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On a budget-Suggestions PLEASE!!!
Started
by 4everdwts
on January 14, 2010
HI everyone!!I would like ANY AND ALL suggestions on ways to really stretch the dollar in the vegan world. Since I have just started, and last week made my FIRST trip to whole foods, I need some creative and easy ideas to stretch my vegan food dollar!!BTW-Already am going to start my own vegetable garden and I do ALL my beans from raw,to soaking, to cooking so I know that helps but anything else would be GREATLY APPRECIATED(Including websites)PS I live in Texas so I have Whole Foods/Kroger/HEB and of course Wal Mart. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!!!!
I hear you, it's expensive going to Whole Foods! What I have found a lil helpful for me is really planning out my lunches for the week. Get what you can at the regular grocery stores, your basics, and only buy your special stuff at say WF or Trader Joe's. I have also emailed "Gardein" to get coupons for their products...they have amazing food!
My breakfast and dinner are very routine:
cereal with fruit
oatmeal with flax/wheatgerm/nuts and a granny smith apple with chunky pb
So, basically I only need to worry about my lunch which I usually spend a couple hours on Sunday planning out (and of course, a dessert too!).
I'm looking forward to something creative for next week but am planning to make Alicia's Peanut Butter Cups for a friend's house this weekend.
Good luck to you!
Chrissy
GREAT suggestions!!!!Thanks Chrissy!!I know its about being knowledgeable and organized also. Best resource for info, other vegans!!!
Check the produce section, frozen food isle, and organic sections of your regular grocery store. Any vegan options you can find there will save money, as opposed to paying the prices of a specialty store. I'm surprised how many things most stores carry now. Also, don't forget about online stores! www.veganessentials.com is fabulous and if you find a particular brand you're fond of don't forget to check out their websites. You'll find quite a few that will ship their products directly to you so there's no store markup. Hope this helps out a little!
Miso soup for breakfast. A tub of miso lasts me a long time.
Lots of beans!!!!
Hi! I'm glad i clicked in here - great suggestions ladies (emailing Gardein * veganessentials.com) 
I just bought a tub of miso, if you only use a little bit at a time, it's very affordable! it's A LOT!
thanks!
Hi! Im currently a college student and believe me, I know how to stretch a dollar! Alicia's book is great and it has a ton of things/ingredients that I have never heard of before! So what i do is I ad 1-3 "new" ingredients to my shopping list each week. That way I am getting variety and also still trying new things. It is hard to read her amazing book and not go out and revamp your entire refrigerator!! I also tweek a lof of her recipes that can fit my budget and what I already have. Her recipes are great, but in a money crunch, you do not have to follow her recipes exactly. Like her magical Miso soup, Im trying to make a "version" of it because I simply do not have all of her ingredients, and I already spent my "food" money this week. Work with what you have!!!
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