TIP on dry beans - soak and cook the whole bag at the same time. Drain and freeze them loose on a parchment lined cookie sheet and then stash them in the freezer in a zip lock. Better texture, healthier than canned and cheap!
I was lucky if I spent $35 on meat alone for a week. One of the biggest thing that stopped me from a plant based diet was the "cost" I felt like an idiot after my first plant based shopping trip. Save $48 total was $38.85 I had food for a week and a half. I think I would have more if I new about bulk beans instead of canned beans back then. Me=Idiot. Thanks for all the work you do! Cheers!
I always buy the whole broccoli and peel the stems as a cucumber substitute. I also save the zest from citrus for water, baked goods etc. For corn and flour tortillas I make my own or buy at a Mexican market. For corn chips I use corn tortillas and cut them into triangles and bake in the oven. Much cheaper.
Lela Todorova, One doesn't need a tortilla press, one can use a heavy rolling pin. A press just make the job go faster and when you are making a dozen at a time a press is nice. I use washable canvas shopping bags and washable 100% cotton bulk food bags because I am also a zero waste home person (www.zerowastehome.com) and want to see more plant based/vegan folks looking at the bigger picture and the environmental damage using plastic bags has done and is doing to our oceans, streams, lakes and land.
K Catfish OMG!! that's ridiculous!! I assume they are cheaper here because we are so close to Mexico & the store I go to import right from the source. I hope those prices go down soon for you there in Canada! whew!!
My challenge is to become vegan by the summer. I've already taken dairy out and substituted with almond milk and coconut milk. So now I just need to get full. I've got vegan breakfast down pat just need filling lunches and dinners. Thank you for this video ❤
Alisha Kitchen Hey friend!!! 😊😊 I'm sure you remember me from BDS & facebook if your the same Alisha I know...haven't seen ya on FB in a loooong time! hope all has been well!! 😊😊😊 If your not the same Alisha Hello to you any way! lol
Alisha Kitchen Hey Almond milk is great. I been on that for over 9years. But rice milk is banging as well. Both are way better than Coconut milk as far as after taste.
This video couldn't have been posted at a better time! I'm moving out from my parents over the summer and will no longer be able to rely on them for groceries, so learning how to eat vegan on a budget is pretty key for me. I've been completely vegan for 6 months now and I have no intention of ever going back. I can't wait to see the prep video you'll be posting next to get some more ideas! I'm also loving your new Soul Food Sundays series on your blog. I'm a Southern girl too and I'm thrilled you're posting more southern recipes. Love your channel!
I always hit the Mexican market and the farmer's market, just got a HUGE bundle of kale yesterday for 87 cents! I'll be eating kale for a week. We eat tons of beans in our house, all varieties, hot and cold, salads and soups. Making falafel once a week is also super helpful on the pocketbook. Of course, sweet potatoes are always easy to find at a good price. :D
I'm thinking you may not have a Sprouts or a huge farmers market like Atlanta but I consistently keep my groceries at $35 per week because of Sprouts Farmers Market. I purchase avocados, small watermelon, bananas, apples, oranges, pineapple, Brussels, fresh collards, mango, romaine, dinosaur kale, lemons, tomato, cabbage, and spinach. All for about $35 every single week. I'm just amazed at how much cheaper being vegan is. And most of time I can get most of it organic. #veganforlife
Camille B yeah Sprouts is amazing! I get all my bulk dry foods there--oats, nut flours, granola, etc. I've also found that huge asian supermarkets like Nam Dae Mun in Atlanta and surrounding areas have great produce for super cheap. For example, kale bunch for 80cents, spices and stuff like ginger and turmeric for really cheap, other leafy greens and huge carrots for less than a dollar a pound. Plus they have fruits like mangoes (reg and atualfo), lychee, and rambutan for an inexpensive treat
Wonderful video! Love your natural, authentic way of sharing. Great video editing, too. Keep up the good work and all the best for spreading your body-loving sweet potatoes all over the world! You are a blessing! Best, Peggy
Meat and dairy are the most expensive parts of my grocery bill. Produce is cheaper. Why that is, I don't understand. Eating plant-based can be better for you and cheaper! What grocery store is this?
Bryana, consider how much produce you have to feed a cow or a pig before you kill it and eat it. The cost of the meat has to be more than all the food that you have fed the animal, or else you lose money! Looking at it that way, you can see why many meats are so expensive compared to plants.
Bryana Camille Braxton if you live near a Kroger they have these preseasoned meat dishes (Mediterranean chicken, salmon etc). exactly what they have changes depending on what they make that day. Anyway, they get marked down all the time and you can get meat / fish for $1.49 and up! It usually is not a huge serving (sometines it is) but if you don't eat meat often then it is perfect. Especially if you have a Kroger card. They have good produce as well. In my opinion far better than Wall-Mart Aldi is really good too if you have one in your area.
