Vegan Grocery Shopping

The other day I went grocery shopping for the first time since switching to vegan. This isn’t the first time I’ve bought vegan foods but it is the first time I’ve bought ONLY vegan foods. One of the misconceptions about going vegan is that its too expensive, to an extent this can be true. But I think it depends where you shop and what time of foods you’re buying. I ended going to Aldi and Wegmans and the price difference shocked me. I always knew Aldi was cheap and Wegmans is a little more pricey but I didn’t know how much a difference there was.

I was originally only going to go to Aldi but I quickly realized they didn’t have everything I needed. They were actually out of stock for a lot of things. Here’s a list of things I got and the prices;

• Rotini Noodles: $0.79
• (2 packs) Earth Grown Veggie Burgers: $3.49 ea
• Vanilla Almond Milk Creamer: $1.79
• Organic Hummus: $1.99
• Guacamole: $2.99
• (2 packs) Frozen Peas: $0.79 ea.
• Frozen Corn: $0.79
• Vegetable Oil: $1.85
• (2 packs) Green Tea: $0.99 ea.
• Baby Carrots: $0.99
• Baby Spinach: $2.49
• Onions: $1.69
• Unsweetened Almond Milk: $1.69
• Onion Powder: $1.19

With tax(+ some reusable bags) the total was $33.22. I think for the amount of food I got this was a pretty good deal!

Wegmans prices;

• Silk Dairy Free Yogurt: $1.69
• (3 packs) Frozen Butternut Squash: $0.99 ea.
• Tofu Ravioli: $3.99
• Cayenne: $4.99
• GoMacro Protein Bar: $2.49
• Vegan Cheddar Squares: $3.49
• Nutritional Yeast: $5.99
• Rice Cakes: $2.99
• Daiya Alfredo: $3.99
• Cliff Bar: $1.19
• Cashew Butter: $10.99

The total cost for Wegmans was $44.77. I feel like I got more food, amount wise, at Aldi than Wegmans. I think with a total cost of almost $78 dollars I got a decent amount of food. I will admit I went a little overboard at Wegmans with their vegan options. I noticed if you buy vegan specific foods they’re usually more expensive than just buying fruits and vegetables and other ‘on accident’ vegan things to make a meal.

If you stick with basic things and make your own food you’ll spend a lot less money than buying pre-made meals. You can definitely make going vegan expensive, but this can be the same for any type of ‘diet.’ If you want to keep your shopping cheap I would suggest going to Aldi or Tops, and keep it simple. Another tip for grocery shopping is to make a list of what you need before going, this will help you not buy unnecessary things that will end up wasted.

I hope this helps you with an idea of prices when it comes to vegan shopping. If you have any questions about this or what to look for when you’re grocery shopping please feel free to leave a comment or send me a message on Instagram! If you guys like this post I will definitely do more and try to compare prices at different places.