# Soon to be nearly broke - need advice on cheap vegetarian food options **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989 "2009-12-04T15:42:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/41 "2009-12-05T16:57:08Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Oatmeal? Rice? That’s cheap and will fill you up, but you need vitamins. Didn’t I read on this board that the Irish years ago stayed surprisingly healthy on a diet of potatoes, milk, and…something else, oatmeal? Anyway, someone will let you know. That Irish diet probably included the occasional bit of pig. Some parts of the animal are pretty cheap–but no help for the vegetarian. I’d like to put in a good word for lentils–because they cook more quickly than beans. Check out some online Indian recipes & pick up some spices when you visit your local Asian market. Lentils are pretty good cooked “European” style, too. Do you have local Mexican/Latin markets that sell fresh tortillas? Corn tortillas are tasty & usually really cheap. Flour tortillas are often made with lard–the low fat brands are more expensive. With some bulk-bought fresh or dried chiles & some cumin, you’ve got a whole different set of options to liven up your rice & beans. Mexican style cheese is also worth investigating. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/42 "2009-12-05T17:31:22Z")
> [@umop\_ap\_sdn](#): > > Darn, never heard of it. I could look but I doubt there’s one here. Would be great to get good deals on those kinds of things. [Aldi](http://www.aldi.com/) is international but not everywhere. I’d check. What sort of discount stores do you have nearby? You can improvise all kinds of things. I learned a lot of save-money tips when I was preparing to buy a house on my own: - The local dollar store has good deals on some items. Fake OxyClean (cleaning supplies in general), jars of peppers, big bottles of hot sauce, and corn tortillas $1 each. Some of what they sell isn’t a good deal, but it pays to look around. - Big Lots is a great place to stock up. However, I stuck to grocery items, and I only bought when it really was a good deal. Sometimes I’d go in and get nothing, sometimes I’d leave with a huge cart. The neat thing about Big Lots is that they’d get big stocks of gourmet foods that you could buy on the cheap. For awhile I was eating tons of udon and rice crackers; another time I stocked up on Moroccan curry rice. I still go because I can find interesting things I’d never let myself buy at full price. I went a few weeks ago and picked up a bunch of jars of cornichons and Kalamata olives. Cheap as rice and beans? Maybe not, but eventually you get tired of the same thing, and picking up things you can put in a lot of foods to jazz up flavor like sauces, spice blends, pickled vegetables, flavored vinegars, and so on help alleviate that. Oh, and I really, really hate cheap toilet paper, and for awhile I got amazing deals on Cottonelle Ultra here. - Local grocery stores: if you aren’t working in the future, see if you can get online and view circulars. Most of the grocery stores in my area publish them online now (since I don’t pay for a newspaper subscription). Grocery stores often have loss leaders in things like milk to draw you in. Go with a list. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/43 "2009-12-05T18:59:46Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > If you are under the impression that two hundredths of a pound is an ounce, you have been doing it wrong since 1980. Perhaps if you stopped rolling your eyes you could see that. > > My figures were for dry measure, by the way. who the hell buys rice and beans by the single pound if they are living vegan? The best bang for the buck is the 5 or 10 lb bag. actually we buy rice in the 25 lb bag, and beans in the 10 lb bag, I just gimped out to the kitchen and took a look. So, 400 servings of rice and 160 servings of [this bag] anasazi beans. IIRC the rice was 28, so that makes it a whopping .07 per serving for the rice and honestly I have no idea how much the beans were, but under $10 i believe. Sod off. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/44 "2009-12-05T20:14:20Z")
Just a word about the whey protein, while I definately agree it’s good for you, no question, if you get unflavoured be prepared to be grossed out. Even if you mix it with other food it’s hard to disguise the taste. I bought unflavoured whey and almost everything I put it in was too horrible to eat, and I’ll eat pretty much anything, so that says a LOT about how awful the taste is. I’m not discouraging anyone from getting it 'cause whey protein is excellent, but be prepared to try a lot of things to disguise the taste. “Unflavoured” whey protein has a flavour, and it’s called YECH ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/45 "2009-12-05T20:21:02Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Another tip- powdered milk is not the enemy. It sucks for outright drinking, but it’s fine for all kinds of other stuff. I’m guessing it’s due to lack of demand, but powdered milk is expensive here. A box of around a pound costs $8, which is several times more expensive than when I was living in the city a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/46 "2009-12-05T21:27:13Z")
