I hear it every week. "Veganism is expensive." "I can't afford to eat plant-based." "Organic tofu costs more than chicken."
So I did something about it. I tracked every single thing I ate for seven days and kept every receipt. Total grocery bill: $23.47. Not a typo. Twenty-three dollars and forty-seven cents.
Here's the full breakdown.
The Grocery Run: $23.47
One trip. One store. Walmart, because I'm not proving a point about Whole Foods — I'm proving a point about reality.
- Dry black beans, 2 lbs — $1.78
- Dry brown rice, 5 lbs — $3.24
- Dry lentils (green), 1 lb — $1.28
- Oats (store brand), 42 oz — $2.98
- Frozen mixed vegetables, 2 bags — $2.50
- Bananas, 3 lbs — $1.47
- Onions, 3 lb bag — $1.98
- Garlic, 3 heads — $1.00
- Canned diced tomatoes, 3 cans — $2.37
- Peanut butter (store brand), 16 oz — $1.88
- Whole wheat bread — $1.28
- Frozen spinach, 1 bag — $1.00
- Soy sauce — $0.98
- Cumin + chili powder (already had, but ~$0.50 worth used)
Total: $23.47 after tax. That's $3.35 per day. Under a dollar per meal.
The Meals: What I Actually Ate
Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with sliced banana and a spoonful of peanut butter
Lunch: Black bean and rice bowl with sautéed onions, garlic, cumin, and canned tomatoes
Dinner: Lentil soup with frozen spinach and mixed vegetables
Tuesday
Breakfast: Peanut butter toast with banana slices
Lunch: Leftover lentil soup (made a big batch)
Dinner: Fried rice with frozen veggies, soy sauce, garlic
Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with banana
Lunch: Rice and beans with hot sauce
Dinner: Black bean tacos (using bread as wraps — don't judge, it works) with onions and tomatoes
Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, peanut butter stirred in
Lunch: Lentil and rice bowl with frozen veggies
Dinner: Bean chili — black beans, lentils, tomatoes, onion, cumin, chili powder. Made enough for two days.
Friday
Breakfast: Peanut butter banana toast
Lunch: Leftover chili over rice
Dinner: Garlic fried rice with spinach and soy sauce
Saturday
Breakfast: Big bowl of oatmeal with banana
Lunch: Rice and black beans, last of the tomatoes
Dinner: Lentil stew with onions and mixed vegetables
Sunday
Breakfast: Peanut butter oatmeal
Lunch: Leftover lentil stew
Dinner: Bean and rice burrito bowls with whatever was left
But Is It Nutritious?
Let me answer this before someone emails me about protein.
A single cup of cooked lentils has 18 grams of protein. A cup of black beans has 15 grams. Add rice, oats, peanut butter, and bread — I was hitting roughly 60-70 grams of protein per day without trying. That's more than enough for an average adult. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics confirms plant-based diets meet all protein needs.
Iron? Lentils and spinach. B vitamins? Whole grains and nutritional yeast (which I didn't even buy this week). Fiber? I was getting three times the daily recommended amount. My gut was thriving.
Was it gourmet? No. Was it boring? Some days. Was it nutritionally complete, filling, and under a dollar per meal? Absolutely.
"But I Like Variety"
Cool. Me too. This was a budget floor experiment — proof that the cheapest possible vegan week still beats the cheapest possible meat week on both cost and nutrition.
For comparison, the USDA's "Thrifty Food Plan" estimates the cheapest meat-inclusive diet for a single adult at $50-60 per week. I came in at less than half that. And I wasn't eating factory-farmed animals pumped full of antibiotics.
Want more variety? Add $5-10 for:
- Tofu ($1.50-2.00)
- Sweet potatoes ($2 for 3 lbs)
- Seasonal fruit ($2-3)
- Spice variety (curry powder, paprika, turmeric — $1 each)
For $30-35/week you're eating like royalty. Plant royalty.
The Real Reason People Say Veganism Is Expensive
They're thinking of Beyond Burgers, cashew cheese wheels, and $7 oat milk lattes. Nobody says "driving is expensive" because Lamborghinis exist.
The staples of a vegan diet — rice, beans, lentils, oats, potatoes, frozen vegetables, bananas, peanut butter — are literally the cheapest foods in any grocery store. This isn't an accident. Rice and beans have been feeding civilizations for thousands of years because they're affordable, nutritious, and infinitely versatile.
The "veganism is expensive" myth is pushed by the same media machine that tells you meat is necessary. It's not about cost. It's about keeping you buying what makes them money.
Try It Yourself
One week. Under $25. Here's your shopping list:
- Dry beans (any kind) — 2 lbs
- Rice — 5 lbs
- Lentils — 1 lb
- Oats — large container
- Frozen vegetables — 2 bags
- Bananas
- Onions
- Garlic
- Canned tomatoes — 3 cans
- Peanut butter
- Bread
- Frozen spinach
- Soy sauce
Cook the beans and rice in bulk on Sunday. Everything else takes 15-20 minutes. You'll spend less time cooking than you spend scrolling Instagram.
And at the end of the week, you'll have spent less than what most people drop on a single restaurant meal — while eating food that didn't require 1,800 gallons of water per pound to produce.
$23.47. Seven days. Zero animals harmed. Your move.
References
- Craig, W.J. & Mangels, A.R. (2009). "Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets." Journal of the American Dietetic Association. PubMed
- USDA Thrifty Food Plan (2023). USDA Food Plans