How to Live a Vegan Lifestyle as a Broke College Student

Being vegan as a college student isn’t as hard as you might think. Knowing the secrets to getting the most out of your meal plan and buying groceries is the answer to managing the broke vegan lifestyle in college.

Choosing a vegan lifestyle is a difficult adjustment for anyone to make. It is especially difficult if you are a broke college student. Being vegan in college can be seen as a huge obstacle, since you have a limited budget and dining halls provide few vegan options.

However, most students would probably agree that it’s actually easier to be vegan at school than it is at home. With the freedom to search for and create your own dishes, being vegan can be simple and cheap. You just need to know the tricks and hacks to living a vegan lifestyle on a budget.

Dining Halls

Most colleges require freshmen to have some sort of meal plan. If you’re not forced into a specific one, find a flexible meal plan that allows you extra dining dollars to buy your own vegan snacks from the store. If you are already spending the money on a meal plan, you might as well make the most of it; you’ve paid for it!

There’s good news and bad news when it comes to college dining halls. The good news is that colleges are getting better at providing vegan options for students. The bad news is that this doesn’t apply to every college.

Whether you are blessed with a university that has many options or cursed with one that has few, knowing these simple tips for meals can help you navigate your options.

1. Mix and match foods from different stations!

This is honestly the key to being vegan in a dining hall. Instead of expecting everything to be neatly organized into one area labeled “vegan,” take foods you know and mix and match them.

You can put peanut butter on bagels, as well as fruit from the yogurt station, or slice up a banana to add to your breakfast. Take soy or almond milk from the coffee station and use it for your cereal. Grab a bowl of oatmeal and add cranberries from the salad bar or peanut butter to spice it up. Ask for veggies (without the eggs) from the omelet station and put them onto some toast with hummus. Use your imagination!

2. Know your options.

Knowing what is in your dining hall, and what isn’t, is key to having diversity in your meals. Does your dining hall have a stir fry station? What about a sushi bar?

Look around for beans, lentils, quinoa, and potatoes, even if they’re just sides for whatever the main dish is that night. You can use these filling sides and add them to veggies from the salad bar or rice to make a filling meal.

3. Use your resources. 

Befriend your dining hall staff! Not only is it a kind gesture, but they may even help you out as well. Tell them your dietary restrictions and see if they’ll add a vegan choice to the main dish every week.

Be persistent and let them know there is a demand for this. Some colleges even have places to provide feedback on their dining halls. Look for ways to make a change in your dining hall, whether it be through clubs or going straight to whoever is in charge.

Cooking Your Own Meals

Besides eating at a dining hall, it is possible to cook your own meals in a dorm even if you are broke. Most dorms have a kitchen and cookware available for students to use whenever they want. Even if you don’t have access to a kitchen, a microwave and a mini-fridge are all you need.

The vegan lifestyle isn’t as expensive as you might think. The key to being vegan as a broke college student is knowing what to look for when grocery shopping, as well as sticking to your budget.

1. Buy whole foods. Processed foods tend to be more expensive than foods in their natural state. However, make sure you buy the right quantities. You don’t want to buy too much of something that goes bad quickly.
2. Buy local. Fruits and vegetables that are both local and in season are cheaper than the ones being sold in grocery stores. Look for farmers markets nearby, and support small businesses whenever possible.
3. Freeze fresh produce. Stock up on fresh produce by freezing it. If strawberries go on sale, buy a bunch so that later when they’re not in season you don’t have to pay more for them.
4. Buy in bulk. Any non-perishable food that lasts a long time before going bad should be bought in bulk. These include nuts, beans, lentils, rice, and oats.
5. Buy generic over name brands. Most of the time, generic foods are cheaper than name brands. Always look at the prices by weight and compare them to make sure you are getting the best deal.
6. Save Money. Look for coupons and sign up for store memberships. Like any broke college student, finding things on sale should be your instinct. Always look towards the bottom of shelves, because stores tend to put the higher-priced foods at eye level. And never go to the store hungry. You’ll just end up buying more than you need!
7. Meal prep. Meal prepping can save you so much time throughout the week. Freeze or refrigerate your favorite meals so that you can simply microwave them when you want to eat them. Most people who meal prep spend one day cooking the food they will be eating for the entire following week.

The Struggles

Being broke in college is hard. Being a broke vegan is even harder. It is okay to be struggling, as long as you do something about it. There are plenty of resources for you to use to help figure out solutions to your problems.

1. Still feel like you don’t know what to eat?

If you still feel like you are struggling with finding diverse meals, turn to the internet. Youtube has so many videos about eating vegan in college dining halls and dorm rooms. 

Here are just a few:

• Vegan Meals on a Budget (Under $3)
• Vegan Meal Prep
• Vegan Meal Prep – 5 Full Days ($20 Budget)
• What I Eat in a Week | College Dining Halls as a Vegan!

Pinterest is also a good friend to turn to when you need a new recipe. You can also simply google, “vegan recipes to make in a dorm.” There are endless amounts of websites readily available for you to be inspired by.

2. Are you feeling more tired than usual?

If you feel more tired than the typical level of exhaustion that comes with college, it may be because you’re not getting enough of certain nutrients. Try eating more seeds and nuts.

3. Are you losing too much weight?

Sometimes, being vegan means that you don’t get hungry as much as you used to. This is because vegans tend to eat the recommended amount of fiber in their diets, and fiber can suppress a person’s appetite.

Losing weight is due to your body not getting enough calories. Try increasing your caloric intake by eating higher calorie-dense foods in addition to high-fiber foods, like potatoes or wheat bread.

Whatever the problem you are having, know that there is a whole online community waiting to help you. Reddit has communities and discussions about vegan life in college. Facebook has groups ready to help at a moment’s notice.

The internet is a great way to feel connected to a vegan lifestyle without actually being around people. With the help of an online community, along with the tips listed above, being a broke college vegan doesn’t seem too bad.