It’s worthwhile if you’re the sort of person who has a hard time keeping milk in the house but needs milk for baking and stuff - either my boyfriend drinks all the milk in seconds flat or it goes bad, so there’s definitely times before I started keeping some powdered stuff around when my cooking was impaired because there was no milk so we just went out and got something. It’s a decent staple to have in the pantry, but not a cheaper substitute. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/47 "2009-12-05T21:51:57Z")
One thing I haven’t noticed mentioned - plant some herbs in containers now to go with all the rice and beans. Especially basil & oreganum, they both are easy to grow on a windowsill or balcony. Tomatoes too. A small handful of fresh herbs can make all the tatste difference. ---
**Author:** ![Anduinel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Anduinel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduinel)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/48 "2009-12-05T22:41:22Z")
The OP’s mention of curry powder caused me to remember [this recipe](http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2009/08/curried-brown-rice-with-tomatoes-and.html). That blog is good for vegetarian recipes in general. Seconding that frozen – and occasionally canned, especially on 2-for-1 days – veggies are usually easiest on the wallet. Buy store brands; there’s usually little no difference nutritionally. If you want/need something fresh, buy whatever’s in season. Make sure to do the math on store sales and promotions too; they’re often not as good as they sound. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/49 "2009-12-05T23:19:57Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > who the hell buys rice and beans by the single pound if they are living vegan? Who said anyone did? Are you sure you’re responding to the right poster? > [@](#): > > actually we buy rice in the 25 lb bag, and beans in the 10 lb bag, I just gimped out to the kitchen and took a look. So, 400 servings of rice and 160 servings of [this bag] anasazi beans. 400 servings from a 25 lb. bag is not nearly the same thing as 1,000 servings from a 20 lb. bag. You did portion control for who, again? > [@](#): > > IIRC the rice was 28, so that makes it a whopping .07 per serving for the rice and honestly I have no idea how much the beans were, but under $10 i believe. Sod off. I have no idea what price has to do with it. Or who put the bug up your butt. Or why you can’t do simple math. Or why you feel the need to be insulting. The only way to get 1,000 servings from 20 lbs. of rice is to climb a mountain, have a sermon, and hope that Jesus shows up. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/50 "2009-12-06T00:34:52Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > A big bag of rice and an equally big bag of beans is a good way to go. When some friends of mine were newlyweds, and pretty much broke, this is what they largely lived on. ---
**Author:** ![tavalla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tavalla/32/89_2.png) [@tavalla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavalla)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/51 "2009-12-06T01:10:33Z")
When I was a broke student, one of my favourite haunts was the fruit & veg markets just before they closed for the weekend, when they either had to sell it fast or bin it - you could haggle a bit on prices, maybe get a bit more of a discount for bulk, and then freeze what you couldn’t eat before it went off. Lotsa fresh vegies and fruit (and in good nick) plus fresh fish and meat (not that this is your issue) for incredibly cheap prices. It was a bit potluck, because you never knew exactly what they’d have left by that stage, but I’d occasionally end up with vegies I’d never tried before, and found I liked them. Out of necessity, I also spent a lot of time experimenting with different ingredients and cooking methods, which probably made me a better cook than I’d otherwise have been. And your basic rice/beans/fresh vegies are versatile - with the right pantry staples (some stock powder, herbs, spices etc) you can cook damned near anything. Second/third/fourth/fifth/whatever we’re up to the recommendation for a slow cooker: put your stuff in there at the start of the day, leave it all day, come home to a honkin’ big pot of stew or curry or soup; make it in bulk, freeze it or fridge it, take more to work the next day. That kind of thing usually tastes better on the second or even third day. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/52 "2009-12-06T04:42:07Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Who said anyone did? Are you sure you’re responding to the right poster? > 400 servings from a 25 lb. bag is not nearly the same thing as 1,000 servings from a 20 lb. bag. You did portion control for who, again? I don’t have a dog in this fight, but **even sven** is the one who said 1,000 servings (and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was exaggerating and really meant “a whole lot”), not **aruvqan**. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/53 "2009-12-06T07:55:54Z")
