Welcome to Debate Club! Please be aware that this is a space for respectful debate, and that your ideas will be challenged here. Please remember to critique the argument, not the author.

Is veganism only possible with enough money?

124

Replies

  • ThereAreManyNames
    ThereAreManyNames Posts: 54 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »

    I've heard raves about "nice cream" made from frozen bananas. Certainly cheaper than packaged vegan ice cream.

    Dessert Bullet was a wonderful invention. :)
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    walking2running wrote: »
    My daughter is allergic to milk and eggs. While 99% of our desserts and treats are home-made, the moment I need a break or I need something in a pinch or we want something special (the way any kid would):
    - a vegan cupcake from a vegan bakery is $6
    - A vegan chocolate cake is $20 for a 200 g package
    - A frozen vegan pizza is $10
    - 500 ml of vegan ice cream is $7
    - Vanilla soft serve ice cream cone in a vegan dessert place is $8

    Are any of the above necessities? No. Are any of them frequent purchases? No. But you'd be hard pressed to go through life while making everything from scratch or thinking you're going to be loading up your carts with veggies and lentils every single week. Good luck having kids and never stepping into a bakery or never purchasing treats.

    Yes, having lived the lifestyle, being vegan is more expensive.

    I can make 24 delicious vegan muffins in less than an hour including cleanup for less than $6 and they freeze well.

    Spending $6 for one muffin is probably not a choice someone on a budget would make often.

    Yep, my freezer is full of baked goods (and other pre-made stuff) specifically for the days when I'm feeling like I want a break from cooking or I'm in a rush.
  • khlokins
    khlokins Posts: 31 Member
    IMO you can eat super cheap as a vegan.. and you can equally eat super expensive as one.. it's all dependent on what you're buying.

    From personal experience, there have been times I've spent $40 on a weeks worth of groceries, and times where I've spent $100+

    Imitation foods both meat and dairy alike, are usually what cause your vegan grocery bill to spike.

    But lets be real. Rice, beans, frozen veggies, pasta, tofu.. all these things are hella cheap.

    I'd say the only time I really spend the money is on substitutes.. and when I run out of spices (but that applies to everyone).
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Meat and fish are expensive. How would not buying them be more expensive?

    Except that they are not. Example.
    Whole chickens are $1.99/lb every day here. That one chicken can feed a family of 4 for few days if you know what to do with and how to use all the parts.
    Broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower etc. are $1.99/lb when on sale here.

    Why are you comparing meat to vegetables? Why would a vegan be relying more on vegetables than an omnivore? The comparison should be between meat and the protein sources that vegans rely on. And I've fed a family of four by cooking, among other things, whole chickens. The only ways that the chicken would last more than two meals is if you supplemented it with other protein sources (eggs, cheese, beans, etc.) -- or if your family of four consisted of one adult and three small, picky children who had decided that week that they didn't like chicken. Yes, I turned the carcass into soup, but then I'm supplementing the chicken with egg noodles or grains or legumes or eggs (as in avogolemono soup or some variation thereof). Yes, we ate organ meat, but there's only so much of that in a single whole chicken.

    A five pound chicken is $10 with your pricing. I could buy 10 lbs of beans for $10. That would last a family of four a few weeks, not a few days. And both families would need to buy the same amount of veg.
  • tlpina82
    tlpina82 Posts: 229 Member
    edited July 2018
    crazyravr wrote: »
    Extremely biased comparison but good one none the less. You also forgot that there is "stuff" in meat that no veggie or legume will give you. Now start adding in your pills.
    Also, I know that for me meat is simply more satisfying as a protein and fat source than legumes and oils.
    But the OP topic was for veganism being expensive. So in short, nope, its not. If you are smart about it neither is eating meat. Just dont fall for organic, GMO etc. garbage.

    There's no "stuff" in meat that is not available in vegetable options, with maybe one nutritional exception. Maybe being the keyword.

    IF your cow is grass fed, it will have consumed b-12 from the soil.
    Now, as you pride yourself on not falling for those obvious marketing tricks of not eating antibiotics, growth supplements and not having your food spending all of it's life knee deep in its own excrement , i doubt you're buying organic grass fed beef.
    So, assuming that you don't buy grass fed beef, your cow is being supplemented with B12 at the feedlot. That means your cow is being fed vitamin supplements and you're then eating the vitamin it has already digested.

