Being vegan is not as hard as some people may think. Yes, being a college student while following a vegan diet CAN get tough every now and then, but I’ve learned some simple ways that one can do to save money while staying healthy. Here are a few tips:
–Cook beans and rice in large quantities. This is helpful because they can easily be heated and you can mix them with different things. For example, you can make a stir-fry by adding a variety of vegetables or you can make a wrap by adding hummus, lettuce and tomato in a tortilla.
-Remember, nuts go a long way. When I was in high school my friends used to make fun of me because I would always have nuts or granola for a snack. They would tease me and ask me how my “bird food” was. When I’m running late to class (which is most of the time with my terrible sleep schedule) I just grab a bag of roughly 8 almonds and I’m good to go. I feel full right away and get the energy that I need to start my day.
–Save your leftovers! Leftovers can go a long way. Just like with cooking in large quantities, you can always add different ingredients to your leftovers and make a brand new meal out of it.
–Keep frozen vegetables and fruits in the fridge. Sometimes I need a quick pick-me-up and I make a smoothie out of veggies and fruits. Frozen fruits and veggies are just as nutritional as fresh ones (although keep in mind that fresh is ALWAYS better).
–Buy day-old-bread from a nearby bakery. Stocking up on bread will save you money and you can always put it in the freezer so it won’t grow old.
-Find ethnic grocery stores. For example, Asian and Indian markets carry soymilk, tempeh and tahini. Normally these items are expensive in regular grocery stores; ethnic stores usually carry these items for much cheaper.
–Create your own garden. I have yet to start my own garden, although I plan to. If you don’t have the time to start your own garden you can always look up community gardens in your area. Here’s a map of community gardens in San Francisco.
Vegan That 