Is anyone a vegetarian for frugal reasons as well as environmental ones?

**Daisygirl** · 01-16-2011, 07:07 PM

Looking over my grocery bills for the last month, I realized that more than 60% of my grocery budget is spent on meat. One of my frugality measures is cutting the grocery budget.

I've been pondering becoming a vegetarian recently for environmental and health reasons. This was the last straw that has pushed me over the edge.

For the time being, I'm going to use my small stockpile of meat to feed the kids - it would have to be their choice if they wanted to go veggie. I'll be incorporating a lot more vegetarian meals during the week to get them accustomed to the idea, though, instead of just suddenly no longer eating meat.

For the vegetarians among you, have you noticed a positive effect on your budget?

**sinopa27** · 01-16-2011, 07:30 PM

A lot of people do meatless mondays to help reduce meat usage and costs. If u like, only buy meat that's on sale. If there isn't a meat u like that's not on sale, don't buy it. I was a vegetarian for 8 years and also did raw vegetarian too. I must admit, its cheaper to be a vegetarian in the warm months. The price of veggies are ridiculous in the winter months. Besides, tomatoes don't taste good in the winter.
I hope u find ways to reduce your meat costs and consumption

**sinopa27** · 01-16-2011, 07:31 PM

A lot of people do meatless mondays to help reduce meat usage and costs. If u like, only buy meat that's on sale. If there isn't a meat u like that's not on sale, don't buy it. I was a vegetarian for 8 years and also did raw vegetarian too. I must admit, its cheaper to be a vegetarian in the warm months. The price of veggies are ridiculous in the winter months. Besides, tomatoes don't taste good in the winter.
I hope u find ways to reduce your meat costs and consumption

**zakity** · 01-16-2011, 07:59 PM

I do a lot of meals with TVP. I use it as taco meat, sloppy joe meat, and chili meat. I really don't like hamburger and so I use the tvp in place of it.

**2ndGenGranola** · 01-16-2011, 09:38 PM

My grocery bill has gone down quite a bit since going vegan. We fell better to. We don't do the processed substitutes (occasional TVP) but veggie other than that. I wish we had done it earlier.

**frugal-fannie** · 01-16-2011, 11:37 PM

I have tried meatless meals but my family had a revolt. I can sneak in some TVP. Some chinese food you can use meat like a flavoring with more veggies. I also do meatloaf or sloppy joes where I can add bread or oatmeal as fillers. I also will buy chicken which uses less water to produce than beef. You can also cut your bill by using organ meats. My mom had beef liver once a week growing up. I love it now. My MIL used kidneys,liver and tripe. She also bought fish paste(fish with flour). I buy meat on sale and stock up along with menu plan with what I find on sale. My family will eat fettuccine with Parmesan cheese with broccoli for a meatless meal.

**pollypurebred39** · 01-17-2011, 12:10 AM

Actually I noticed that my grocery bill went through the roof this month (so far) now that I've reduced meat and started adding what is our doctor's recommendation of 2 fruits and 5 servings of vegetables a day. It came out to 56 pieces of fruit for our family for a week! Forget the amount of vegetables.

In addition they are eating more now since they are not getting as much protein. I've been heavy on the beans to try to reduce that. We are eating beans, almost everyday. In fact we had chili for lunch, and a soup with black beans for supper today. But they've been grazing all day. DH opened the bag of buffalo blue chips his Mom sent over and nearly polished of the bag, adding to a nibble here a nibble there. DS1 even came home from work with a bag of chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels, a bag of strawberry jam filled cookies and a half gallon of sweetened iced tea that he'd been enjoying while at work. I'm sure that wasn't all he ate.

I'm sure there must be a balance, but I haven't found it yet. Good luck on this journey. I'm rooting for you!

**The Muse** · 01-17-2011, 03:30 AM

Yes! I consider it just another reward for making a compassionate choice. It's amazing how many healthy, delicious meals I can make out of a bag of dried chickpeas.

**ladykemma2** · 01-17-2011, 05:18 AM

i am on glucophage (metformin) and must get enough B-12. so i eat meat twice a week.

vegetarian doesn't mean "fake meat"

there are a lot of excellent bean recipes posted in the recipes section. my favorite vegetarian cookbooks are Diet for a Small planet, laurel's kitchen, moosewod cookbooks.

i am not vegan. i eat dairy and cheese. and meat twice a week.

**The Muse** · 01-17-2011, 05:52 AM

Originally Posted by ladykemma2

vegetarian doesn't mean "fake meat"

Excellent point! Meat substitutes are a good transition food, but to be successful with a vegetarian diet longterm, you really need to learn a different way of cooking and thinking about food.

Looking back, I can't believe how limited I was in my early days of vegetarian eating.

**Daisygirl** · 01-17-2011, 06:17 AM

I'm not a big fan of the fake meats - they are pricey and if I am going to eat those I might as well eat the "real thing" sot to speak. I was veggie for 5 years in my 20s and that ended when I was pregnant with my first daughter. I ate cheeseburgers throughout that pregnancy and I have been overweight ever since.

I love the Moosewood Cookbooks. I have the Moosewood Lodge and The Enchanted Broccoli Forrest.

Polly: try frequent snacks but be sure they contain some protein and healthy fats, like apples dipped in natural PB or fruit and cottage cheese. I rely almost solely on frozen fruits and veggies in the winter because of cost. I can buy a huge bag of blueberries for $5 - we have them with yogurt supplemented with a bit of protein powder (very filling)! They may be hungry because there is not enough fat in their diet. Add cheeses (limited), lowfat dairy, nuts, avocados, nutbutters, etc. and I bet you will see a difference in teh grazing.

**gottadance** · 01-17-2011, 11:55 PM

I don't think being vegetarian would be cheap if you are eating organic - organic veggies can be pricey. I eat almost all organic, but I belong to an organic CSA seven months out of the year, which brings down the cost of organic veggies - CSAs are cheaper than store bought. I have days where I don't eat any meat just because I'm enjoying something without meat. But I could never give up meat and cheese. I do eat less meat now because I only eat organic chicken and grass fed beef and it's pricey, but sometimes I get it on sale and stock up. I can be fairly vegetarian if I have cheese and eggs.

**Daisygirl** · 01-22-2011, 07:31 PM

Success so far!

Previously I was spending about $125-$150 a week

on groceries. Last week I spent $35, and today I spent $84, including a small addition to the stockpile, cat food and dog food.

I'm really excited at the savings and I haven't had any meat cravings whatsoever. I really feel like I can do this!

**Dancing Lotus** · 01-22-2011, 08:54 PM

I can't say the same encouraging things about budget. My bill went up but that's because I use a lot of superfoods. These things cost more. Eating proper vegan nutrition became a bit of an obsession for me. Since loosing up a bit I have been able to get the budget back under control.
But of course I don't how much that all means to you since you said vegetarian not vegan.

One thing about eating vegetarian is that it is very easy to eat on 25 or 35 dollars a week for short periods of time anyway.

**krbshappy71** · 01-22-2011, 09:04 PM

I'm slowly buying less meat due to the cost and the food budget I've thrown myself on. But I'm not swearing off meat in general. I used to "hate" beans and now have introduced them to myself slowly and am getting over the texture issues I had with them. This is helping me to buy less meat. Lately when going out to eat (even when someone else's treat) I have not been wanting or craving red meat. Don't know why, maybe just the fact that I've been away from it so its lost its appeal.