Perhaps you would like to be a frugal vegan. Now you might be wondering, ‘Isn’t that an oxymoron? Surely veganism is expensive.’ But it turns out, most of the time eating a vegan diet isn’t any more expensive than any other diet, and for some, it can be even be cheaper, since meat and dairy can be on the pricey side. To demonstrate, let’s take a gander at the mecca of affordable goodies. After all, it does not get any more affordable than the 99 Cents Only Store — a place where you can find a plethora of vegan options. There are temporary speciality vegan items that can show up from time to time, such as kombuchas, mock meats, and vegan yogurts, but this guide will focus on items you should be able to find more regularly. However, it is important to note that locations will sometimes vary in what they have in stock. Here are some items you should know about and check out at your local 99 Cents Only Store.
Casbah Organic Couscous
One nutritious find is the organic couscous from Casbah. Couscous is made from semolina flour and works wonderfully for Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern dishes. Most other stores will sell conventional couscous for at least $2.00-4.00, and the organic version is even more expensive, so finding organic couscous for only $1 is a major steal!
Fresh Produce
You can find lots of fresh fruits and vegetables for when you want to eat healthy, but don’t want to break the bank. Plus, there’s bags of the spinach, potatoes, and salad mixes available too. Pro-tip: Bananas are even cheaper, if you grab the ones that are already ripe.
Tio Jorge Ripe Plantain Slices
Plantains are commonly found in Central and South American, as well as used in Cuban cuisine. These bad boys from Tio Jorge are fried and frozen and are great for featuring in dishes. They work well with heat, unlike bananas, which turn into mush quickly once exposed to heat. Just warm these up for a few minutes and you got yourself a great addition to your meals, or a treat for those times you want something a little indulgent.
Harvest Snaps Flavored Lentil Bean Crisps
Harvest Snaps’ crisps are usually more costly at most stores, but can also be found at 99 Cents Only Store for a bargain. These crisps are high in protein and fiber because they are made with red lentils. They’re satisfying for when you want a crunch, but don’t want greasy potato chips.
Bear Naked Cereal
The 99 Cents Only Store has more bigger brand names than you would think. Bear Naked is one of those brands, and is known for granolas and cereals. Look out for their Cinnamon Clusters flavor of cereal, which features multigrain cereal with granola clusters made with almonds and cinnamon. While the Bear Naked brand’s products are part of the items at this store that actually cost more than 99 cents (they’re $2), it’s still considerably cheaper than what you would pay at other grocery stores.
Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP Popcorn
Angie’s has several vegan popcorn flavors that you can find at the 99 Cents Only Store, including their Sea Salt and their Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn flavors. All those that are vegan are clearly labelled as such, so there’s no need to fret! Angie’s is known for their simple ingredients lists, but despite this simplicity, their popcorns still taste flavorful and rich. They’re a great option for your next movie night, or even as an on-the-go snack.
Chips and Crackers
There are several brand name chip options available at these stores that are, in fact, vegan. Takis Fuego Hot Chili Pepper & Lime Flavored Corn Snacks, Lay’s Classic Potato Chips, Frito’s Original Corn Chips, Saltine Crackers, and many more can be found for under a dollar.
Candy
Whether you’re celebrating something or just have a sweet tooth, you will find a myriad of vegan candy options at 99 Cents Only Stores—Skittles, Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, Smarties, Airheads, Dum Dums, Jolly Rancher Hard Candies and Lollipops (not the gummies), and Red Vines are some of the ones you can find here at a much lower cost.
