Vegan and unemployed: survival tips

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Vegan and unemployed: survival tips

Take a look around the U.S. and it’s not hard to find the ravages of rampant unemployment. Over 13 million out of work, what jobs there are pay less than the ones we had before, and more people competing for a single job opening than ever.

Whether you’re vegan or carnivore, no job means no funds for basics like utility and phone bills, gas for the car, childcare, school lunches and groceries.

As hard as all that is, what do you do if you’re vegan an unemployed?

Generally, a decision to become vegan is not taken lightly. It is a seismic shift whether for spiritual, humane or health reasons; and a lot of work goes into the metamorphosis from meat, dairy, fish and fowl to plant-based allegiance to all things great and small.

In the best of times, a vegan lifestyle is hard work in terms of learning new ways to eat and finding new foods. But when it comes to losing a job and being vegan, the difficult circumstance can be enough to make the best omnivore pack it in and head back to the dollar menu at Mickey D’s.

It doesn’t have to be that way, so perish the thought.

Indeed, jobless with little income and few prospects is not a happy circumstance, but with some good old-fashioned diligence and a bit of ingenuity, the vegan food choices can be maintained without having to play a shell game with the family food funds, and without losing your dignity.

Here are just a few tips for staying vegan without a job:

Switch From Specialty Stores To Mass Market: whether chain or Mom-and-Pop, we all love the quaint ambience and diverse offerings of a favorite specialty food store. But with no job, the best way to save money and make it go further is to switch to a neighborhood grocery store; or, better still, mass retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, Meijer, and Fred Meyer which have Superstores that have unmatched buying power which can mean lower prices on foods, vegetables, and canned or frozen goods.

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (ERS Report Summary), a study of over 40,000 households showed that shopping at convenience and specialty stores resulted in higher grocery prices than in mass retailers.

Start A Micro-Garden: whether you live in a place with limited space and minimal options or have good access to fertile soil, starting your own micro-garden can save you money by growing your own herbs, vegetables and fruits in your own space.

A variety of seeds are easy to purchase at your local nursery or home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s. Based on your space and whether you are a city-dweller with a small balcony or live in a residential area with room for a garden, micro-gardening is a growing trend and is also great therapy for taking your mind off being out of work!

Ixnay On The Frozen Vegan Entrees: the very thought of giving up frozen vegan entrée’s can bring a person to tears. However, at between $3.50-$4.29 for a name brand per item, imagine all the mileage you can get with that money out of rice, beans, whole wheat pasta, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

For example, giving up one entrée at $4 can translate into a 15 ounce can of dark red kidney beans for 68-cents, an 8 ounce can of Roma tomato paste for 46-cents, and even refried beans for 92-cents a can and you can imagine how much further the rest of that entree money can go!

Also look for BOGO’S (Buy-One-Get-One-Free) on pasta and frozen veggies.

Local Farmer’s Markets: depending on where you live, you may have access to local farmer or community markets. The foods are often locally grown and sold at cheaper prices by growers who don’t have to pay transportation and storage costs that raise the prices of their goods. Don’t be too proud to tell them about your limited budget; and in some cases if you negotiate right around closing time, they will drop the price of the remaining food so they don’t have to pack it back up and take it home.

There’s No Shame In A Local Food Bank: when money is short and food—any food—is limited in supply and needed to survive, it’s important to remember that being vegan doesn’t exclude you from taking advantage in their assistance. Poverty and hunger are increasing with America’s joblessness, and more and more people have found themselves grateful for these services.

In a 2008 survey by the State of Washington’s Emergency Food Assistance Program, 41% of respondents had ‘special’ needs, of which 19% were diabetic, 16% required low-salt low-fat food options, 7% had food allergies and 5% were vegan. Since 2008, these numbers have grown exponentially as veganism has become a mainstream lifestyle.

Obviously geographic diversity will impact availability of vegan choices but if the need arises be not ashamed to state ‘vegan’ as your special diet of choice.

Finally, don’t hesitate to look up local vegan organizations online in your community and begin networking with them about inexpensive sources of vegan sustenance. If nothing else it will keep you moving in a positive, solution-based direction. Who knows? You may even find your next job!

Read other articles by Miami Vegan Examiner Glenn Osrin here.

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