Healthy You, Happy Wallet
Did you check out my previous post on "Top Ten Reasons to Eat More Plants - #2 Beans are Cheaper than Meat?" If so, you saw that focusing your diet on plant-based proteins can actually keep your grocery bill stable, and most likely will save you money! There are a few more considerations to be mindful of to help control a sneaking grocery bill when eating plant-based, particularly as you start to stock your cabinets with a few new ingredients and more fruits and veggies.
Focus on whole foods. With omnivore eating, oftentimes, the more processed it is, the cheaper it is because there are generally fillers and such added. Not so much with vegan products. Oftentimes, the more processed it is, the pricier it is. The latest and greatest in specialty products like cheeses, milks, faux meats, and snack products can sneak up your grocery bill pretty generously. Make these occasional purchases, prioritize as you find your favorites, or find ways to make similar versions at home!
Organic foods (if you weren’t already leaning organic) in general can up your produce costs and this can include foods beyond produce, like with nuts, nut butters, flours, and more. When you can, organic is always preferred, in my book, but here are a couple of great resources to help you prioritize what products to be sure to buy organic and which you could be more lenient on to save money:
Focus on the freshest food sources. Particularly from sources like the Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market and produce stands like Mesa Produce as they can be great ways to scope out some more affordable options and spend local! This can also help you separate out some of your fresh and shelf food shopping sources. By separating these out a bit, you have the opportunity to plan your more perishable purchases by weekly or bi-weekly buys and less perishable items as monthly stock ups from resources like Thrive Market or Amazon online or locally like Costco, or grocery store bulk bins where you can get more for lower prices to help you save some pennies. Trader Joe's is great too for stocking up on canned foods, for instance, because their prices can be so reasonable. Bulk buys can work well for products like beans, baking supplies, plant-based milks, grains, oats, cereals, nuts, herbs, spices, and condiments. It may take a bit of research and strategizing up front, but can be well worth the effort.
Consider the cost savings of preparing meals and eating at home. You may see your grocery bill sneak up a bit as you transition to more home-cookin', but the more you cook at home, the less you spend eating out, right? I've found that we generally eat out much less eating plant-based for a few reasons:
I can better control the ingredients.
I enjoy cooking so much more than I did as an omnivore!
There are generally less options eating out. While there are many great options locally, there are still of course less options on the menus of most restaurants than for meat-eating folk. And sometimes it's just plain easier and more fun to find ways to recreate old favorites, plant-based style!
Planning ahead can be a huge help. I totally understand that this is not always easy (this continues to be a personal goal of mine!), but building a list and prioritizing and planning your purchases can be huge as to avoid over-filling on foods you don’t need but just sound good in the moment. I’ve also found plant-based meal plans that are particularly mindful of cost. I’ve participated in meal plans like Meal Mentor by Happy Herbivore Lindsay S. Nixon on and off over the years and Meal Mentor in particular designs their menus with cost and efficiency in mind and to be shop-able at Trader Joe’s. There are several other options too and these can be awesome for building your recipe file in transitioning to more plant-based meals and help you keep a tighter handle on your grocery bill as you get a feel for what you like (note, most meal plans have a small monthly or annual cost associated). Here are a few to check out:
Lighter (search by health or cooking guru – very plant-based friendly!)
I hope these two partnered-posts on plant-centered shopping have helped ease some of fears you may have about overspending to eat healthier delicious plant-focused meals! Yes, you may have to pay a bit more for almond milk in your latte at your local coffee counter (although hopefully this will change someday!), but the health investment and general potential for cost savings make focusing on plant-based foods super worthwhile!