Are you trying to save money on your groceries while following a whole-foods, plant-based lifestyle!?

I’m here to dispel the myth that eating vegan is expensive! In fact, you can save thousands on your family grocery bill each year by following some of my simple tips. These are the strategies I’ve used over the last four years to cut our grocery bill in HALF on a whole-foods, plant-based diet.

Save Money

Have a Plan and Stick To It

No matter what lifestyle you’re following, planning your meals out for the week is my number one top money saving grocery tip.

Take an hour each weekend to plan out what you want to eat for the week, and develop a shopping list based on that. Make sure you cover enough food for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

As the old saying goes – Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail. Without a plan and shopping list, you will end up buying food you don’t need, eating out because you didn’t purchase the right ingredients to actually put a meal together, or worse, throwing out food at the end of the week.

If you don’t have time to plan out a whole-foods, plant-based meal plan each week and populate a shopping list (with overlapping ingredients to help you SAVE MONEY), I’ve got you covered. Join Plant Ahead here and receive a new easy to follow meal plan and grocery list in your inbox each week. It’s just $7.99/month – and I can almost guarantee you’ll save that on your first grocery bill. It’s well worth the investment in yourself, your time and your money.

Focus on Whole Foods

Focus your grocery list around whole, unpackaged foods, especially leafy greens. There is an assumption that fresh produce is expensive, but when bought unpackaged and whole, it’s actually far cheaper than buying processed foods or getting takeout. Vegetables that have a longer shelf life include: celery, romaine lettuce, zucchini, carrots, yellow squash, winter squash, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, broccoli, and cauliflower. Fruits are great too, and some of the cheapest include bananas and frozen berries. To put this into practice, shop the outer aisles of the grocery store, avoiding the chip and frozen premade meal sections! Not only will you be making a great choice for your wallet, your body will thank you too.

fresh produce

Buy Bulk

Beans, legumes, seeds, nuts and grains can be purchased for a lot lower if you are able to find them in bulk. Buying your groceries this way also means you cut down on your use of plastics. Pack your pantry with legumes, seeds and grains such as chickpeas, oatmeal, rice, whole grain pasta, quinoa and more. Again – this is an extremely healthful way to approach a plant-based lifestyle, while saving money in the long run.

Compare Grocers

I couldn’t believe the difference in price between some of the grocery stores in my city of Barrie, Ontario. I would estimate that fresh produce at our local Asian grocery store Centra, is 1/3 of the price of popular chain Loblaws (this is the exact same produce by the same brands, organic included)!

It’s worth ‘shopping around’ for the best deals. This might require going to more than one grocery store for a shopping trip, but can truly save you hundreds of dollars a month if you find the right fit.

Avoid Vegan Specialty Items

Are you a huge fan of vegan cheeses, mock meats and coconut yogurts? I am too – but unfortunately these items tend to be extremely expensive. On top of that, most of them are pretty processed and loaded with refined oils.

I like to keep these vegan items for special occasions for these reasons. You’ll definitely notice it makes a huge difference on your grocery bill if you opt for whole foods instead.

Become a Member of Plant Ahead

Haha. I’ll end my list of top tips with a little plug for my whole-foods, plant-based meal prep program, Plant Ahead! Members say one of the biggest benefits to my program is that they save so much money on their grocery bills by sticking to my easy vegan meal plans.

Each week I release a new meal plan specifically designed for meal prep, with an itemized shopping list that has been strategically built to have overlapping ingredients to help save you money on your groceries. Furthermore, we use no mock meats, cheeses or speciality vegan items, so almost anyone, anywhere can use the plans and take advantage of the money saving possibilities!

When you join Plant Ahead today, you get access to every single one of my past meal plans along with two free ebooks. Each recipe comes with the caloric information as well if you want to fit them into your goals.

Sign up for only $7.99/month (cancel anytime) right here: COUNT ME IN!