Cost of being vegan!

[ohbigdaddio]

I'm trying Veganuary (already eat quite a few vegan meals as DH is vegan, though I'm veggie). I'm enjoying it so far, quite good to make different things that I wouldn't usually try but it does strike me that to have an interesting and varied diet as a vegan it does cost a lot of money. Bought some vegan cream cheese which is really good but £3.30!

l totally appreciate that there are some cheap foods e.g. lentils but in order to not get bored or feel you are missing out it is nice to have some vegan alternatives to popular foods e.g. cheese, milk, chocolates/treats. How do people cope with this without going bankrupt?! ☺Have your food shops become noticeably more expensive?

It depends how often you eat those things, I don't find it that much more expensive but I don't really have much vegan cheese! Violife cream cheese is about £2.50 which isn't loads cheaper than the one you mention but it might make a difference if you're buying lots of it.

Lidl have soya milk for about 60p a litre, definitely the most affordable one I've found. For chocolate I buy any dark chocolate not containing milk (eg Bournville), and there are lots of treats that are vegan without having to buy specialist vegan stuff, such as bourbons, Oreos, flavoured nuts, some supermarket doughnuts etc. AccidentallyVegan have an instagram which is good for spotting things you didn't realise were vegan!

I agree. The basic ingredients themselves aren't too bad (although fruit and veg for a family of 5 adds up to quite a bit!!), but all the extras make my shopping very expensive. For us it tends to be the treaty stuff - ice cream is £6 a tub, chocolate is £3 for a 100g bar - my dh has a sweet tooth. Plus I need protein powder as I need loads of extra protein (health condition) or I feel like crap on a vegan diet - also very expensive!

I've been vegan a year and my food bill is a bit less than it used to be.

littlepeas Yeast spreads are full of protein and bvits, they are cheaper than supplements. Though you can get yeast supplements !

Tofu is too.

obigdaddio The ready made foods are more expensive because they probably don't make them in the massive amounts that the normal manufacturers/ supermarkets make theirs.

Lots of supermarket value dark chocolate is vegan, you don't need the special stuff.

Frozen bananas blended to smooth make amazing ice cream.

Yes overmy I make vegan ice cream with a custard made with good quality soya milk (still cheaper than ready made!).

Vegan cream cheese tastes better when you make your own. I like using tofu and cashews.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.peta2.com/news/recipe-of-the-week-tofu-cream-cheese/amp/

www.cupcakesandkale.ca/deli-style-vegan-cream-cheese/

Similarly if you don’t need fortified milk, you can make your own almond milk by blanching and soaking almonds or cashews and then grinding them in a nutri bullet or similar. It’s much cheaper to do it this way. Cashew milk is the food of the gods. If you want cheap and tasty almonds/cashews rather than the slightly dried out stuff in supermarkets, go to an Indian cash and carry. Some even offer home made tofu which is silkier than shop bought stuff.

Agree that some of the “vegan” junk food, specific replacements or convenience food can be pricier. But some is about the same price (eg vegan quorn versus normal quorn). The Accidentally vegan website is great; lots of vegan friendly things which aren’t marketed as vegan and therefore doesn’t attract the premium which supermarkets think all vegans are willing to pay!! Lotus biscuits and Oreos are my junk food treats.

Aldi soya milk is great and tastes nice in tea. They also do a good almond butter sometimes in their specials aisle. Holland and Barrett dried soya pieces are incredibly cheap for how much they yield. I generally find tofu a bit pricey for what it is, but maybe Asian supermarkets would be a cheaper option ... need to explore.

I do it partly to save money, the cheapest foods everywhere tend to be plants - rice bread lentils beans seasonal veg etc., I buy tomato, garlic and onion powders in bulk and nutritional yeast 3 for £8 from amazon.

Also if you join the vegan society you get 10% off stuff from Holland and Barrett (and other places) membership starts from £2 a month.

We don't buy the replacement foods apart from the Never Ending Quest for Palatable Plant Milk (tm).

We aren't vegan, mainly because my family would lynch me if I required it of them, but I cook mostly whole foods, plant based meals. Not buying meat and dairy products keeps our shopping bill astonishingly low.