Is being an Organic Vegetarian cheaper than including meat in your diet?
Posted by MunchUponVeggies on Aug 25, 2006 · Member since Aug 2006 · 4 posts
Well, I'm relatively new to the Vegetarian way of life, and I like to cook the majority of the foods I eat from scratch, and of course all organic and vegetarian. And I've been hearing many people say it's much cheaper to make things from scratch, and that does make sense. And meat is costly, but would it be more costly to make substitute meats and such organically from scratch, or just plain out buying the meats?
To put it basically, is it cheaper to live as an organic vegetarian, or a non organic meat eater? Anyone have any rough estimates on how much they spend on food during per week?
*Ever curious and on a tight budget*
**Reighchul**
Hi Reighcul!
Nice to meet you and glad you went vegetarian!
I think it is probably safe to say vegetarianism is cheaper than meat eating. I haven't bought meat in a long time, but I live on my own right now and probably spend...maybe 40 dollars/week on groceries? Then again, I've built up a pretty big pantry of stuff at home, so most of that is on fresh fruits and veggies, soymilk, cereals/grains, and whatever 2 or 3 items I may be out of. But whenever I go home, I am always amazed to see how much meat and cheese costs when I go shopping with my parents!
Over the years, (many of them spent on a tight budget also) I have discovered some tricks that may help you cut your grocery bill.
1. I think it is definitely safe to say that it is cheaper to cook from scratch. And especially if you live by yourself, one batch of something can go a long way with leftovers, so its really not all that time consuming. I would advise maybe choosing 1-2 recipes per week that you want to try, either from this site, which has a TON of delicious and cheap recipes, or a good veg cookbook. Then choose a day when you have relatively little going on and whip them up! You'll have lots of leftovers which will be good for lunches and dinners all week! Try things that involve rice, as it is cheap, readily available, easy to prepare, stores well, and fills you up! Soup is also great for this. And you can put anything in soup!
2. Make a list before you go shopping! Once you have figured out what you want to cook for the week, either use the recipe list tool on this site or go through your recipes and hand write all the things you need to cook them. This will help you speed through the store, thus eliminating impulse purchases and also ensure you get what you need.
3. Stock up when there is a sale on something, like canned beans. And read the labels. I have found that crazily enough, the store brand often contains the purest ingredients and are hands down the cheapest.
4. If you have a coop or a natural foods store close to you, you can often buy your spices in bulk, which will save you a LOT of money. They put them in little bags and sell them by weight, so its way cheaper. Often you can buy organic flour, sugar, and cereal this way too. If not, check the mexican section of your local grocery store. Sometimes you can get spices there like cumin, oregano, sesame seeds, etc. in little bags and thus, cheaper.
5. Be flexible. If your recipe says bell peppers and all the peppers in your store look sad and wilted, substitute something that looks better, like broccoli. Usually, with the exception of bananas, carrots, apples, and potatoes, which I always buy and are reliably good, I just pick whatever fruit/veggie is cheapest and looks the best.
6. Keep a list of which recipes you really like. I print all the ones I try off and keep them in a binder, then write notes on them like, "Try with tomatoes next time." or "Good for a cold day." or "Half the recipe -- this makes a lot!" Then when you are having one of those days when nothing sounds good, you can whip out your list and get inspired.
7. Remember that when you buy something like flour or egg replacer or olive oil that it may be expensive, but it will last you for a loooooong time. That will make you happier!
This is just me, and my tastes and habits have evolved over years of experiementation, making mistakes, and learning what works best for me. As time goes on, you also will learn what works best for you. Just smile and remember...you are making the world a better place! And then eat a banana, because they are cheap and taste great!
Hi there:
That's a tricky question. I'd like to preface it by saying that in general eating healthy usually costs a little more than eating poorly-- with all the additive, preservative and refined-food rich products out there, the sheer numbers at which they are produced decreases their price on supermarket shelves. It is somewhat difficult for me to offer much of a cost comparison between a diet with meat vs. one without, because I became vegetarian before I left home, so I have never really purchased meat myself. However, technicalities aside, food costs are highly dependent upon the kind of lifestyle you live, how extreme your take on being health-conscious is--and also, which of the veg diets you are committed to. I found that when I transitioned from a vegetarian to vegan diet my monthly costs stayed about the same---perhaps only slightly increased because I was stocking up on dried goods I'd never used before. I do spend a lot of money on food, but I've learned not to feel guilty about it, and to sacrifice a few unnecessary items for a healthier diet. I know for certain that if I were to eliminate the 'exotic' ingredients that I cook with my costs could be greatly decreased-- things like different flours and grains (quinoa, millet, spelt, kamut, chickpea, etc.), especially if they're organic, are very, very costly (living in Newfoundland, Canada, all of these things are imported and sold at specialty shops--some in the natural food sections of large supermarket chains, and are offered at high prices). Different oils and syrups are expensive too--like agave nectar, pure maple syrup or flaxseed oil. If you use these items wisely, however, they will last long and also go a long way.
