Money-Saving Appliances

The Topic: Fast and Easy Eats

The Dish: Buying in bulk is one of the best money-savers, and I'm all for stocking up on cheap, healthy grains to serve as meal mains. I've been on a quinoa kick lately, but am transitioning back to my undying love for brown rice. While quinoa takes no time on the stove, cooking up the perfect pot of rice can take closer to an hour, which is still worth the investment if I'm planning for the week ahead.

Honestly though, I'm a creature of convenience more than I'd like to admit. Despite having approximately one square foot of counter space in my apartment, I decided to bite the bullet and invest in a rice cooker. Verdict? Best decision ever. I scored a small, 6-cup cooker for a reasonable $15 at the local Target, which is perfect for one person. It even came with a handy steamer basket, so heating up veggies is easy and keeps it to a delightful one-pot meal. I know to the uninitiated it may seem silly to buy an appliance strictly for cooking grains (yes, any grain is fair game), but it makes even the laziest person (me) capable of having a healthy meal with very little effort. Add rice and water, and push a button—ta da! It's really, really hard to mess it up, and at around 22 cents per cup of rice, the price can't be beat. With a little seasoning, steamed veggies, and a few dashes of Tapatio—my favorite hot sauce—I have the perfect meal.

The Final Word: Water to grain ratio varies depending on your rice cooker, as well as the grain used, so make sure and consult the manual for your machine. If you're jonesing for some amaranth and it doesn't mention it, then Google is your friend. I've also heard of people using their cookers for all sorts of culinary adventures, including soups and sauces. Are you a rice cooker devotee? What's your favorite use for it?

Cheap Cookbooks

The Topic: Veg Bargain Books

The Dish: I may have mentioned before that I'm a bit of a bibliophile. It's a problem, really, when you live in a small city apartment and the majority of your square footage is taken up by books. That's what all that vertical space is for, right? Regardless, I can't help myself, especially when it comes to vegan cookbooks. It's hard to say no to a reasonably priced (read: cheap) page-turner that could potentially hold my new favorite recipe.

Sure, there's always used bookstores, thrift shops, and even mainstream chains' used collections. But they can be a bit of a grab bag, which I'll admit is half the fun. The other alternative is heading online, where Amazon has made it possible to find almost any veg cookbook at a bargain price, both new and used. New to veg cooking? One of my first cookbooks was How it All Vegan! by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard, and you can grab a copy for only $3.99 used. If you still haven't jumped on the vegan brunch bandwagon (what do you do with your Sunday mornings?), then Isa Chandra Moskowitz's stellar Vegan Brunch can be yours for $4.99.

A great seller on Amazon is HalfPrice VeggieBooks.While all books are not vegan, there's a great selection of veg and health-related books. Narrowing down the crapshoot that is used-book shopping, it still has a wide enough selection to make the search fun. From cookbooks to animal rights to green living, there's something for everyone.

Wanting a title but out of storage space, like me? Check out Swaptree, which allows you to make a trade list (your offerings) and a wish list. Peruse the books other swappers have to offer, and trade up! There's more than 150 veg books listed right now, which of course can change daily. It's free, minus shipping charges, which will run you about $2.20 when sent using the media mail option at the post office.

The Final Word: I rarely feel regret when buying books. They're a worthy investment, especially when they're cookbooks that can lead to more eating in, less dining out— of of my favorite money savers. Oh, and as a bonus, I have to share that KitchenAid appliances are on Rue La La (a discount shopping site with free sign-up) today! Score a sweet stand mixer on sale (a very worthy investment, says Mom) and put those cookbooks to good use. The sale ends in two days, so shop while all of the great colors are still in stock. If anyone wants to send me the fancy yellow mixer, I promise to bake you cookies for at least a year.

A Formal Introduction

The Topic: More Money, Fewer Problems

The Dish: Congratulations—you’ve made it to the launch of VegNews’ latest blog! It’s called Savvy Abby (that’s me), and it’s all about living a comfortable, modern vegan lifestyle while saving a few dollar bills here and there. (That’s the savvy part, obviously.) With my current home base in San Francisco, my bargain-hunting focus can’t help but be drawn to city life and finding the best deals for my dollar, both in quality and price. Whether its dynamite Chinese food for less than the cost of a movie ticket or an outrageous sale on cruelty-free makeup, I always have one eye peeled for deals (which consequently can make it hard to get anything else done).

Is small-town life more your M.O.? I promise not to ignore country-based cries for dirt-cheap deals. Growing up in the Midwest, I’m all too familiar with the lack of veg-friendly restaurant options (unless you count French fries as a balanced meal), empty grocery aisles, and quizzical store-clerk looks when all you want is a freakin’ veggie burger. I feel your pain, Daiya-less counterparts. The good news is, not only am I looking out for you, but veg options are getting better everyday across the US. If at first it seems expensive, laborious, and straight-up boring to be vegan where you live, we’ll change that—me and you! And maybe a few coupons.

The Final Word: So now that I've sufficiently talked a big talk, we'll say goodbye for now. I'll be back with regular updates about living an affordable, awesome vegan lifestyle, and I hope you'll join me. Until next time, share your thoughts with fellow savvy shoppers: What part of your life needs the biggest cash-flow makeover?