Affordable vegan shopping: 5 tips that’ll help you save

Can you save money when you shop vegan? Yes, absolutely. It’s actually really easy – and entirely plant-based!

Are you one of those people who regularly orders a pasta dish at your favourite Italian or enjoys a veggie duck with your friends at a Thai restaurant? How about vegan dürüm made with Shredded Soy that can go straight from hand to mouth, or that must-have (iced) coffee from the supermarket or to-go from a café so you can enjoy it as you stroll through town? It’s lovely and it’s definitely a nice treat, but it quickly adds up. If you’re looking to eat vegan food cheaply, there’s a better way to do it!

Would you prefer actually saving up some cash in your piggy bank rather than starving it with your extensive hunts for goodies? Then how about cooking your vegan food yourself and saving a tonne of money?

Our simple money saving tips

Cooking food yourself doesn’t just tend to be healthier, it’s also a lot cheaper. And the best thing: you know exactly what’s inside and you can decide what spices and ingredients you want to use in your homemade meals.

There are just a few things you should keep in mind when you’re looking to save money during a vegan shop! No need to worry, though. We’ll tell you everything you need to know.

Cheap and effective shopping

Write a shopping list. It’ll help you keep an eye on what you REALLY need. And: only buy the essentials – that’s especially true for fresh foods like fruit and veggies that don’t keep particularly long. Keep in mind that you can just as well buy things frozen – how about mixed berries and kale, for example? Lots of supermarkets – just like the Veganz Stores – have ripe but still perfectly edible products on offer. Grab them on days when you’ll be meal prepping or you’re planning a big cook anyway. Make sure you don’t buy more than you need of anything just because you forgot to check what was left in the cupboard before going out. It’s a good way to avoid food waste and to reduce what you spend on vegan food.
Buy cheap basics – some filling grains, some seasonal and locally-grown vegetables, and some protein-rich legumes. Whether you go for fresh, frozen, dried, or preserved – beans, lentils, or peas make a fantastic base for your meals. Large amounts of foods with a long shelf life like soy mince, seitan, and egg replacement powder round off the contents of any pantry and make it possible to quickly come up and experiment with a diverse range of dishes. Thinking about our first tip, it might sound counterintuitive to think about getting large – or even wholesale size – packets, but they tend to be cheaper and they save on packing material. In the long run, you’ll be saving money and doing something for the environment at the same time. But what on earth can you do with that sort of quantity of Soy Medallions and Shredded Soy?
When stored correctly, and if you have a clever weekly meal plan going, you can make sure foods are good to eat for a long time or that they’re used quickly and effectively. You might start thinking about the fantastic vegan recipes you’ll be able to conjure up with each of the products as soon as you’ve bought them. Just think of the Veganz Soy Mince: how about a simple vegan bolognese, vegan stuffed cabbage, or vegan meatballs? And there’s so much more you can make with it besides. The Seitan Powder is great for vegan bacon, a hearty roast, or even a vegan version of Asian ‘duck’ fillets. And just like that you’ve got yourself a lunch or dinner plan that you can enjoy with your loved ones to last the whole week – and that with vegan alternatives to meat on a budget.
Take a look at Pinterest or vegan food blogs, where you’re sure to find some great recipes. For German speakers (and lovers of traditional German food), great ones are, e.g., Zucker & Jagdwurst or Alex Kocht, but also the Veganz Instagram pages. You can take a look right here at the Veganz page. The individual product pages include suggestions for suitable recipes that are easy and cheap to make. For some inspiration and new ideas, try out some spices, pastes and basics you haven’t had before, or get together with your friends, family, or colleagues for an evening of cooking. What’s especially good: as you cook together, you won’t just discover new things. You’ll get to share the products you’ve bought! Share the huge packets with your family, friends, or neighbours. That way, you won’t just have saved some money, you’ll have made somebody else happy as well.
Our product and savings tip for you: grab yourself and three other people the four handy soya and seitan products. They only cost between € 2.49 and € 3.49 each. That’s not even 90 cents per person for our vegan dried alternat i ves to meat. Simply try out the budget-friendly bolognese with our Soy Mince and then get a bit more adventurous as you work your way through our other vegan recipe ideas. Vegan shopping for less is a lot easier than you’d have thought, right?! So, have fun discovering and trying out the plant-based all-rounders for the kitchen!

Recipe tip: simple vegan bolognese

Take a look at the other recipe highlights we’ve got for you

Vegan crusted roast made with Veganz Seitan Powder

The alternative to meat comes in a large packet, which makes it hard to beat on price, even when you compare it to the conventional variety. Their long shelf life makes the products perfect to go in the pantry. To prepare the products, you add water or a broth to the dried soya, which makes it nearly double in volume. The sustainable all-rounders for the kitchen can do all sorts and they come with a huge helping of protein. They’re perfect for your bolognese or burger patties, and served in a bowl or fried in a pan. To find out more about the products, click here.