So, is it cheaper to go veg? I could safely say, that given my eating habits, my bare minimal use of prepared foods and price-hawk shopping, at the very least one diet does not cost more than the other. And really, if eating healthier is going to cost you a couple extra dollars per month, don't sweat it---your body and the environment deserve it! Coming from a student who is 20 thousand dollars in debt, just took out a mortgage, receives no monetary support from her parents but still eats one of the healthiest diets around---a veg diet is most certainly affordable on a budget.
I hope you'll stay in the veg world with us, even if it costs you a few extra dollars at first. Once your pantry is stocked you'll find no difference in monthly cost, perhaps you'll even lower it.
Honestly I didn't notice a difference. When I recently started eating meat after 12 years of vegetarianism I still ate a lot of veggie foods, etc. and my shopping bill didn't seem to change much. In February I went back to being a vegetarian and I didn't notice. I can definately say that where I live organic is way too expensive. I eat a lot of organics for sure, but somethings are out of my league like the current $3.99/lb price of organic apples.
I spend way too much on groceries.
Good luck!
This is my own personal experience.
I was vegetarian until I met my husband, a true carnivore. My grocery bill SKYROCKETED but I sort of just associated it to the fact that I was adding stomach to fill. As time went by, I started eating his foods because it was getting too hard to cook 2 meals and was tired of his..."Where's the meat?" every time I would slip a vegetarian meal in on him. OF COURSE, the good health was going away and the weight gain started creeping on me, so I demanded that he allow me to return vegetarian and stop complaining when I make him eat it too.
OUR BILL HAS GONE DOWN ALMOST $50 a month. We buy most of our veggies at farmer's markets, and have been fortunate to get prices just as good as the super markets. I do take an effort to grow my own sprouts, and a few potted veggies... tomatoes, etc. So in our case... YES! It was worth it!
I have heard folks for years claim that it is "too expensive to eat healthy." It is expensive to buy pre-packaged foods as the primary source of your diet and it is expensive to eat out often, but it is absolutely fiscally smart to reduce or eliminate animal products, preservatives and chemicals from your diet.
1) Once you factor in the cost of the heart attack, perscription cholesterol reducers, lost time at work and decreased quality of life, I think you'll find you've made the more economically sound decision.
2) Buy all of your produce from local farmer's markets or tailgate markets. You'll be shocked and amazed at how far $13 will go (three bags of food at this morning's trip).
3) Buy LOCAL anything you can get your hands on; less energy to ship = less cost to you
4) And don't forget the net cost to the land that large scale meat producers inflict; you may not pay directly for this at the checkout line, but we all pay for this.
Well my family and I just went from being a meat eating family to vegetarians!!!! My grocery bills have been much less since the switch. I have always bought organic veggis though. ( I was a veggi for 4 years before my kids)
We have cut out the eggs, milks and are working in the cheese right now. So in my opinion yes it really is cheaper!!!!
Tara ;D
hey reigh,
Buying locally AND in season, especially direct from farmers at farmers markets, definitely helps when it comes to most produce, cost-wise.
here's a couple resources for ya:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm
http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/buyguide.pdf
There are other things to consider, too, such as energy expended in preparation, packaging for home storage, that sort of thing. Veggies you can often eat raw or close to it, and you can store them in open air or simply the crisper of your fridge, whereas meat inherent costs energy to prepare, pack and store. A minute detail, but worth considering.
While it's generally better to eat organic, I think even a conventional vegetarian is healthier and more efficient than the fanciest of meateaters, for themselves and everyone else. Often buying locally and conventionally saves more overall energy than buying organics from far away, which raises more issues about why we're making these choices in the first place -- our personal health, or the broader ethical implications. "USDA Organic" is a bit of a sham for the most part anyway -- they don't check back very often, and so a lot of the time big brands will take shortcuts when no one's looking (Earthbound Farms, anyone?) -- so if it's really a concern, I'd check labels for certification by more than one organization (a state body, Oregon Tilth, CCOF, even QAI, that kind of thing). Here's another resource:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/index.htm
I'm with Nutdragon on this one.
Greens ahoy!
more money for us!
my grocery bill has actually increased since becoming vegan. i have a teenager at home who is not vegan but who does consume a lot of the vegan foods i cook. i shop at one store for her and then i must go to trader joes or whole foods for my staples. because these specialty stores are usually more pricey, my grocery bill has probably increased by about 20%. it is worth it in the long run because i am saving so many useless deaths, helping the environment, and improving my health.