VegBlogger - a vegan / vegetarian blog

Guest Post: Saving Money, Vegan Style

I'm Amanda, a brand new blogger over at VeganCents and am honored to be featured on VegBlogger  
today. Thanks, Jacqueline!

Almost every time I get in a conversation with someone who's curious about veganism, the topic of money eventually comes up. So many people write off a veg diet because they think it's too expensive. I'm here to tell you that is not true.

First of all (at the risk of sounding preachy), when you buy a product, you're essentially voting for that company with your money. When you see products and food from companies that don't care about animals, you can probably be sure that those companies are the same ones that don't care about the environment, the health of the consumer, their workers, or future generations.

Unfortunately, a lot of the "cheap" food out there is the most processed, the least healthy, and the least kind.  But that doesn't make sense, right?  Wouldn't it take more work and money to make the more processed stuff?  Logically, yes.  But yet the price-tag is smaller. This is because of something called Cost Externalization.  We have a choice. We can fork over more money, and be healthier and more sustainable, or we can pay less at the checkout counter, but then pay exuberant amounts in different forms later on. These forms of payment include health costs, obesity, costs in taxes for cleaning up the environment, emotional costs, such as losing a loved one, or even invaluable costs like losing our planet, our lives, clean air, the list goes on...

And, you're not the only one that has to pay for your choices.  Your children, their children, workers in other countries, not to mention animals, also suffer. So, really, we pay more for Cheese Puffs, Twinkies, Soda, and A LOT more for Big Macs, than we do for the slightly more expensive organic, vegetarian, responsibly cultivated, whole foods.
(I first learned about Cost Externalization from watching The Story of Stuff, a very interesting and enlightening short film.)

Ok, but when I said being vegan is cheaper, I wasn't talking about externalized costs.  I meant, you really can pay less at the register. I've narrowed down my list of how to save to what I think are the best, most efficient ways:

1. Emailing manufacturers- This sounds lame, but it saves me so much money.  Email companies of products you'd like to buy, asking for coupons. Often times, they send FREE product coupons, or even an entire free item via snailmail. I started doing this long before I entered the vegan world, and found that it works much better with organic/veg-friendly companies. Just the other day, I received a 2 lb bag of organic rice in the mail, completely free!

2. Farmer's Markets- If you don't live near one, it may be worth a little drive every week. Just sayin'...  This is where I get all my produce.  It's true, some things that aren't in season can be quite pricey, but I find overall that the produce is better, lasts longer (in my experience, about 3x than grocery store produce), and is much cheaper.

3. Stacking Coupons- Many great stores like Whole Foods offer their own coupons.  For almost all stores, you can use 1 store coupon + 1 manufacturer coupon for the same item. This is called "stacking," and can get you many grocery items for cheap, or even free. Some bloggers (like me!) post weekly Coupon Match-ups to make it easy for others to get good deals.

4. Stockpiling- You can get the same amount of protein (and enjoyment!) from beans as you could from meat, but for much, much cheaper.  ou can buy beans when they're on sale, or with coupons, and stock up a whole year's worth, if you want, for super cheap. Unlike meat, you don't have to refrigerate/ freeze them, and they keep almost forever!  This applies to any other non-perishable too.  Milk is another great example. You can't stockpile cow's milk, and there are rarely coupons. However, you can find Almond/Soy/Rice/Oat/Hazelnut/Hemp Milk in the non-perishable isle, and there are almost always coupons and sales!  By coupon-stacking and stockpiling, I haven't paid a dime for milk since I made the switch.

So there you go!  A few tools to help you start saving on your vegan groceries.  Really, that's just the tip of the iceberg, but how long can one post really be?  Hope to see you over at VeganCents.com

How to Read a Great Story (Veg-Style) - Guest Post

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a guest post by Jessica Almy of VegBooks.org.

From Noah’s ark nursery décor to baby animal board books, our culture 
nurtures the connection between children and their animal kin. As vegetarians, we know that at some point those same children are expected to recognize that the food on their plate is an animal and
eat it. How that happens is a mystery to me, but as a mother, I have a heightened awareness of how ubiquitous meat is in American culture, and how readily accepted.

Still, I’m hopeful that as vegetarians, we can counterbalance that effect. One way to do it is by ensuring that the children in our lives see positive reflections of our values and choices. How? I think the best way is through storytelling.

You don’t need to be a parent to make a difference. Be a part of the lives of the children around you – whether nieces and nephews, neighbors, or friends – and become a powerful force for change. Children are observant: my daughter’s friends often ask me why we don’t eat meat, and they expect an answer.

Stock up on good books. Read about books online, or talk to a librarian, to find books that are age-appropriate. Preview them, if possible, to ensure that they portray nonhuman animals as friends, not food, and that they promote positive values like healthy eating and caring for others and the earth.

When you settle down for a read, minimize distractions and make sure the lighting is good. Get into the book you’re reading. (Pretend you’ve been hired to perform the audio book.) You can go serious or silly, do voices or not – but be sure to go slowly and stop to answer questions.

Pay attention to the words, illustrations, and the subtext of the book. For younger kids, you can do some creative editing along the way, saying “soy dog” for “hot dog,” or referring to animals as “he” or “she” instead of “it.” Readers who are following along won’t usually let you get away with this, but you can still edit out loud and allow yourself to be “corrected,” in order to draw attention to parts you find objectionable.

Afterwards, find a time to discuss the book you’ve read. Ask lots of questions, but don’t be afraid to point out what you liked, and didn’t, about a particular story.

Finally, be sure to listen to the children in your life. Kids can teach us if we let them.

About Jessica Almy:
Jessica Almy is inspired by her 4-year-old daughter, who sees the
world through veg-colored glasses. (Kiddo once saw a McDonald’s ad
and exclaimed, “Look at those delicious veggie burgers!”) Read
Jessica’s reviews of children’s books at Vegbooks.org.