The funny thing is it didn't used to be that way. I remember .69-.99 for a lb of ground meat regular price. Now it's like $3 on sale. I eat WFPB and don't even spend $30 a week in groceries for myself. One of the greatest things is being full without feeling bloated and miserable.
Bryana - this is hella late but the grocery store here is Best Yet. I revisit this from time to time when it pops up because I shop there. There's also the Aldi on 117th on the east side - GREAT deals there. And of course as she mentioned the Whole Foods (one has since opened on Lenox and 125th) for the bulk bin
I am not sure why meat and dairy has become more expensive. But because of the conditions where the animals are kept, they have to be pumped full of antibiotics to keep them from getting sick. That alone costs a lot, not to mention the processing, and prepping of the product. Some think its because more people are choosing to go plant based and a lot of dairy and meat farms are losing business.
I'm trying to go vegan so thank you so much this was so helpful. Sometimes i get so overwhelmed with the grocery shopping and wonder what do I buy or cook together you know
Try making your own cashew milk! You can get a pound for $8 here in NC (Sprouts) and get probably 20 gallons of cashew milk from one pound! We soak 1/3 cup cashews overnight, drain and put in Vitamix with half a banana and 2 dates. Keeps for a week, which is how long it takes us to go through a gallon of it! Love your channel!!
♥ and also I can't believe it's gotten that warm and summerlike over there!! ...I LOOOVE it when you show us around those places you live and wander about :* much love to you !!
Can you make a video that's a week of recipes from these ingredients you bought to see how much you can make with them? I have trouble staying on budget b/c I end up buying ingredients for food prep and have to buy a bunch of random veggies. Also, did you just look for the cheapest price or did you buy all organic?
I thought NYC was supposed to be expensive? Here in Canada we pay a fortune for our food! Cantalope is at least $3 each, sweet potatoes are double the price, kale is double the price and mangos are double the price.
It can be Very expensive. It really depends on where you live, and where you shop, and what local farmers have a good production of this time of year. She also purchased things (such as the legumes and whatnot) that are very inexpensive in this country in general.
Ashley Kinzer yeah it all depends on where you live and where you shop. I live in nyc and I have to go to multiple different stores and fruit stands to shop or else you could be spending like $50 a week on food! Just gotta be willing to put in the extra effort and you'll save lots of money!
it's so interesting to see grocery hauls and compare the prices in different countries :) for example in denmark where i live i can buy 1 kg of organic carrots for $1, 1 kg of organic potatoes for $2 while other things are more expensive like kale and sweet potatoes which wouldboth be around $3 for a small amount. can't wait for part 2! :) xxx andy
Very fit and healthy happy example of a vegan 👍👍, if anyone gets heckled by meat /dairy /eggs eaters about vegans being weak and nutritionaly deficient , please just link them to this video or her channel and they will most likely reconsider their views !!! about that myth 😎 .
You make me smile! I normally would be bored by videos like this but I was sad when this video was over! Haha I just found out about you and I'm so happy I did! You are so naturally happy and upbeat in all of your videos and you are so helpful!!
Amazing video. I'm always so interested in seeing the cost of foods around the world. So many variables that effect this such as what is in seasonal and local to that area, the population and buying power of the area, the location or isolation, the cost of living and minimum wage and the economy as well as the supply of produce. So many variables effect food prices but I'm always inspired to see vegan shopping done on a budget and made accessible 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
It's always interesting to see weekly vegan grocery hauls just to give you an idea of how much you need and how to have some variety and still stay on a budget. Btw, it's crazy how different prices are in Germany. Oats are cheap beyond words here (40 cents for 500g!) but that's probably because we grow more oats than in the USA? Not sure. On the other hand, veggies are often more expensive because there are only few market stalls like your fruit seller for example so supermarkets are the only choice. I think it's sad we don't have the option to buy in bulk too. So much waste with all the small plastic packagings every time you buy legumes and grains. And all the plastic bags you need when buying veggies because most shops insist you take an extra bag for every kind of vegetable you weigh.
Your hair is beautiful, (well, you are too!), and I’m gonna spend the next couple days watching your past videos! Especially the sweet potato stuff. I’ve been looking for ways to get more sweet potatoes into our diets! Looks like you have a lot of really good info, I’m glad I found your channel!
This video is so great and informative! I love the way you film and edit your vids :) fav part was the close-ups of all the lil faces from the first store!!
