How going vego boosts your bottom line

Author: October 6th, 2011 at 9:51 am

Print Article

37 comments

Are you eating into your profit?

 

I’d scoffed a million critters, but never killed one.

When I saw how they’re killed, I went off meat.

I’d always pictured vegetarian life as joyless and bland.

To my immense surprise, I found it’s not only better for me, it’s better for my business.

 

Cost

First, it never occurred to me how expensive meat is.

Our monthly market visit used to see us drop $90-$100 on bits of chicken, lamb, cow and calf.

Our fortnightly supermarket trek meant another $30-$40 on pig and piglet parts.

As vegetables cost far less than meat, Fonnie and I have much more cash in our kit.

We’re using this to retire business debt.

Which is reducing our interest burden.

Which is reducing my stress.

Which is enhancing my creativity.

Which is making me more efficient.

Which is seeing me take more and bigger jobs with greater confidence.

Which is improving my cash flow.

And so the positive cycle continues.

 

Diet

Going vego eliminates a raft of poor meal choices.

When hammered by timelines, I’d invariably default to toasted ham-and-cheese sandwiches.

Fast, easy and yum – but low on nutrition and big on fat.

After devouring this warm-but-heavy comfort food, I’d often want to nap.

By contrast, vego food is light, energising and sustaining – much better for work.

Long, tough days would often see me order an expensive, meaty, fatty family pizza.

If we couldn’t get through it that night, I’d nail it for breakfast.

Now we cook a cornucopia of truly tasty vego tucker on the weekend, so we have healthy care packages to reheat if time’s short.

We split the shopping and share the cooking. This teamwork and togetherness is great for our relationship.

Happy home = happy home business.

Vego meals keep better, too.

And you don’t look in the mirror each day reeling rage and regret.

 

Planet

Vego life makes you do other stuff that’s good for Earth.

I’d always thought reusable shopping bags would be a drag.

Turns out they’re heaps better than stretching-cutting-splitting plastic ones.

As our stockpile of plastic bags dwindled, I started to watch what we were putting in our kitchen bin.

This saw me install a compost bin.

Which is making mulch.

Which is supercharging my roses.

Which look lovely in my office.

And inspire me to work well.

 

Community

I told my neighbour she could put her extra rubbish in my emptier bin.

She returned the favour with free lemons from her tree.

So I looked in on her dogs when she was in hospital.

So she fed mine when I went on holiday.

A close neighbour can be better than a distant friend.

We’re watching each other’s backs like never before.

This reduces my stress.

Which improves my efficiency.

Which … well, you know the drill!

 

Food for thought

Unlike many reformed smokers, I’m not trying to convert you.

I’m just saying that vego life is, amazingly, bulk ace in the extreme.

I could easily do another post on this topic.

But I’d much rather hear from you.

Tell us about your vego odyssey (or aversion thereto).

Like a field of golden corn,

we’re all

ears!

 

| Founder & Senior Writer – The Feisty Empire

Topics: Businesses, Featured, Lifestyle

Comments

  1. Author

    Jane Richards

    October 6, 2011 at 10:11 am

    Hey Paul, Great to hear you’re embracing the vegetarian lifestyle. I have been a vegetarian for around 15 years and am very happy and healthy too! And another benefit…its much kinder to the planet as livestock farming contributes about 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Read more at http://www.greeneatz.com/
    Cheers Jane

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Paul Hassing

      October 6, 2011 at 10:27 am

      Hi, Jane and welcome! I was SO hoping someone would mention the greenhouse gas thing. That site you cited looks like a ripper resource. Many thanks indeed for your response. :)

      Reply to this comment

  2. Author

    suey

    October 6, 2011 at 1:07 pm

    There are so many great benefits to being vegetarian and it’s an easier life choice then most people realise. It makes so much sense to me that I wonder why many more people don’t jump on board. Even getting people to make a commitment to eat one vegetarian meal a week, every week, would help the planet enormously, not to mention the animals themselves. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it Paul.

    I can highly recommend Flip Shelton’s book ‘Veg In’. It’s chock full of delicious veggie recipes. http://www.flipsmuesli.com.au/vegin.html

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Paul Hassing

      October 6, 2011 at 2:05 pm

      Nice one, Suey! I’ve also invoked the spirit of Flip to join us. Fingers crossed for that one. Fonnie and I are working through her recipes with great success.

