Is veganism expensive? | How to save money as a vegan

Is veganism expensive?

Yes and no. If you live off of expensive alternatives, special foods, and imported ingredients, then yes. 

If you eat a traditional Indian diet, no.

Here's our top tips for saving money on a vegan diet.

Stick to traditional foods

Eating out is one of the most expensive ways to eat, whether you're a vegan or not. But if you still want to eat out, choose a darshini/hotel/sagar. They're fast, vegetarian, and offer tons of vegan options because oil is cheaper to use than ghee or butter.

You also don't have to shop at high-end natural food stores or select special products with fancy packaging to be vegan.

If this is the way you want to live, it'll come with a higher price tag. But for everyone else, eating vegan doesn't need to be expensive. If you stick to traditional Indian foods, you can eat like a king for just pennies a day.

(You can also save money by eating less meat and adding more fruits and vegetables. If you do this, your diet will be healthier, too!)

Dining on the traditional foods we grew up with like dal and chapatis are inexpensive, comfortable, and delicious. On top of that, these foods don't require any expensive, hard-to-find ingredients. So much of Indian food is vegan by default. Don’t stress it!

Cook at home

Cooking doesn't have to be a full-time job. It can be a great hobby to fill your days with accomplishment and new skills - and it also means you'll save money every time you choose to make dinner at home over going out.

And it pays off. Cooking healthy, inexpensive meals for yourself is like an investment in your health and well-being. By learning how to cook and making it a habit, you'll be able to make better food choices in general, and it'll help keep those medical bills down when you're older. 

Here's 5 tips to help you get started:

1. Figure out what you like to eat.
2. Prep ingredients the night before or over the weekend so you have ready-to-eat foods or sauces
3. Get some basic kitchen tools like a knife, cutting board, serving spoons, a spatula, pots, and pans.
4. Find recipes online. Youtube is especially helpful so you can watch how it's made.
5. Look for foods that are naturally plant-based instead of resorting to vegan alternatives. 
6. Don't forget that being a good cook takes time. Be patient!

Buy locally and in-season

As a vegan, you might find yourself spending much more on fresh produce than you used to. Good! It's much cheaper that way.

To save even more money, buy locally, buy in-season fruits and vegetables and plan your meals around them. Produce that isn't in-season is imported from other countries, which raises the price. You can even freeze in-season produce to use later in the year.

India has a powerful agricultural economy, producing food that is transported cheaply and without the use of plastic. If we focus more on buying these foods, we can save money and reduce our waste. 

Our final thoughts 

We know that consuming vegan substitutes isn't necessary to go vegan. But we strive to make it easier for people to go vegan by providing affordable alternatives in as many places as we can.

It is our mission to make vegan alternatives more affordable and accessible. From negotiating with suppliers, manufacturing in-house, and changing our ingredients to sharing helpful information on our social media platforms, we are always looking to reduce the cost of our products and spread awareness about vegan issues.

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