I know that going vegan is hard. When I first made the switch from vegetarian to vegan, I had no idea what I was doing. I spent a lot of money on veggie burgers and prepackaged meals. Fortunately, I discovered that I could be vegan without spending five hundred dollars a month on groceries.

Whether you start as an omnivore or a vegetarian, it’s important to know that you don’t have to dump all your groceries. You may discover that many of your groceries are “accidentally” vegan, but be sure to double check the ingredients for sneaky things like whey and gelatin.

I was still in high school when I went vegan, so I had to eat whatever my family made. They helped me as much as they could, but they didn’t know much about a vegan diet. I started out buying all of my snacks and groceries at a local gourmet grocer, but we couldn’t afford that for very long. I did some research and found that most of the cereals, crackers, and grains in our pantry were vegan.

Another thing I did often when I first went vegan was eat out. I didn’t learn how to cook well until I started college, so I usually went out to one of the many vegan restaurants in my area. Although my favorite restaurant was fairly expensive, I still spent more than I should have. Now, we all need a night out every once in a while. However, it can get pretty pricey if it happens every night.

I still go out to eat once a week. A few months ago, I had the best macrobiotic bowl of my life. I found it at a vegan restaurant three hours away from my house. I couldn’t eat that every day for obvious reasons, so I scribbled down the bowl’s ingredients to make it myself. It didn’t turn out perfectly, but it was something I could play around with. I can cook well enough, but I wouldn’t say I’m capable to do so at a fantastic vegan restaurant.

Eating out can provide you with plenty of ideas for meals during the week. I get many of my meal ideas from my favorite restaurant. My husband and I go out to eat once a week at a fresh Mexican grill, and I always get the same grilled vegetable salad. I don’t eat a lot of salads at home because they  sound boring to me, but I have started making my own grilled vegetable salads at home, and I am mad at myself for not thinking of it sooner.

If your weakness is a veggie burger at your local grill, make your own. Add whatever they do that makes it so special. It makes perfect sense to get cooking tips and ideas from places that you already love, so go out and do your research!


(Header image by http://shecat.se)