How to Buy Vegetarian Food on a Budget

More and more people are discovering the health benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle, but this lifestyle is also a good option for those who want to trim their shopping bills, not just their waistlines. It all depends on how you shop and how you cook.

Things You'll Need

• A shopping list/plan
• Creativity
• Favorite recipes, maybe from Grandma's kitchen

Instructions

1. Write a list. If you aren't already in the habit of creating a grocery list, start and try to stick with it despite the temptation to go for more expensive veg-friendly options in the store. Review your list and rely heavily on the basics--versatile and affordable vegetarian staples such as rice and beans as opposed to a cart full of faux meats (for more on "faux meats," see Step 4). As you review this list, calculate how much you plan to spend weekly or bi-weekly on food, depending on how often you shop. From there, see how your grocery list stacks up to your proposed food budget.

2. Shop wisely. Be choosy about where you shop. It's great to support the "little guy" who owns the neighborhood health food store every once in awhile. However, if trips to such merchants are eating up your budget, opt for the grocery store chains or supercenters. These mega-stores often carry the same products as the smaller stores at a fraction of the price. These bigger chains also carry generic or store brands of staple foods such as canned vegetables and fruits. Even saving a dime per can on these foods can add up.

3. Embrace those staples. Prepare large quantities of food and create a variety of meal options with just a few basic items including rice, beans, pasta, milk, cheese, rice noodles, canned tomatoes, cream of mushroom soup and frozen stir fried veggies. These items are very friendly on both the budget and the belly. They don't cost as much as faux meats, provide plenty of meal options and leftovers. Forget about ramen noodles, though. They are loaded with sodium. Stick with rice noodles. They are still affordable, but contain little sodium.

4. Jump on the faux meat bandwagon. A four-pack of soy burgers is still cheaper than a pack of charburgers from your local supermarket or butcher, but are not as cheap as the options listed above. However, these faux meats (often made from soy or more creative ingredients such as mycoprotein, a form of fungus) provide lots of flavor and variety, and you can get a lot of mileage from one pack of soy crumbles added to a veg-friendly casserole. Also try high-protein TVP--a soy product that is crunchy in the package, but moist and tasty when prepared with a little boiling water. A 10 ounce. bag, priced at $3, provides enough meat-like crumbles for three meals. Add these crumbles to vegetarian burritos, tacos, casseroles and spicy pasta sauce.

5. Skip the organics. According to Consumer Reports, buying organic food costs an average of 50 percent more than your regular, non-organic products. Many shoppers believe the health benefits are worth the extra cost, but that is only true in regard to certain types of foods. If you must splurge, buy organic apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, spinach, red raspberries, strawberries, eggs and milk. The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that these products retained much higher pesticide residue after washing than other foods. In the case of eggs and dairy, organics are believed to reduce exposure to toxins in non-organic feed, hormones and antibiotics. If at all possible, buy direct from the farmer's market or the local growers themselves to curb both the cost and potentially nasty safety hazards.

6. Revisit grandma's recipe box. Grandmas (or a grandmother-like figure) often have the most affordable, wholesome and just plain tasty concoctions, many of which can be tailored to vegetarian diets with a little ingenuity. For example, revamp your grandmother's spaghetti bake by replacing ground beef with soy crumbles. The dish consists of cream of mushroom soup, soy crumbles, cheese, spaghetti, bell peppers, canned black olives and mushrooms, onions and canned spaghetti sauce. If you're feeling really pinched, you can remove items or, say, select green peppers as opposed to the sweeter, yet more expensive, yellow counterparts. The dish still gets rave reviews, even from the most discerning gourmand (your grandmother!).

7. Find your crock pot, which is your friend. Throw some canned tomatoes (with the juice), garlic, spices, mushroom, onions, faux chicken and vegetarian broth into the slow cooker in the morning and when you return from work in the evening, you'll have a nice sauce to pour over your pasta. Crock pots are not only easy and efficient, often requiring the most basic ingredients, but they also allow you to prepare meals in bulk. You'll be able to enjoy several meals of flavorful food with little effort and cost. Plan ahead by preparing several slow cooker dishes over the weekend.

Tips & Warnings

• It's easy to get in a rut with any type of food. Please feel free to share your vegetarian tips with others, especially those nuggets that are friendly on the savings account.