Attention all you tightwads out there, in response to the many inquiries about how much I spend a month on food, I’ve decided to make this the theme of the next few posts. After all, when money is limited, the first thing to go for most people is their food budget and along with it, the fruits and veges, which seem to be dispensable items.
I would like to make a very good case for why you don’t have spend most of your paycheck stocking your fridge AND why a vegan diet can actually be cheaper than your standard American fare.
Another reason why I think this is an important issue to discuss is because I hear it all the time: “I would eat healthier, but it’s just too expensive” (another popular excuse is, I just don’t have the time).
Juice the frugal way…buy what’s on sale. All of this probably cost less an $1, and I shared it with my kids.
I’m a frugal vegan. My food budget is $550 a month for a family of five. We nearly always have a large supply of fresh produce to choose from and we tend to eat quite well. I don’t know what’s typical for other families, but I think $550 a month is fairly reasonable for a family of our size. Now you could say, sheesh, I could eat ramen, mac & cheese, hot dogs, and cold cereal (the cuisine of college students and many single men, including my husband back in the day) and only spend $150 a month and pocket the rest. I would then ask, sure that works, but at what cost to you and your family? It will only take a few years of constant rubbish in the gut to wreck havoc on your bodys systems, costing you your health and in turn, much of your happiness.
So, with this in mind, more details forthcoming on exactly HOW to make a vegan budget work without sacrificing your tastebuds (after all, the cheapest thing to live on is rice and beans, beans and rice, but we all want a little variety, right?). Stay tuned, dear reader, and in the mean time, baby steps….
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