A question I often get asked is how do I afford to eat whole food plant based? Is eating plant based expensive?
This is a common misconception about eating whole food plant based/ vegan.
A misconception that I also used to believe was true. I was bracing myself to spend more. But when we checked out at the grocery store for the first time after changing our eating habits, I was MIND BLOWN at how much money we saved!
Don’t get me wrong, buying vegan and plant based alternative products, like dairy-free cheese, can definitely get pricey compared to “regular” cheese.
But on the other hand, when you are buying whole, plant foods, you can’t get much cheaper and more bang for your buck, than the produce section! As long as most of your grocery shopping is done in this section, you will see a lower number than usual at checkout.
The Art of Repurposing
To save you even more money while eating more plants, there are several habits that you can practice.
Over time, I’ll get into more, but for today I want to highlight the practice of repurposing.
Repurposing food, waste, and containers can save you money in your kitchen and home & can help our planet at the same time by reducing waste.
Here are 3 examples of repurposing that will save you a decent amount of money over time!
1. Repurpose your chopping scraps
If you are someone who buys fresh produce and chops vegetables regularly, save the parts of the vegetable that you normally throw out (like the skins, ends, core, stem, etc.) to make vegetable broth.
Check out my easy Low-waste Vegetable Broth recipe!
Not only does this utilize those extra parts of the vegetable, but it also eliminates vegetable broth from your shopping list!
Pro Tips:
1. For added flavor, add any old but still good vegetables in your fridge that are soon going to have to be thrown out to the broth.
2. If a recipe calls for vegetable broth and you don't have any, you can simply quickly season some water with some spices, heat it up & it'll work just fine!
2. Repurpose your leftovers
Leave no leftover behind! Eat all of your leftovers!
Have some leftover rice?
Save it and add it to your next lunch!
Have a little tomato sauce left?
Freeze it and add it to the broth of your next soup!
Have some leftovers but not enough for a meal?
Cook up some potatoes or rice and add it in.
Don’t need to use all of the beans in the can?
Save the rest in a container and add it to your next meal.
Nobody in your house eat the ends of the bread loaf?
Make some bread crumbs or croutons
3. Repurpose your sauce, salsa & jelly jars/containers
Washing and reusing your old food jars/containers can keep a lot of waste out of your trash.
It can also keep a lot of money in your pocket.
Here’s a list of some things I use my empty jars and containers for:
Sauce jars → Glass cups with or without lids, leftovers containers, food storage containers, herb containers, flower vases, coin/jewelry containers, brush holders, decorative jars, decorative cups, pencil/pen holders, toilet tree holders, gift holders, measuring cups if measurements listed, & more!
Jelly & Salsa jars → smaller versions of all of the above.
Spice containers → smaller versions of all things previously listed.
Just remove the label, wash and reuse!
The easiest way to remove label residue:
→ Mix a spoonful of baking soda with 2-3 spoonfuls of olive oil or dish soap in a small bowl
→ Rub a pretty thick layer of the mixture directly onto the area you want to clean
→ Let it sit for at least 15 minutes
→ Using a brush or rough textured cloth, rub mixture in circles to remove residue
→ Rinse thoroughly with warm water.
I hope this helps!
Bookmark this page & send to a friend that is looking to save some money :)