Bulk bins, anyone? At least where I live. I find buying in bulk and buying certain fruit and veggies frozen saves me much more money. THey do have some great stuff and you can get it cheaper then other places. Also, get your fruits and vegetables from farmers stands and markets, and try to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables as much as possible. The freezer is my friend — our Costco sells huge bags of frozen organic broccoli, and organic blueberries. Also, some could be done quickly without soaking. Or ready sliced bread can be frozen and a slice chipped off as needed- so no bread waste anymore! I grow a square foot garden to supplement the veggie budget. Beans can be dried and saved for later use, Tomatoes can be canned in glass jars for use as sauce or slasa or whatever.
As usual great tips. Sauteing an onion and garlic in the pot before you cook the grain adds some depth. Glad to steer away from those!
In fact, they went down—way down. Put simply, meat is expensive, and over the last 10 years, the prices of animal products like beef and seafood have increased by more than 40 percent. And the better the quality, the higher the prices. Many plant-based sources of protein, on the other hand, are incredibly affordable. And if you add whole grains to them—brown rice, quinoa, barley—you have the perfect meal with protein, complex carbohydrates and all nine essential amino acids. Yes, buying organic produce can get pricey, but not everything you eat has to be organic. This year, that dubious distinction goes to strawberries, spinach and kale, so go organic with those items if possible. For the others, you can keep costs down with non-organic items at the grocery store or, even better, by buying local. The real culprits in a high vegan grocery bill?
Good food is an investment that pays off in reduced health care costs. My milks usually last really fresh tasting for about 4 days and I can stretch them to 6 but prefer making smaller batches more often super fast and easy in a vitamix — also not cheap. My budget since going vegetarian has stayed the same, but only because my husband decided that the meat savings should be directly applied to the purchase of expensive specialty beers. Preferably with a coupon. Towards the end of the day, they will often throw in a few extra for free. By the time that I am leaving, rice is done. I add water to my containers, but I have no idea if that is necessary. Spend the time effort and money to do it right the first time, and you can enjoy healthy strong vibrant plants with minimal care and effort on your part. I take the bowl out of the cook and leave in the refrigerator until evening meals. Frozen fruits and veggies go a long way!