    Vegans just simply remove the middle man and get their b12 from molasses or soil or a multivitamin pill.
    But lets factor that in as if vegans were the only people in the world that take a multivitamin pill, shall we.
    Costco sells their multivitamins, Daily Multi. 500 caps with 250% the b12 requirement (Plus every other vitamin and mineral you can think of) for 14.99.
    Assuming you take once a day, which is absolutely unnecessary, you're looking at 500 days of supplementation.
    14.99 divided by 500 pills = 0.02998.
    3 cents a day. Let's prepare the bankruptcy papers.

    In the end, the only thing you're worried about is your satisfaction, your taste buds and that's fine. If it is more "satisfactory" to you, do what you do. To each its own.

    And as far as biases go, to be biased, what i wrote has to be unfair.
    Was it?
  • EstrangedTiger
    EstrangedTiger Posts: 543 Member
    If a spoiled 1st worlder, it is more difficult.

    Willing to make sacrifices? Eat whole food only? Yep.

    Are you willing to learn proper food combinations? Then yes.

    Purchase whatever is on sale and buy some cheap supplements like nutritional yeast.

    I have eaten on way less than a food stamp budget in a month.

    Legumes, rice, seeds, perhaps a container of a complete soy protein. Need to make sure to have adequate seasoning to prevent boredom. Berries, veggies, etc.





  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I think it really depends on how much access you have to different types of foods in terms of your immediate geographic area, how many people you're feeding, how much time you actually have (taking into account working, potentially raising children, whether or not you are a single parent, your commute, etc etc), various health issues you may or may not have, what kitchen appliances you have, etc. In short, it is far from a black and white issue.
  • oooaarrrr79
    oooaarrrr79 Posts: 85 Member
    edited August 2018
    It depends where you shop. I shopped at one place and I could spend a good amount on food and would have to replace it throughout the week and it worked out very expensive, I then found somewhere else where it was so much cheaper, I would say a quarter of the price I used to pay so I suppose it is about literally shopping around.
    For me though I was vegan for ethical reasons and 3 years ago I had so many issues with the lack of b12, iron deficiency with having to have 3 iron infusions in less than 12 months, loss of hair and I mean massive bold patches. I fell pregnant and couldn't for myself and my baby continue with a vegan lifestyle. I only eat chicken and have only introduced milk slowly​.
    That was just me though so for me personally it was a question of cost to my health over the cost in money.
  • Millicent3015
    Millicent3015 Posts: 374 Member
    I think it depends. There are a lot of vegans on low incomes who make it work. But for some people, veganism isn't possible on a low income even if they want to be vegan, because they live in places where fresh, cheap food isn't readily available, there are no ready sources of protein that don't come from animals, they can't afford transport to go and buy the food, they can't prep food, their health/medical needs rule out veganism, they can't afford the fuel costs to use a cooker, or they don't own a cooker, microwave or fridge so they can't keep fresh food or cook it. There's no point recommending cheap food that people take for granted to people who, for whatever reason, can't access it. So I guess the answer is yes and no. Veganism is possible on a low income, but in certain circumstances it's impossible, too.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Generally speaking, vegan food sources are cheaper than diets that include a lot of animal protein. Convenience costs regardless of eating style. Think rice and beans.
  • crubio360
    crubio360 Posts: 19 Member
    No I grew up on beans, rice and oatmeal and we weren’t even vegan 😂
  • mrsallenmoore
    mrsallenmoore Posts: 42 Member
    crubio360 wrote: »
    No I grew up on beans, rice and oatmeal and we weren’t even vegan 😂

    for some reason I read that as bears and I was like wow she comes from a real tough family lol
  • Sunshine_And_Sand
    Sunshine_And_Sand Posts: 1,320 Member
    The vegan friendly recipes I have are actually the cheapest and easiest to prepare meals I make. They can can all be made using canned or frozen beans/veggies, can be put in the crockpot in the morning so they are ready when I get home, and make several servings with lots of leftovers that I use for lunches through the week, and my kids and husband eat them too.
    That said, do I want to use only those recipes, or would it be sustainable for me to do so? No, probably not, at least not for me and not now while I am fortunate enough to be in a situation that I don't have to try to eat all "cheap" meals bc of a tight budget. I am also not a vegan so it's hard to say that I wouldn't find using those recipes all the time satisfying if I strongly felt it was the right thing to do.
  • eatdacake_anime
    eatdacake_anime Posts: 1 Member
    sarahbums wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »

    Just to clarify, the question in the OP was for one small adult, not a family of four. Feeding a family of four on the stated budget would be basically impossible, vegan or not.

    i know, I just hate that these threads always use a household size of 1 as the example. Most people live with others/have families that they also have to cook for. I'm just really interested in seeing if anyone can pull off a family friendly vegan day of eating. I've never seen it done on here.

