Is eating Vegan Cheaper?

Well, in my experience, I only see a slight decrease in our grocery budget. I think the real solution to saving money at the grocery store is how you shop, cook, and eat. Tom and I love good food and I prefer organic - pricier, but I have always purchased organic food when possible. Check out the Dirty Dozen / Clean 15. 

​I had to ask myself how I can make the most of our money at the grocery store on a weekly basis without getting into a meal rut. I decided that in order to make our money work the hardest, I needed to be aware of how I shop. Here's what I do:

• ​Make a shopping list based on our likes, what is in our pantry, two refrigerators, and three freezers, and what's on sale
  • I rarely use coupons as I struggle finding any we use
  • Look for BOGOs you use. Publix (our favorite store) often has products we use like Gardein Vegan products, frozen vegetables, Ro-Tel tomatoes, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, fresh fruit and vegetables, pasta, and much more. We also hit Winn-Dixie when they have items on sale we use.
• Make a menu for the following week based on shopping list, including recipes, if needed, for quick access. 
  • I don't worry about what day to serve what, I just like to have a menu so I don't forget to use something - like when Portobello mushrooms are BOGO! Speaking of mushrooms, did you know the best way to store mushrooms is in a brown lunch bag? Yep ... even if they get a little dried out, they are very usable! More info on mushrooms.
• If there are leftovers, label and date them - nothing is worse than grabbing a jar of something out of the freezer only to discover it won't work for dinner!
• Get creative! Tom is always amazed when he looks in the refrigerator / pantry and suggests we go out to lunch and then he shakes his head when I provide a plate of food he didn't even see! 
• Don't be afraid to try new recipes and make them your own with changes that suit your tastes!
• We had to make a conscious decision to stay under budget ... it took some effort, but it's working for the most part. When there are BOGOs and it's a product we often use, we will go over budget. 
• Google is a great tool when planning menus ... recently I had some cauliflower (yes, it was BOGO) so I Googled "vegan recipes using cauliflower" and I was amazed at the number of options I was given. You can even list more than one ingredient! Check out the results for cauliflower.

​So, there you have it ... if you have any ideas that work for you, please feel free to share them with a comment!