My Shopping Cart: Yikes!
I shop at a medium-sized natural foods market. They have a decent organic produce department, and really, everything I need. I’m sure that if there were a Wild Oats or Whole Foods market nearby, I’d gladly shop at those kinds of natural foods mecca and spend even more money than I already do on food.
My older son, Adam, is 16 (he’ll be 17 this summer), and just came home for the summer after finishing his first year of college. During his lifetime he has rarely exercised, and now, suddenly, he is doing weight training. So is my younger son, Evan, who is generally very active. They are both 5’7, slender eating machines. Adam’s trainer wants him to eat 5 meals a day. So you can imagine what our grocery bills are like! The poor checkout gal remarked on the size of my purchase, and I told her I’d be lucky if it lasted the weekend!
The shopping cart was literally running over, and it made me realize just how expensive natural organic foods are these days. Much of this food is trucked in, and I see the prices going up in tandem with the price of gasoline. With two rapidly growing vegan teens to feed, food is a major expense. Readers, what about you? Do you have any good tips to share on paring down your natural foods grocery expenses?
H said,
May 19, 2006 @ 2:06 pm
Do you have any farming co-op type places by you? I’m in Oregon and there are local farms in which you can sign up and pay a flat fee for a box of fresh veggies/fruit weekly. You share their crop, it’s pretty neat.
Jennifer said,
May 19, 2006 @ 2:19 pm
I’m a single vegan but even just feeding me is more pricey than I would like. Since I’m also on a budget, I rely heavily on bulk food items. I have gallon glass jars in my pantry filled with lentils, split peas, beans, nuts, and seeds. I use my crock pots all the time. I tend to stock up on non-bulk items when I see them on sale. I also rely on the farmers’ market for my produce. Even if it’s not cheaper I want to support the local farmers. Eating only seasonal food is not something that I do but it would help minimize produce costs. I think the only processed foods I eat are tempeh and pasta as I make my own “milks” and nut/seed butters. None of these ideas are new but it’s helped me eat vegan, organically, and cost-effectively.
xath said,
May 19, 2006 @ 4:25 pm
Tis the season to plant a garden, if you have the space.
Nava said,
May 19, 2006 @ 5:07 pm
All great suggestions! We do belong to a Community Supported Agriculture farm. The lovely part is that it’s less than a mile from our home and we get the produce the day it is picked. The harvesting season should be starting in a week or two (it has been a cool spring in the northeast). I can’t wait!
Jennifer, all your suggestions are excellent. I agree that I like to support local agriculture, and I try to do a lot of things in buulk
As far as the garden, I just don’t have the time, and we have major problems with deer and woodchucks on our property.
With two teenage weight-training vegans, I just have to gladly acceot the fact that food is a major expense. Also the boys are so healthy and talented, it must be doing them a lot of good. And as for my husband and myself, we rarely go to doctors nor take any medication. So there is definitely a positive trade-off!
Lori said,
May 20, 2006 @ 8:30 am
Nava, we live in central CA and I am noticing that our grocery prices are going up and up and up here as well! I am no longer able to stay within the budgeted amount of $$ that is allotted for groceries, but I am determined to get our costs down again, to remain within our budget!
Some of the things that I do and will be re-implementing are:
*making our own milks….I have a soymilk maker, but I always forget to soak my beans/nuts, etc, and it is just easier to pick it up while out….BUT expensive
*ordering more from our co-op again (it is always cheaper to buy in bulk and either store or freeze)
*getting back to the basics….more beans and grains, less analogs
And we also buy from a CSA….what’s great is they deliver to my door! THe fresh and local produce is so great, and cheaper than if I were to go out and buy the same stuff, and it is all grown organically (although much of it isn’t certified, but it is guaranteed to be pesticide free)
And yes, there is definitely a pay-off in being healthy by eating healthy!
Geraldine said,
May 20, 2006 @ 9:33 am
Hi Nava, I’d just be glad to have so much to pick from in the way of organic and natural foods, your cart looks like a pile of goodies. Where we live, it’s still hard to get a lot of the things Id like to try. Actually sometimes its like living at the North Pole LOL….nah, not quite that bad but for a city in Canada albeit small, it should have better choices for vegans and vegetarians. Unfortunately, we are in the heart of cattle-country and that’s mainly what the stores cater to….the meat and potato crowd! When we do get moved to BC I know there is a wonderful natural food co-op in Nelson, where we want to live. I will be glad to enjoy all the excellent food choices available (reasonably priced too) and to get involved with helping out too. BFN, G.
Jennifer W said,
May 22, 2006 @ 2:42 pm
I live with my boyfriend, and while I am a vegitarian, he is not. This is a whole topic unto itself - but needless to say it has been wonderful and worked out very well, with little adjuestment for both.
Things that I have done to help cut my costs all around -
*I rely heavily on weekly or bi-weekly meal planning. This helps me plan what I would like to make, so I buy what will be needed, plus I always purchase staples for in a hurry meals (pastas, beans, tofu, etc.) which can be used any which way.
