Switching to a plant-based diet may seem overwhelming at first, but it’s actually much easier, and a few grocery shopping tips can help you save money.
Buy in season. All fruits/berries/vegetables purchased in season are much cheaper, so it is recommended to eat according to the seasonality of a particular product.
Try to avoid canned, packaged fruits and vegetables. They are always more expensive than unprocessed ones (in addition, the extra cost of material for packaging). Sealed products are an option if you need to take it with you (on the road, for the office, etc.). But remember that you overpay for them.
Check it out. Local fruits, as a rule, are cheaper than imported ones. However, the opposite also happens. Do not forget: the longer the distance the fruit is brought from, the more costs are invested in its price tag (payment for fuel for transportation, etc.)
At the end of the day, buy from farmers. Farmers markets are the best place to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, seasonally grown locally. Especially if you come to the market at the end of the day when manufacturers are ready to sell at a discount so as not to pack back and bring products back.
Do not neglect the purchase of frozen vegetables. Often, frozen is cheaper than fresh and even more nutritious in vitamins, since freezing occurs immediately after harvest. And, of course, keep an eye out for discounts, during which you can buy frozen vegetables for soups, stews, roasts, pastas and many other dishes.
Appreciate your time. For most of us, time is as valuable as money. We are used to thinking that fast food saves our time – an illusion imposed by a well-thought-out advertising strategy. But in reality, the time spent on the road to the fast food restaurant, to queue in it, could be spent at home with the family, preparing a simple dinner. All it takes is a little time to learn how to cook a few new dishes. Even easier: you can cook the dishes you know in a vegetarian version.
In fact, the price of the meat diet of most people is hidden in many ways – daily well-being, the dubious prospect of a long life without diseases, the ecological state of the Earth, water, animals … and wallet. Pretty big, isn’t it?