I am newly converting to vegan, and I love your videos. I am struggling to find basic info such as pantry essentials (what to use for thickening, sauces, fillers, pros/cons comparing different kinds) and also how to know how much fresh to buy or knowing how long shelf life is (trying to avoid waste). I did watch your essential tools video which was great. Thought I would throw out some ideas for future videos, because I'm sure I'm not the only one struggling to get started and understand what's needed to start and figure out shopping schedule without waste. :)
Peel broccoli stem, cut into long sticks and enjoy with a dip! :) I love them, they taste like kohlrabi plus they're super healthy. You can also tell the freshness of broccoli by its stem...if it's not crunchy and juicy, then the broccoli is usually old.
First, Just wanted to thank you for your videos and recipes😍 Also, FYI if you peel off the tough part of the broccoli stalks, the stalk is so tender and tasty. It’s an excellent addition to soup, risotto or just eating it with broccoli florets😋
I literally love you! Your videos.. omg thanks you for your videos! Have made it so easy. I’ve changed my diet so drastically with your videos and encouragement. I can’t wait to fully transfer over. you’ve made me not even need anything else because of all of your substitutes that actually taste amazing!
I usually buy less garlic and melon and a ton more fruit, but love your list of foods! They're realistic for a variety of healthy recipes, from savory to sweet.
So nuts - that's my fave grocery store. There are also the old school farmers on lenox and 130thish and they sell cheeeeap fresh sweet potatoes and kale!! And they're so friendly.
I love your videos! I love vegan food and have started eating vegan about 75% of the time and I’ve completely cut out dairy. I would love to go completely vegan but it’s hard because my husband is a meat loving hunter same with all of our friends in our small town. But the best part about living in a small town surrounded by farms is the local produce.
This is the most amazing grocery haul video ever.. and they always bore me so, so much. Great information, great editing, youre beautiful! Much love from Chile
You can grate the lemon and lime peels to use for flavoring. You can keep the zest in the freezer. Only grate off the colored part of the peel. The white part does not taste good.
It's my first time on your channel, and I thought that this was a great video! Also, if you live near a Trade Joe's some of those items might be even cheaper- 1 lb. of carrots for $0.89, sweet potatoes are $0.49 each, and bananas are $0.19 cents each or $0.29 cents each if organic! :)
This is so amazing. I'm going to do this, starting now! I've been thinking about trying a vegan way of life, and I prefer to cook for myself. This helps me see that a) it's easy b) it is not expensive c) it looks fun! Happy to have subscribed, can't wait to get cooking and see how I feel after eating this way.
Love this video !! Btw that’s my favorite supermarket lol I notice it’s the one I always go to when you went outside lol thnx for the video it was so helpful now that I’m moving out and need to start budgeting
Yes NYC grocery haul! Your sunglasses are amazing, where are they from? Trader Joes has the cheapest Hemp Seeds and Chia seeds I've been able to find in the city
Great video! Looking forward to the rest of the series to see how you prepare what you purchased. Love your channel!!!! p.s. Where did you get your navy blue, kitty tote bag. so cute!
I wish I had fruit stands near me! Anyway, shopping around, buying sale items, and planning my meals and list before I go to the store are my tips to make it less expensive. Also, COUPONS!
LoVed this video!! Thank you... really great ideas on saving $$$ & planning where to buy things for the least amount of money. I am a new subscriber! 💞👍😊🌽🥝🥒
Hi where I live they have farms that sell fruits 🍉 and vegetables 🥒 however I'd have to travel out east since I live on the island.. Long Island and it's different from NYC where there's vegetables and fruit carts in the streets.. Thank you for sharing this video 😃👍🏽 Grace and Peace
I don't really eat a lot of fruit. If I do it's mostly berries, bananas, watermelon. I hate though trying to cut up fruit. Some of it is a pain to cut up like melons and even a mango is a pain with the pit. When I do get fruit a lot of times it's something easy to deal with and eat.
Love your vids! they are teaching me what I can eat :D I guess however because I live in Canada (not far from the us boarder either!) our food prices are insane! I ran everything you got at our market and the total came to $60.14. I guess when converted to US it's $45.49. I remember when it cost me $50 to eat for two weeks - not a week ;)
I watched about 1 minute of your video and instantly subbed. I never do that! Not sure what it was, just a good vibe! Excited to get to know you more. :)
It's amazing how much food prices vary - I live in South-East London and we budget £40-45/week for two people, which is 25-27$ per person. We buy fruit and veg from a grocer which saves a lot a money and waste from packaging. The garlic surprised me the most - we get 6 cloves for 60p!
This was so helpful, thanks so much for sharing. I have a very hard time budgeting for food that is cheap but healthy. I am also gluten-free, which adds another cost I have juggle/account for.
