World Vegan Day: How to eat vegan on a budget

Plan your meals in advance. Picture: Pexels/Ella Olsson

Plan your meals in advance. Picture: Pexels/Ella Olsson

Published Nov 1, 2023

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November 1 is World Vegan Day, a global celebration of veganism and its positive impact on the planet, animals, and human health. The annual event focuses on encouraging people to explore and embrace a vegan lifestyle.

A vegan lifestyle involves abstaining from the use of animal products for food, clothing or any other purpose.

World Vegan Day serves as an opportunity to educate the public about the benefits of veganism, raise awareness about animal rights, and promote sustainable and compassionate choices.

To celebrate the day, we look at ways on how one can be vegan on a budget when following the diet.

Vegan and vegetarian diets are a growing trend worldwide as people become more aware of modern farming's environmental impact and the potential health benefits of eating plant-based foods.

A healthy, vegan diet is full of fresh fruits, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, and lean plant proteins. A typical vegan diet is high in vital nutrients.

With a bit of careful planning, it is possible to build a vegan grocery list on a budget. By choosing a vegan diet, you have knocked some of the most expensive grocery items off your list – meat and dairy products.

How to shop for vegan products on a budget:

Shop smart and wholesale. Picture: Pexels/Cottonbro Studio

Make your own condiments

Vegan mayo is not the only condiment that is super easy to make, you can also make your own salad dressings, spice mixes and nut butter.

Shop smart and wholesale

When deciding to buy certain items, shop smart and in bulk. Let us use nuts as an example. Nuts tend to be a key staple in a lot of vegan recipes.

Whether it is walnut meats, cashew cheese, cashew creams, or even nut milk, you are probably going to be using them a lot.

Nuts cost more in the supermarket than on bulk websites or in bulk stores and, since they last a long time anyway, it makes way more sense to buy them this way.

Learn to cook with what is available. Picture: Pexels/Rfsudio

Buy what is in season

Foods that are grown in season taste better and cheaper than those out of season.

Learn to cook with what is available

Want to make a quick, cheap vegan meal? Have a look at what’s on hand. Is there a bag of barley at the back of the cupboard? Build a meal around that. A zero-waste policy helps.

Plan your meals in advance. Picture: Pexels/Ella Olsson

Plan your meals in advance

Since it is often cheaper to buy in larger quantities, make sure that you have a good collection of recipes lined up to use any leftovers of perishable items.