      I can’t recall if it was you who said, ‘I don’t eat anything with a face’. That stuck in my mind like a wayward javelin.

      I took years to act on it, but now I’m VERY glad I finally did. With best regards and many thanks for your beaut comment. P. :)

      Reply to this comment

  3. Author

    suey

    October 6, 2011 at 2:20 pm

    ’twas me! Nothing with a face.
    It’s a really easy way to explain it, particularly when you’re out at a restaurant and the staff seek clarification on what type of vegetarian you are.

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Paul Hassing

      October 6, 2011 at 2:23 pm

      Right on! Few expressions cut to the chase like, ‘Nothing with a face’! Concise. Polite. Yet crystal clear and devastatingly memorable. Perhaps a trademark is in order … ? ;)

      Reply to this comment

  4. Author

    Tash

    October 6, 2011 at 2:42 pm

    We eat a mix of vego and meat meals – and it’s likely to stay that way despite knowing it costs more for our wallets and planet. I know vegetarian meals can be very tasty and varied (there are many more veggies than there are meats!) but I just enjoy some meat as well.

    My dd is vegetarian by choice (and mostly sticks to it) so I have expanded my vegetarian range this year and learnt more about making complete proteins within every meal.

    We certainly compost/mulch and grow fruit/veggies though – our home grown apples are so much nicer than any store bought ones!

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Paul Hassing

      October 6, 2011 at 2:46 pm

      Thank you, Tash; it’s great to get your views. May I ask what ‘dd’ means?

      Home-grown stuff is indeed way superior. And don’t get me started on how incredibly better free-range eggs last and taste, compared to those caged offerings! :)

      Reply to this comment

  5. Author

    Paul Hassing

    October 6, 2011 at 3:24 pm

    Speaking of chickens and business:

    http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/accc-takes-chicken-industry-to-court.php

    The line that really gets me is:

    ‘Almost all chicken meat for sale in Australia comes from factory farms.’

    Chilling.

    Reply to this comment

  6. Author

    Winston Marsh

    October 6, 2011 at 4:14 pm

    I’m not a total vegetarian but love to eat it more than meat dishes. In exchange for a few favours I’d done for them the Hare Krishna in Melbourne taught me how to cook their way years ago and I’ve been enjoying it ever since (their Gopal’s Restaurant on Swanston in Melbourne is a great place to eat).

    I even had them cater for one of my birthday bashes some years ago… frightened a few of my friends but when they tasted it… wow!

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Paul Hassing

      October 6, 2011 at 4:17 pm

      Man, Winston; you sure get around! :) I agree that a moderate approach can work very well. Many thanks for lighting up our forum. :)

      Reply to this comment

  7. Author

    Malcolm Owens

    October 7, 2011 at 7:46 am

    Great post as always Paul. I really enjoy meat but have cut my intake by 50% by reducing portion size and not having to eat meat every day. Bacon and eggs for breakfast are now eggs and tomoto. Chichen and salad lunch is now salad. The huge steak at dinner is replaced by a smaller, higher quality cut.

    Feel better, not as heavy, more energy and helped me lose 20kg so cant be all bad!

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Paul Hassing

      October 7, 2011 at 7:51 am

      Struth, Malcolm; 20 kg is extraordinary! You’ll live a whole lot longer with that kind of action!

      Many thanks for your very good news story and excellent replacement ideas. I’m jealous of your success! :)

      Reply to this comment

  8. Author

    Carolyn

    October 7, 2011 at 8:13 am

    Hi Paul,

    Congratulations, and thank you, for making the choices you have made that really will impact on our planet and it’s occupants in a very positive way!

    I’m wondering, as you seem to have made some of your choices on ethical grounds, if you’ve considered becoming vegan and ending your consumption of eggs and dairy products. I’b be very interested to hear your thoughts on this, from an ethical standpoint. Particularly if this isn’t something you’re considering.

    Again, congratulations and thank you for making the world a better place!

    Carolyn

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Paul Hassing

      October 11, 2011 at 4:55 pm

      Thank you kindly, Carolyn. With the kind of news circulating these days, I do get the feeling this choice has global overtones.

