Eating a vegan diet on a budget is really easy. Invest a bit of time when you have spare time to bulk cook or prepare food in advance and you’ll be saving money and time in the long run! Once you’ve started your vegan diet, you won’t look back.
1. Make Packed Lunches
Supermarkets offer some great vegan meal deals these days which are great for when you’re in a rush and don’t have time to make something. Yet, the most cost effective option is to make your own lunches to take into work. You will probably spend about half as much as you would on a meal deal.
My go to lunch is a hummus and falafel wrap with mango chutney, lentil crisps and a banana. It’s best to take your daily multivitamin with food, so I pack it in my lunchbox just in case I don’t have time for breakfast. This is also great to eat on the go, so if you want some fresh air on your lunch break, throw on your loungewear and eat on the go! I usually spend a bit of time on a Sunday evening making my lunches for the week so I don’t have to worry about it later on!
2. Cook Beans and Rice From Dry
Buying bags of dried beans or uncooked rice is the most cost effective option for your diet, especially as you’ll probably be eating a lot of them! Whilst it may take a bit more preparation or be less convenient than tinned beans or microwavable rice packets, it is far cheaper.
Rice is really easy to cook from scratch when you know how! Wash your rice really well to get rid of excess starch, drain and put into your saucepan. For every cup of rice, you will need about a cup and a half of water. Place on the hob on a medium heat and cook for around 12 minutes. After this time, the water should be all absorbed and your rice should be fully cooked and fluffy. If it isn’t quite cooked, add some more water and give it another few minutes. You’ll get the perfect rice every time!
Rehydrating beans takes slightly longer than tinned alternatives, but it doesn’t take much effort! This will work for most beans, including chickpeas, black beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans and red kidney beans. You’ll want to fully submerge your beans in water, cover the top and leave to soak overnight. This will rehydrate the beans and also significantly reduce the overall cooking time. I like to soak them when I’m cooking dinner to then use the following evening.
After being soaked overnight your beans will be ready to use. Once drained, the cooking time will vary quite significantly depending on the type of bean you are cooking, from about 45 minutes to 2 hours. A good way to speed up the process is to cook them in a pressure cooker if you have one! Although the process is slightly longer, you will save so much money.
3. Find Staples in Asian Supermarkets
If you regularly eat Asian food, you will find your staple items much cheaper in Asian supermarkets. Things like rice, noodles, tofu and coconut milk can be found at much better prices than in other supermarkets. I usually go once every few months and stock up on what I’ll need. Most things are non-perishable so keep for months in the cupboard, otherwise I will prepare and freeze other ingredients, like tofu.
I find that the quality of the products is also much better. I especially enjoy getting my miso paste from the Asian supermarket as it tastes amazing! It is such a diverse ingredient so it is always worth having in the cupboard.
Final Thoughts
We all know that eating more plant based foods is good for us, especially if you’re getting healthy in your womens gymwear and want to fuel your body with the right foods, but it doesn’t need to cost a fortune as many people think!