Veggie on a budget?

I'm a recently converted vegetarian  (pescetarian really) and I'm having a little trouble figuring out how to eat veg and healthy on a budget. I'm a university student so my funds are pretty limited and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips!

well obviously there are fruits and vegetables... since you do eat fish you can probably find some cheap frozen, not breaded, patties of some sort. Pasta, with spray butter and a little cheese is good and cheap. Cereal is always a good choice. instead of buying pre-made salads just buy a head of lettuce and a fat free dressing, you get more and its cheaper... 

morning star and boca have their share of products and they aren't that pricey, think about it. You get 4 burgers or chicken patties for $5 tops thats 1.25 each, thats not that bad, not to mention it is more than half a weeks worth of food. 

egg whites are a favorite of mine...

can't think of anything else right now...

good luck

Concentrate on foods that fill you up longer, lots of whole-grains and complex carbs! Also eat lots of fiber-rich foods, such as Fiber One and apples. Salad dressings are incredibly overpriced, try making your own in larger quantities. Stock up on dried beans and grains, which are much more economical. Granola bars are also expensive, instead try plain nuts or dried fruit as a snack. 

Shopping at a farmers market saves me incredible amounts of money and I am also able to buy larger quantities for less, and my kitchen is also stocked up. At my farmers market, tofu is a dollar versus it being 2-3 dollars at the supermarket. It adds up quickly. 

hi...i don't know if i can give you any really good advice, but want to point out that meat is super expensive so i bet you'll save money over time by going veg... i can't believe it when i go shopping with family- their grocery bills always blow me away! The main pitfall to avoid would be the meat replacement products. While they are often delicious and make cooking easy, they can be VERY expensive.  If you get in the habit of avoiding processed foods as well as meat products, you should do fairly well on a tight budget. I am currently working part-time and have a 6- month old so money is tight for me and I easily eat for under $200 a month (this is basic groceries- not eating out or coffee $). Get used to cooking beans. Buy them dried, soak over night and cook up with spices. They are cheap and nutritious. I eat them with rice, in salads, wrapped in tortillas...You can buy other basics in bulk as well- rice, lentils, etc...where are you from? are there farmers markets near by? they can be an excellent source of inspiration and are usually competative...oh...and one major money saver- buy smaller quantities of produce, get in the habit of shopping more frequently or else you will have a lot of stuff go bad, especially if you purchase organic produce (this is a GOOD thing, it means the food is real, not preserved pseudo-food...)

what sort of stuff do you eat now? I know way way way back when I went meatless, I didn't know what to eat and lived off of cheese and bread- it was unhealthy and expensive...I finally got some cook books from the library and expanded my diet to included many many fruits and veggies and tons of whole grains with very very very limited eggs and dairy.

The VEGAN group (welcomes veggies and aspiring vegans and I am sure pescetarians as well) has a recipe section and I am going to put up some of my favorites very soon, perhaps checking it out can give you ideas...

Sorry to go on and on- the basic point is avoid processed and packaged foods and you shouldn't have any trouble affording a healthy veggie diet. if you tell me what you like to eat and what a realistic amount of time you can spend cooking, maybe i can give you better ideas...

oh, just saw some others who replied at same time i was writing... a great CHEAP salad dressing is a few dashes of olive oil and a few dashes of balsamic vinegar toped with any sort of mixed spices- i would definitely suggest getting a spice mix you like for flavoring all kinds of things..."Italian spice" is a good basic and works well with a wide variety of dishes...

store brand frozen foods... cheep and you can stock up on all the veggies and such you can eat.  Try trader joes.. they are cheap and convenient for healthy foods.

To add to what the others have said it also helps to buy fruits and vegetables in season. They taste better and they are less expensive. Here is a good site about foods that are in season each month from the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/in_season/

Esting in season is also good for the environment since you can potentially eat more locally grown items instead of products shipped from far away.

I agree that beans & brown rice are an excellent (and budget-friendly) way to go...I make chili's, curries, top salads with them, mash them and roll them into tortillas to make burritos or roast chickpeas for a snack.

I ate a lot of Cheerios with soy/rice milk and bananas or berries for meals in college. Oatmeal is pretty cheap as well and with maple syrup, berries & walnuts tastes pretty fancy :) Certain Bisquick mixes are vegan friendly and can spiced to your liking to be used for waffles, pancakes, or even pizza crusts, etc.

I also would grab the giant bags of whatever fruit was in season and snack on that. Peanut butter on apple slices is very yummy :) Frozen grapes are good too in the warmer weather!

Hey ,

Im a life long vegetarian and work as a recruitment consultant 8.30 - 5.30 mon - fri in the heart of glasgow city. I was finding that not preparing lunches everyday is expensive and unfortunately as a vegetarian also doesnt leave much choice rather than chippies and takeaways.

Ive started the slimfast diet - you know a milkshake for breakie again for lunch (aklthough they do offer soups etc) and a healthy dinner.  It is really filling, and better than that, its also delicious. Only 218 calories per shake which means that by time I arrive home from a long day at work then I can play about for my dinner.

