Save Money - Be A Vegetarian Part Time
August 23 2007
By MoneyBlueBook
Yesterday I had dinner with an Indian friend of mine at a pretty nice Chinese restaurant. I've known him since we were little kids in junior high school. Every time we'd get together for a meal, we'd usually end up eating a vegetarian meal since he's a vegetarian. Now, I'm a meat lover myself, preferring a nice pork, beef, or seafood laden meal to something bereft of all finger licking goodness. However, everytime my friend and I go out to eat, I'd always find myself ordering a vegetarian dish out of courtesy.
Vegetables Dishes Are Cheaper Than Meat Dishes
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What I didn't realize or notice until recently was that he was actually saving a rather large sum of money by sticking to a vegetarian diet, albeit unintentionally. It's not a secret that vegetables, tofu, and fruits simply cost less than meat products such as chicken, pork, beef, and seafood.
While we were at the Chinese restaurant, I glanced down at the menu and compared prices. Since were were both going to share our dishes, we were obviously going vegetarian. Prices for vegetarian dishes such as ma-po tofu or the bok choi with black mushrooms were only $8.50 each. Keep in mind that this was a pretty nice restaurant in a very nice part of town. A quick flip back to the meat entrees showed prices such as $12.50 for a chicken entree, and a$13.75 for a beef dish. Yes, it's only a few dollars, but in the aggregate and over the years, a dollar here and a dollar there can really add up into major money.
Vegetarian Groceries Are Cheaper Too!
I tagged along with my friend when he went grocery shopping one time and noticed the exact same thing. Even his grocery shopping habits resulted in a much lower final bill compared to mine. While I was buying pepperoni pizzas, salmon, and chicken breast, he was buying chickpeas, lentils, and carrots. The price difference between meat and vegetable products was quite astounding!
This got me thinking. I wonder how much I could truly save if I switched to a vegetarian diet, at least part time? Obviously I could not give up meat altogether (meat tastes too good!), but I knew I could at least adopt a semi vegetarian palate when I went out to eat. Rather than sit down and calculate with abstract numbers, I decided to embark on my social experiment. If you are curious , I would suggest adopting this approach to find out for yourself. You'll be surprised at how much you could save if you adopted such a diet. Besides, vegetables and fruits are very nutritious and good for you! It's a win-win plan.
February 5, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I became semi vegetarian while attending college full-time. Not only was it much cheaper than what I had been eating before, but it was much easier to prepare for one person. And though I know that a diet including meat everyday can be healthy, I found it easier to make healthy choices once I made the switch.
February 19, 2008 at 9:41 am
Hi there - I found your blog through the Vegetarian Carnival.
I like your post - it's a good reason to eat more vegetarian meals. In fact, you can save even MORE money on a vegetarian cuisine when you begin to grow your own produce in your garden on on your balcony. (Of course, the drawback is that at the end of summer it can be a little shocking to return to buying grocery store tomatoes and peppers!)
Best,
JLB