*We have plenty of farmers markets up here, but most notably the famed “Eastern Market” which is HUGE. Big savings on everythign from flowers, foods, even car parts. I try to buy veggies from farmers markets when possible to save $$
*I shop with cupons on things I use most frequently. For dinner and breakfast, meals are homemade. Lunch however consists often of veggie burgers and the like if I am in a hurry. I also keep on hand veggie dogs for grilling in the summer and things of that nature, but notice at certain stores you often get cupons for the products for your next purchase. This helps out since I buy them anyways.
My biggest saver has been the meal planning - plus being in a house divided (if you will) this has been wonderful in melding the vegitarian in me, and the meatlover in him.
simplysara said,
May 22, 2006 @ 7:30 pm
Hi Nava,
One of the things I always try to consider is what fills me up and what doesn’t. This unfortunately may be different for each member in your family.
For example, a butternut squash costs me the same amount as a salad (serving wise), but the butternut squash if far more filling. When I am really budgeting I lay off of salads in favor of heartier vegetables. I have also found that my local big box store (Costco) has been carrying organic frozen fruits and vegetables in very large bags (5-6lbs) at anywhere between $1-$1.75 per pound. These fruits and vegetables aren’t always as good as fresh, but the fruit works great in smoothies, crisps/pies and on top of pancakes and the veggies are good is soups, casseroles and for stir frying or even as a side dish with a little earth balance or sauteed garlic in olive oil.
My crockpot also works overtime when I am budgeting because I can very easily make several meals at once (though we are just a family of two) with very little effort. Lentils and beans are cheapest when they are dry (instead of canned) and the crockpot cooks that with my needing to watch over them. I often do a crock pot of lentils (with seasoning of my choice) and throw in a whole hardshell squash (after thoroughly washing) that has been pricked with a fork. When I come home the squash and lentils are done and I just put some brown rice in the rice cooker and we have lunch and dinner for the next few days. Muffins make very cheap and tasty snacks and you can throw in leftover rice and grains, and even use some of that frozen fruit.
I highly recommend reading the TightWad Gazette by Amy Dacyzian (I am certain I spelled that wrong). She has lots of ideas, including using soy flour as an egg replacer in baked goods. It works sooo well and is cheaper than energ. The book has all kinds of ideas, but it isn’t specifically a vegan book.
Nava said,
May 22, 2006 @ 8:15 pm
Thanks to all of you who posted your suggestions—lots of great tips here.
I don’t like to cut back on food, especially with the two growing teens, but honestly, sometimes I feel like these costs are just out of this world, and so I look forward to trying some of the techniques mentioned here. This shopping was done Thursday, and by Sunday, I was nearly out of of produce!
Anjelica said,
May 31, 2006 @ 8:46 pm
I am a vegan marathoner and so I contantly need to be eating too (I also have the experience of going to college young!!) and so I know that food can be expensive. It seems like often farmer’s markets are a good bet, but frozen organics are usually less than fresh as well. Also, I always like to buy things like rice and beans that will cook up to a large amount without adding up to a large amount. Dried organic fruit is nutrient dense and relatively inexpensive. Also, I never (or rarely) buy things pre-prepared, I’m sure you do the same but I’ve found that when I am not buying things that are pre-made and then packaged my expenses go down TREMENDOUSLY.
For the boys, I really would recommend more nutrient dense foods so that they are not eating AS high bulk and so it makes it so they’ll be able to bulk up easier without having to eat you out of house and home. I also make my own soymilk and would love to share the recipe if you’d like.
Kathy Humiston said,
June 6, 2006 @ 10:08 am
There are so many good comments here. I think we are starting to see higher fuel prices being reflected in our shopping carts—so much of the food you can buy is shipped from up to 2500 miles away! The prices for local seasonal foods should be more reasonable this summer because there isn’t the need for fuel surcharges. And the freshness factor is another good reason to find a farm market!
Michelle said,
November 11, 2006 @ 2:11 am
I am not vegetarian, but I am gluten-free so I have to buy lots of expensive natural food items. I shop regularly at several area Whole Foods and every few weeks at Peapod (delivery). I can’t have a CSA share (it sounds so cool so I can’t wait until I can) because I return home for the summers (I am, however, a chef for my boyfriend and I for the rest of the year). I try to save money by looking at the Whole Foods circulars and typing in those sale items (especially produce since it is so perishable and seasonal) into my searchable list of recipes. I live in a small apartment, so I don’t have enough space to really buy in bulk, but I do go through all the sale items every week from Peapod (it is very easy to search by sale) and place an order after I reach $100 (so I can justify the $9.95 delivery but I usually manage to get $1.50 knocked off for a longer possible delivery span) or if several items that I use are on sale, especially non-perishables. I am a dedicated crockpot user, and make lots of chilis and soups. Whenever I only use half a can of something, I search my recipe list or google for a recipe that I can halve so I don’t waste any ingredients. Also, I’ve heard that Amazon Grocery has many items in bulk, including natural food items, for very competitive prices; since there are only 2 of us in the apartment, however, my worry is that I won’t 1) have room for 36 rolls of paper towels or that 2) since most of the food is preservative-free, it will spoil before I can use it (and I hate wasting food even more than I hate wasting money). I hope this helps; the blog is great (I got the link from Susan at Fat Free Vegan)!