Rice and beans (yay complete protein) is the way to go. Or soup. Both of which can be enhanced with stones. But whatever you do don’t neglect your leafy greens, no matter how expensive they are. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/54 "2009-12-06T08:38:35Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > I don’t have a dog in this fight, but **even sven** is the one who said 1,000 servings (and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was exaggerating and really meant “a whole lot”), not **aruvqan**. Goodness. Maybe I didn’t have an exact hold on the weight of the bags- they were whatever size the “big old bag of pinto beans” and “big old bag of rice” from Sam’s Club is. And I remember being extremely impressed that at least one of the bags claimed to have more than a thousand servings. Anyway, next time I’ll do a better job remembering the weights of packages I bought years ago. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/55 "2009-12-06T15:05:47Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > Rice and beans (yay complete protein) Are some people in this thread using the word “protein” to mean “nutrition”? Is this a common usage or am I reading it wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/56 "2009-12-06T16:43:12Z")
Pinto beans and cornbread saw a lot of families through the Great Depression. (Of course, I flavor my pintos with pork, but you don’t _have_ to.) Pintos, cornbread from scratch, and greens of some kind make a cheap and nutritious meal. Add a baked sweet potato if you’re really hungry. Some salsa and/or hot sauce can add extra flavor to the pintos and cornbread, and vinegar pepper sauce gives the greens a kick. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/57 "2009-12-06T16:58:36Z")
Polenta (corn meal) is another staple. Easy to boil up, shape into logs, and slice off for frying up. I know you can make your own seitan. 8 cups of flour makes 2-3 cups of seitan. I’ve never done it, I understand its a little bit of a pain in the butt to do. Baking your own bread - particularly sourdough bread which means you aren’t investing in yeast (the expensive part of bread) can get your bread expenses down to $.25-50 a loaf. Pizza can be pretty cheap. Make up a bunch of crusts and freeze them. Buy your mozzerella on sale and freeze that, too. Or get it in bulk from a warehouse club (if you don’t have a membership, find a friend that does and will pick you up cheese). By the way, this is the time of year to find flour on sale. Cheap eating generally takes time. You might be interested in these people, who ate for $1 a day - I think they are vegan [http://onedollardietproject.wordpress.com/](http://onedollardietproject.wordpress.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/58 "2009-12-06T17:15:46Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Are some people in this thread using the word “protein” to mean “nutrition”? Is this a common usage or am I reading it wrong? No…complete proteins are a challenge in a vegetarian diet. If you eat your veggie food preprocessed, you never really need to worry about it - some nutritionist somewhere has created “complete proteins” in your Boca Burger. But when you start cooking from scratch, it can be an educational challenge to figure out how to feed yourself without leaving something out of your diet. (Hint, it isn’t a diet of ramen noodles and nachos). Vegetarian diets can be very healthy, but the protein issue is one that can be a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/59 "2009-12-06T17:19:57Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Goodness. Maybe I didn’t have an exact hold on the weight of the bags- they were whatever size the “big old bag of pinto beans” and “big old bag of rice” from Sam’s Club is. And I remember being extremely impressed that at least one of the bags claimed to have more than a thousand servings. Anyway, next time I’ll do a better job remembering the weights of packages I bought years ago. Slacker. Really there is no excuse for not remember EXACTLY the contents of a bag of rice bought five years ago - the weight and the price and the exact number of serving you got out. And whether it was jasmine or basmati. And the name of the guy in the Indian market who sold it to you. And the day of the week. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989/60 "2009-12-07T14:11:10Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > I don’t have a dog in this fight, but **even sven** is the one who said 1,000 servings (and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was exaggerating and really meant “a whole lot”), not **aruvqan**. Right. But it was \*\*aruqvan \*\*who took me to task for questioning it. [QUOTE=even sven] Anyway, next time I’ll do a better job remembering the weights of packages I bought years ago. [/QUOTE] No need. You could just do some simple math before telling someone they can get nearly a years worth of servings from a 20 lb. bag of rice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soon-to-be-nearly-broke-need-advice-on-cheap-vegetarian-food-options/519989.md?page=4)