Saving money
With inflation and job insecurity abounding, it's a great time to be thinking about how to cut costs and budget better. The good news is: eating plant-based can be very economical!
Here are some tips from Team Dirty
- When you can, stock up on staples when they're on sale. And don't forget about coupons! It may seem old-fashioned, but grocery stores still do coupons and now you can even get them sent to your phone.
- Buy what’s in season. Many meal plan produce items can be swapped out if needed to incorporate the most affordable ingredients.
- Shop the bulk bin section! If your closest grocery store doesn’t offer a wide variety of bulk items, take a field trip to a few other stores to see what is available. Bulk bins are great because you can buy as much or as little as you like.
- The farmer’s market might just become your best friend.
- It doesn’t get much cheaper than rice and beans! Eating plants instead of meat and dairy can be a budget game-changer, but if you're still feeling the pressure, keep it simple and skip some of the more expensive ingredients.
- If buying organic is important to you but your budget doesn’t allow for buying all organic produce, focus on only buying organic for the Dirty Dozen list. Those are the items that will be the most heavily sprayed with pesticides. Buy the rest conventional, they will usually be cheaper.
- Reuse your glass jars from things like peanut butter and tahini as well as your produce and bulk bin bags so you don’t have to buy storage containers, plastic bags, or plastic wrap.
- Make time for batch cooking so you don’t have to spend money on takeout or packaged food. For even more savings, follow a meal plan so you actually use what you buy.
- Grow your own herbs! Herbs are very forgiving and grow well either in the ground or a pot. Just a little bit of water and some light, and you’ll have fresh herbs for your meals without spending three to five dollars on each measly packet every week.
- Always freeze leftover soups, dressings, grains, and sauces if you can. Even if it’s just a little, they will come in handy later.
More nuggets of wisdom
Read how Molly saves money with batching her plant-based food.
And how Brittany feeds her plant-based family on a budget.