I really don’t like spending money, who does? I’ve been trying to cut down on the more processed vegan foods like vegan mayo, cheese, ice cream, fake meats, etc. in favor of real, whole foods. However, these things are a nice treat now and then and I’ll occasionally add a tablespoon or two into something, which I don’t feel too guilty about. The people who complain about veganism being expensive are often thinking of these products. And yes, they are expensive.
I decided to do something really obvious to solve this problem: E-mail my favorite companies and ask very nicely for coupons. I really did reap the rewards from this endeavor, even some free product coupons! Here’s a rough estimate of what I got/didn’t get:
Earth Balance:
– One $1.00 off Coupon
Tofurky:
– One FREE product coupon for a Tofurky frozen pizza with Daiya (I said I really wanted to try them)
– One 55 cent off coupon
Daiya:
Nothing, they said they don’t give out coupons
Follow Your Heart:
– Two 55 cent off coupons for any Vegenaise product
– Two 55 cent off coupons for any Vegan Gourmet product
So Delicious
– 75 cents off any coconut milk kefir
– $1.00 off any coconut milk beverage
– 75 cents off any coconut milk creamer
– 50 cents off any coconut milk yogurt
– 75 cents off any coconut milk ice cream novelty product (ice cream sandwiches and bars)
– $1.00 off any coconut milk pint of ice cream
Gardein
– Four $1.00 off any product coupons
Tofutti
– Two FREE product coupons (not exceeding $3.99)!!!
– Two $1.00 off coupons
– Two 55 cent off coupons
Amy’s
– One 75 cents off any Amy’s Lasagna
– One 75 cents off any Amy’s Kids Meal
– One 75 cents off any Amy’s frozen prepared meal
– One 75 cents off any Amy’s hot cereal bowl
– One 75 cents off any Amy’s pot pie
– One 55 cents off any Amy’s grocery item
– One 50 cents off any Amy’s cakes
Sweet & Sara
Said they don’t have coupons, but I believe Sara herself e-mailed me back and pointed me to a 15% off sale on their website!
Some of the responses were overwhelmingly nice and positive, some were “meh”, but sent me coupons anyway (score!!). Overall, it was a little reminder that contacting companies and letting them know what’s what is definitely worth the effort! I believe it was Amy’s and Follow Your Heart whose coupons literally arrived at my door only a few days later. I was a little disappointed in Daiya, though. That stuff is expensiiiveee! I did, however, just manage to buy 5 pounds of cheddar Daiya wholesale AND on sale through one of my jobs for $30, which is super awesome! So ha, I managed to get my discount anyway and it is now taking up residence in my freezer! I’m still not sure how I’m going to eat all of it and I might even be sick of nachos soon…
What are your favorite companies or vegan-food money saving tips?
What a great idea — I should try that here in the UK and see how their generosity compares.
Big Momma,
You totally should! I’d be very interested to hear your results!
Nicole
I really want to try this as a gift/present-type thing in Germany for my vegan partner — however, I hope I haven’t ruined the surprise, because I sent many links to your blog (from various posts)
lebrookski,
Keep me posted how it turns out! I’d be super interested to hear if German companies are willing to give out as many coupons, as I’m moving there next year and am sure to be even more strapped for cash then!
So, Daiya won’t help out it’s own customers huh? Guess I will start STEALING their crap and see if those greedy bastards start getting the message.
You should try emailing Daiya again. I just wrote them a nice email and they responded quickly and asked for my mailing address so they could send me coupons!
@Anonymous Jan 30 – Thanks for the update and happy their customer service seems to have improved! If I was still in America, I’d totally do this, my guess is the coupons won’t work abroad. 🙁