Best part is that a tin of slimfast only costs £5 and milk to keep it going for the week costs less than that  :D xxxxxxxxx

If there is an Aldi grocery store near you his helps a LOT....they offer veggies and fruit that are frozen and fresh (less selection than larger stores) which help with the budget. They have a Fit and Active brand that tastes the same as any mane brand. You can really reduce your spending by shopping here :) Good luck!

Sticking to in season fruit and vegetables help, as they are cheaper since they are in an abundance.
Also, buying canned baked beans and washing off the sauce is a cheaper way to get pre-cooked beans.
Erm... that's really my only advice.

Go to a local farmers market if you can. The less your food has to travel to get to your store, usually the less it costs. You can also find out more info about how the fruits/veggies are grown. If it's an outdoor sort of event, sometimes you can even talk to the farmers themselves! It's a great thing if you're looking for organic produce.

A very cheap way to get protein is to buy dried legumes, either in bags or in bulk. I recently discovered lentils and it was $1.29 for a (I think) 1 lb bag. The dried chickpeas were around the same price. None of the bags were over $2, so you can really stretch a few bucks if you buy them in a bag rather than a can. As far as buying in bulk goes, you'll have to check your local health food store.

Tofu is relatively cheap, and you can usually get that in a regular grocery store.

Who ever said Aldi, that's a great place to shop too. Their produce is usually priced by the piece, rather than by weight, which can help cut costs. Make sure to bring your own bags, though.

Don't rely too much on already prepared foods. You can save a TON of money if you just cook for yourself. Like I said, dried beans are really helpful. Usually rice that's quick cooking is more expensive than rice that hasn't been pre cooked. Pre-cut veggies are more expensive too.

Don't be afraid to try lesser known brands of things (rice, beans, spices, etc). They're usually exactly the same as a bigger, more well known brand.

I live on a strict food budget too so, hopefully I helped a little!

I'm on a pretty strict budget with a family of 4. I find that as long as I steer clear from processed soy products, fake meats, and other convenience foods, I can actually buy quite a bit on a limited budget. Granted, I like a lot of fake meats, but when money is tight I can make do without them.

I often find that shopping at a couple extra stores saves me a lot of money. For dry goods and non-dairy beverages I shop at Wal-Mart. While I've got no love for Wal-Mart, it's amazing how much cheaper some of their food is. Often times you can find organic products and other specialty items that would cost 3x more at a nautral food store. So anyway, I get everything except fruits and veggies at Wal-Mart. Their produce is awful, so I go to Publix for my produce which usually looks pretty good and they've always got stuff on sale.

If I'm really hurting one week I'll go to the flea market for fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, at least at my flea market, their produce is picked right before it gets over-ripe, so they tend to have a very short life-span. Of course, the produce is also dirt cheap, so if you can use it quickly, that could be another option.

Another thing I do to save money and time, in the long run, is to spend Sunday morning cooking dry beans and prepping a few dishes that can be eaten throuhout the week. Veggie chili, hummus, soup, muffins, all keep for a while and can be eaten throughout the week. Heck you can ever make a pot of oatmeal and use it a few times for breakfast.

Note to anyone who likes fake meat but thinks you can't afford it: make seitan!  The main ingredient: wheat gluten flour can be purchased in bulk very cheaply.  Seitan is very easy and versatile to make any kind of fake meat you want.  You can make a meal for practically pennies, it's tasty and the best part is you know exactly what's in it (unlike stuff in a box).

I've considered making seitan, which I like more than tofu, but thought it would be cheaper just to buy it prepackaged. The recipe I have calls for vital wheat gluten and 6 cups of vegetable stock. Right there that's about $9+ ($2 for a box of gluten and $3.50-$4.00 for 2 32 oz. boxes of stock). A package of premade seitan runs about $3-$4 at Wholefoods. Of course, the recipe may yield quite a bit more seitan than the premade stuff. And if I was really on the ball I could make my own stock. I'll still give it a try since I bought the gluten already.

Don't buy stock! If you don't want to make it by boiling the actual veggies, then buy cubes at much, much less cost.  You really don't need stock anyway.  You can boil in plain water with your own spices.  Or do what I do and bake it instead of boiling.  It comes out with a firmer texture.  Try this recipe:

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/05/barbecue d-seitan-ribz.html

Also if you have the option to buy wheat gluten in bulk it's cheaper than per box.

The premade stuff is practically inedible compared to what you can make at home... not to mention you can put in your own spices and ingredients to create whatever flavor you are after.

Thanks for the recipe! Would it taste all that much different if I used regular paprika? I've had a hard time finding smoked paprika.

No - I've never had smoke paprika either, and I make this recipe.  I suppose if I did use it might make a subtle difference, but since I have never had it any other way, it tastes just fine with regular!

most weeks, food costs me 30euro.....dunno if thats too much for you...

but with that i get fresh veg for sandwiches,wraps,soup for lunch and stirfries generally for dinner....and hav fruit n eggs for breakfast....

 ...for u because ur pescatarian u cud buy frozen salmon,tuna,cod fillets,veg potatoes for dinner...

You can go to asian food stores and buy plain tofu it's verry versitile.