Cost of Food

[nonamian_girl]

I was wondering, how does being a vegetarian or vegan compare to being a meat-eater financially (providing you buy the cheapest meat available, in bulk and with skin and bone intact)?

My boyfriend is lactose intolerant so we buy soy products for him instead of dairy and we've noticed that they are a lot more expensive. Are all meat and dairy replacements expensive or does it somehow balance out to be more affordable?

[Sabriel]

I wish I could help but since I can get meat for free it's totally unbalanced. No matter what I buy, if my husband didn't bring it home it costs more.

But I do eat more veggies now and share with the pigs. A lot of things used to go to waste since they wouldn't be able to finish it before it goes bad so on that end I think my grocery bill went down (as did the numbers on my scale. )

I find veg meats are for the most part, on par with normal meat. One thing you have to take into consideration is that meat shrinks a lot when cooked. Soy doesn't shrink as much. So it looks like you are getting less but really it's the same.

I find soy cheese more expensive though. Soy milk is pretty much the same. Other soy dairy products are highway robbery. Haven't found and egg replacer yet.

I don't buy as much junk food anymore. I snack on fruit and nuts and such instead and portion things out more. I am sure that's helped my grocery bill too.

I also shop at No Frills. Not the prettiest place in the world but they have awesome prices. If I did all my shopping at Whole Foods or a health food store my grocery bill would go through the roof.

[homeschoolmama]

Soy products are more expensive. I still haven't figured out why. And things like fake-meat are also terribly pricey. But adding more fruits & veggies to your diet can save a bit of cash... provided you do things like stick to seasonally available fruits, frequent your town's Farmer's Market, or grow your own.

I guess the short answer is that WHOLE and RAW foods can help save you money. A vegetarian diet specifically would depend on the choices you make. Cooking from scratch is ALMOST always going to be the cheaper option, regardless of what you're eating.
love,
mom

[SusanMcManes]

I find that buying the "un-meat" stuff is more expensive than making it yourself. Try checking out a vegan cookbook from the library or looking up recipes online. Seitan is a cheap, healthy meat alternative that tastes pretty darn good.

[nonamian_girl]

I definitely ONLY shop at No Frills, because I am a student.

If I was to go vegetarian, I'd love to know how to make some kind of meat replacement from scratch. I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon, but I'm toying with the idea and I'm cutting back on meat when cooking only for myself simply because it's so much easier without it.

[Shaffy]

Well at least i have notcied the the fake meat in Qualtiy Foods (Store here) is acually cheeper. It's $6.50 and the meat is about $9.00 roughly my mom hasn't notcied that yet .But if i were you since i have to save money i would make it form scratch and buy the least expensive. Also do what everyone else is saying and shop at No Frills.

~Shaffy