From veganfoodandliving.com
Tired of feeling like you're spending a fortune on food but never having a single cohesive meal to show for it? Master the ‘kitchen audit’ and save money on food shopping with this simple budget vegan meal planning guide
You know that meme about going to the store for hoisin sauce, only to get home and find you already have multiple bottles? That’s me, but with everything. Need a can of chickpeas or lentils? I’ve got plenty to spare! Peanut butter? Take your pick of brands, I’ve got a selection. A complete set of ingredients to make a healthy, balanced vegan meal? Sorry, I can’t help you there.
My cupboards are straining under the weight of unused ingredients, while my bank account is empty and derelict. I spend a fortune on ‘deals’, but I’m never actually prepared for the week ahead.
Luckily for me, Carrie, AKA The Frugal Vegan UK, has shared her secret in a video that helped all the pieces click into place. She showed how her simple process for budget vegan meal planning can save you money and time. Following her method, she spent an incredibly low £10.63 per person on a weekly shop and cleared out some kitchen storage in the process.
So, here are Carrie’s top tips for budget vegan meal planning, followed by an in-depth look at how to perform a ‘kitchen audit,’ make a food waste-cutting meal plan, and shop smart to save money on plant-based food.
3 top tips for budget vegan meal planning
1. Make use of what you have:
Don’t start your meal plan with a blank slate each week. Build off of the foods you have in your kitchen already, and plan to make use of leftovers from the previous week.
2. Look out for freebies:
Check out waste-reducing apps like Olio for surplus food that would otherwise be thrown away. Store it well in the freezer or use another preservation method like canning, and free food can be used in meal plans for weeks and months to come.
3. Stock up when items are on sale:
If you regularly use an item and it keeps well, grab a couple of extras when you see a good deal. Your future self will thank you.
How The Frugal Vegan UK plans budget meals
According to Carrie, the first step of budget vegan meal planning is to take note of what you already have in your cupboards, fridge, and freezer. The key is to make a list of what’s available and use it as a base to build your meal plan. We’ll take a more in-depth look at how you can perform your own ‘kitchen audit’ in step 1 below.
She starts with a look through her fridge, and it’s surprisingly relatable. She finds lots of seasonings, sauces, and condiments, but besides a few snacks left behind by friends, she points out that there’s ‘no actual food.’
As she moves to her cupboards, she shows off a stock of Marmite Graze snacks, bought from Heron Foods for 49 pence each. It’s a great example of how shopping smart can save you money in the long run. If you have access to discount outlets and a little money to spare for the upfront cost, you can be snacking for months for pennies per portion.
When sorting through the stock of bread in her freezer, Carrie also highlights the importance of using apps like Olio, a food-sharing platform that lets you grab surplus food for free or at a very low cost. Not only does this help you save a ton of money, but it also helps to prevent food waste in the wider world.
Once Carrie has figured out what she has in the kitchen, she’s ready to build her meal plan. Despite the seemingly sparse contents of her fridge and cupboards, she only needed to buy fruits, veggies, and a few fridge staples to make her meals, which included Swedish ‘meatballs’ with mash and vegetables, tofu stir fry, risotto, salads, and fruity porridge.
In total, her shop cost just £21.26, or £10.63 per person. This low food bill was aided by some savvy savings using discounts and vouchers, but it also included extra treats like vegan cheese that could be saved for future meal plans.
A beginner’s guide to meal planning
In her video, Carrie quickly lists her planned meals, showing what she already has versus what she needs to buy.
Some of you may be thinking, ‘Well, of course, that’s obvious. This is so easy.’ And I’m happy for you, really, but this guide isn’t for you. This is for those of us who are new to meal planning and find the process overwhelming.
So, let’s break Carrie’s method into simple, actionable steps. Starting with breaking down your cupboard list to make planning easy, right through to planning your route around the supermarket, here’s a step-by-step guide to budget vegan meal planning.
Step 1: List what you’ve got by category
The first step of budget vegan meal planning is to go through your fridge, freezer and cupboard and list out everything you’ve got. This is much easier if you can keep your list well organised.
If you’re comfortable using spreadsheets, make your list on a phone, tablet, or computer. This way, you can jot down the foods you have in the order you come to them, and categorise and reorder them later. (You can even build your meal plan and shopping list on the same document, if you prefer.)
The great thing about a digital list is that you can reuse it each week, simply removing the items you use and adding your new leftovers and bargains.
But if you prefer an old-school pen and paper, you’ll benefit from picking your food categories first and setting up separate lists for each.
I like to keep it simple with separate lists for proteins, carbs, fruits and vegetables, condiments, and snacks/desserts. This means I can ‘mix and match’ my meals with at least one thing from each category. But you may prefer to group by cuisine or meal occasion, depending on how you like to build your meals.
It may take some time to perfect your list, so use trial and error to figure out what works best for you.
Step 2: Map out your meals
Once you have your categorised list, you can start building your meal plan. I found it best to start with dinners, as breakfast and lunch can often be easier to plan (or be the same each week).
Write a list of your planned breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the week, marking off the things you have on your cupboard list as you go. So, if you add ‘tofu noodle stir fry with sweet chilli sauce’ to your meal plan, cross off the tofu and noodles in your cupboard. If you have a single-serving sauce sachet in your cupboard to use, cross that off too. But if you’re likely to only take a small amount of sauce from a big bottle, you can leave that item unmarked to use again later.
The goal is to use as many of the products you already have as possible to best cut down on waste and costs.
If you’re generally good with lists and planning, you can incorporate step 3 into this meal planning session and write your shopping list as you go. But if you prefer to break it down into smaller tasks, stick with just the meal plan for now.
Just make sure you have a clear way of keeping track of which ingredients you already have for the meals. (I’d suggest ticking or highlighting the items on your cupboard list while keeping them readable, and ensuring that the ingredients name is mentioned clearly in the meal plan entry.
Step 3: Write your shopping list
After mapping out your meals, write your final shopping list. Go through your meal plan and list every single ingredient you don’t already have.
To make your trip even more efficient and avoid impulse buys, try to group items by aisle. If you’re familiar with the shop’s layout, list items in the order you’ll come to them. This way, you can even skip whole aisles, avoiding temptation from unnecessary items.
Step 4: Plan your shopping trip
For some, having a list will be enough, but others may benefit from a more detailed plan before they hit the shop.
Before you leave the house, check for discounts and offers. In her video, Carrie mentions using the Lidl Plus app to get discounts on certain items, but most supermarkets have a similar app available.
Check for any offers that match your planned meals — you may be able to save a few pennies by swapping to a different brand or buying a different size. Planning this ahead of time will help you avoid tricky mid-shop price comparisons.
This is also a great time to decide on any extras you might pick up ahead of future meal planning. For example, Carrie grabbed a great deal on vegan cheese through her app, meaning she could keep it on hand for future meals.
Don’t forget to add any non-meal-related household items to your list, like toilet paper or cleaning supplies. Once your list is complete, you’re ready to shop!
Conclusion
Learning to plan ahead and make the most of what you have is a game-changer. It not only saves you money but also reduces food waste and the stress of a nightly ‘what’s for dinner?’ panic.
By following this simple guide inspired by Carrie, you can turn your chaotic cupboard into a streamlined system that serves you (and your bank account) well.
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