fresh vegetables or shop at your local store but it is still possible to get what you need when you need it.
Make sure to take on board these tips that we have given you and use them to change your lifestyle today!