    So i guess someone could just multiply the individual allowance by 4 and use that as the hypothetical budget?

    Join vegan groups on fb. They will be happy to share. I know tons of vegan from groups that are just them and their spouse or a huge family. We even have a what broke vegans eat wear and use group but it's mostly recipes. How to vegan is a fb group that might give you a lot of feedback for meal ideas. I would also work on your energy, your statements came off very passive aggressive. c:
  • amandaeve
    amandaeve Posts: 723 Member
    I lived on a $100/month food budget for about 10 years. Yes, I got sick of it. Yes, I stuck to it anyway. I ate simple meals from bulk grains (oats, lentils, mung beans, beans, rice, etc.) I had the luxury of living near a mill so I could mix it up when they had a sale (triticale, teff, sorghum, etc.). I bought most fruits and veggies frozen on sale. I sought out the places that sold damaged produce for fresh options. I cooked once a week; it wasn't too hard, but it did lack variety. I admit I wasn't vegan, so I got a lot of protein from canned tuna fish. Having a flexible diet made it a lot easier for me. If I went back to that budget, I would be 90% vegan as a matter of course. As I later learned, adding dairy and red meat to the above diet is the fastest way to double the budget.
  • kellsey4955
    kellsey4955 Posts: 19 Member
    My boyfriend and I are both happily vegan on a very standard budget for a couple, about £40 of shopping a week. Easy peasy!
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    edited October 2018
    I dunno... if you were nudest and ate only plants you found in a forest, while simultaneously living there, it would be pretty cheap.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    ceiswyn wrote: »
    What’s not fun or tasty about, say, Thai butternut squash curry with coconut, or black bean chilli, or tortillas with refried beans and mango salsa?

    Sounds like a lot of people here just seriously lack imagination and creativity in their cooking.

    Agreed. I just made ginger-peanut tempeh, ginger-sesame mashed potatoes, and haupia coconut pudding. Going to be a flavor-fest for dinner tomorrow night!
  • BishopWankapin
    BishopWankapin Posts: 276 Member
    I'm a vegetarian, but occasionally some of my meals are vegan. I've also got a few friends who are vegan and on a budget. Really as long as you don't mind cooking and only treat the substitute foods as occasional "treats" it tends to be pretty cheap. My wife and kids still eat meat and it and the convenience foods tend to be the most expensive parts of our food budget.
  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    sarahbums wrote: »
    it bothers me that a lot of vegans refuse to accept the fact that their way of eating is a huge privilege. It's a luxury really.

    Your post made me wonder: don't people have gardens anymore? I mean, we weren't rich when I was growing up but land was cheap where we lived and my parents had a huge garden. Kept us fed with so many fresh veggies and canning, etc. Where I live now, space is at such a premium-I guess I could grow a lot if I really got creative and put my mind to it.

  • abi111
    abi111 Posts: 50 Member
    i used to spend about £10 a week on my food when i was a vegan and skint. pasta, beans, veg, fruit, oats and i just got more expensive stuff when it was reduced to like 10p at the end of the day. this was like 8 years ago before they had all the expensive alternatives availible at the supermarkets though, just dried soya mince.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    ceiswyn wrote: »
    What’s not fun or tasty about, say, Thai butternut squash curry with coconut, or black bean chilli, or tortillas with refried beans and mango salsa?

    Sounds like a lot of people here just seriously lack imagination and creativity in their cooking.

    For what it's worth, the way some people talk about cooking meat (chicken breast especially...or just chicken in general), I think the same thing about creativity in cooking. I suspect some people just flat out don't know how to cook with a lot of variety.
    I mean my dinner this evening was far from exciting, but plain isn't really the norm for me in terms of what I cook. It doesn't matter if what I'm making is vegetarian, vegan, or has meat.

Categories