The Cost of Being Vegan: Money, Struggles and Waistline

Let's get real.  We started this to be healthier, regardless of the financial changes.  We were hoping for a reduction in grocery bill.  Let's face it meat is not cheap, nor is dairy.  However, food is not priced by calorie and fruits and veggies are pricey as well.  This is a breakdown.  It will be 3 months in on October 7th and I wanted to show you what I discovered(so the third month is a little off, but I have no plans to buy anything and it won't skew the data).

I'll save the best for last: the money

First up: Struggles

We feel great and alive and know we are doing what is best for our bodies.  I think about the long term effects and I am so excited.  I am motivated and love to get creative with my cooking. It is challenging to find substitutes and planning meals for us and stuff for the kids(they are picky eaters).   Overall, we rarely miss anything, but it is challenging to find food choices in restaurants(including fast-food) and traveling(eating with others) makes things difficult(limited choices).

We're not perfect and have cheated a little a long the way.
A bite of chicken nugget here
Dairy Queen or Culver's there
Coffee Creamer
Chocolate and Chocolate Chip Cookies (butter and eggs)
I have had 1 Egg White omelet, twice with veggies and vegan cheese.
Plus: Vegan's do not drink coffee, soda, alcohol...and we have had our fair share of these.

Second: Waistline

Steve has dropped 20 lbs(we officially weigh in Thursday, today he is already there).

I have dropped 15lbs(What's disappointing is that I gained 11 lbs moving to Sioux Falls and am only slightly less than when we lived in Reno).  My habits in Reno were much better. I was at the gym for a solid hour 3-4 times a week and walked to the park 1-2 times a day.  I am definitely struggling with moving my fanny.  I have to drive to the gym here and I had so many friends to walk with in Reno. (Jamie, Arlene, Stacy, Kristin...I need you all)
I feel that if I had not switched our lifestyle I would have climbed even higher on the scale.

Finally: $$$$$
Whoa Dolly!!!
I calculated our food this way:
I totalled Pre-vegan for 3 months and got the average.
I totalled Post-vegan for 3 months(minus 3 days this month, as it isn't over yet) and got the average.
I totalled Target purchase for 3 months pre and post and got the average...just to see if I was buying more(mainly for food purposes).


Here are the results:


3 Month Average:
Food Pre-Vegan: $475
Food Post-Vegan: $950

3 Month Average:
Target Pre-Vegan: $300
Target: Post-Vegan: $400


SERIOUSLY???  This is not cool!!  
As they say, if fruits and veggies were priced per calorie, it would be a huge savings!!


The New Plan:
Each month, I will be allotting $300 for Target and $500 for food, and if we go over, we will have to make do with what we have in the pantry, freezer or starve.  Also, we are DONE juicing for awhile.  We are going to just eat the food we would normally juice.  It seems so wasteful and we can just eat those foods, among others.  Even if we tried, we couldn't eat as much as that being juiced, too much food.

Your turn: Calculate you monthly food spending for 3 months....are you really on a budget? We weren't and boy did it hurt our pocket book.  Good Luck and I will post at the end of the month our new report.