      You raise an excellent point. I’m yet to stop eating fish (and thus honour Suey’s ‘nothing with a face’ call). I expect that the more I learn about alternatives, the more I’ll embrace them.

      We only buy free-range eggs, which is a start. As to dairy products, I’ve not heard any horror stories about how they’re produced. Is there something I should know about milk harvesting too?

      I’m eager to be educated, so please fire away. Best regards, P. :)

      Reply to this comment

  9. Author

    Adam Finlay

    October 7, 2011 at 9:38 am

    I was unaware of this development, Paul, but I applaud it! Gotta be good for you.

    I’m a day late to the discussion, but for anyone wanting to explore the ethics behind vegetarianism, the philosopher, Peter Singer, is a great place to start. There’s some inescapable logic behind the lifestyle choice. Here’s a precis, courtesy of Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Liberation_%28book%29:

    ‘In Animal Liberation, Singer argues against what he calls speciesism: discrimination on the grounds that a being belongs to a certain species. He holds the interests of all beings capable of suffering to be worthy of equal consideration, and that giving lesser consideration to beings based on their species is no more justified than discrimination based on skin color. He argues that animals should have rights based on their ability to feel pain more than their intelligence … some animals have displayed signs of intelligence (for example, primates learning elements of American sign language and other symbolic languages) sometimes on par with that of human children, and that therefore intelligence does not provide a basis for providing nonhuman animals any less consideration … Singer does not specifically contend that we ought not use animals for food insofar as they are raised and killed in a way that actively avoids the inflicting of pain, but as such farms are uncommon, he concludes that the most practical solution is to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet.’

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Stephen Hamilton

      October 13, 2011 at 5:26 pm

      Thought provoking comment there, Adam.

      I love few things more a great big steak.

      But the mere suggestion of eating a chimpanzee revolts me.

      How do I reconcile this apparently contradictory thoughts?

      Well, I guess I don’t…

      Reply to this comment

      • Author

        Paul Hassing

        October 13, 2011 at 10:30 pm

        I appreciate your candour, Stephen. I imagine many chimps would send YOU back too! ;)

  10. Author

    Paul Hassing

    October 7, 2011 at 9:44 am

    Hi, Ad. Instead of declaring, ‘I’ll never eat meat again!’ I thought I’d just quietly start choosing alternatives and see how I went.

    It has been so much easier than I thought. The vego sector has come a VERY long way since lentil casseroles! :)

    As always, I’m deeply grateful for your learned take on our topic. That link is a revelation. With best regards and many thanks. P. :)

    Reply to this comment

  11. Author

    Adam Finlay

    October 7, 2011 at 10:42 am

    I am one such.

    OK, you should enforce the nanny state rule and remove my comment. Or the granny state rule, and mean to remove the comment, but forget, and bake me some scones instead.

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Paul Hassing

      October 7, 2011 at 10:45 am

      In almost three years we’ve only removed two comments. I think this forum can withstand yours. We just need to be a bit circumspect, to honour all our readers. :)

      Reply to this comment

  12. Author

    Paul Hassing

    October 7, 2011 at 11:44 am

    I just learnt what ‘free to roam’ means in the context of chicken:

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-06/chicken-welfare/3323214

    Reply to this comment

  13. Author

    Flip Shelton

    October 7, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    Hi Feisty
    Love your post (as usual). You always have such a great spin on the world.
    Delighted to hear you have jumped ship. Which prompts me to say that rats have feelings too even though they give me the heebeegeebees (sp).
    There was an interesting article in the Herald Sun on Thursday by Miranda Devine about ‘vegetarianism’ – or her reasons for not eating a meat-free diet.
    Delighted to hear you are cooking from my newest cookbook VEG IN and that you are finding the meals simple and tasty… the bonus is they are indeed easy on the hips and hip pocket.
    Yours in health and happiness, Flip

    Reply to this comment

  14. Author

    Paul Hassing

    October 7, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    Now HERE’S a lady I was hoping to hear from! :) Hiya Flip!

    Your book has indeed been doing sterling service. We borrowed Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet from the library, but found it way too hardcore. Your book, by contrast, appears to be written for ordinary folk. And we’ve been getting much-better-than-ordinary results from it.

    http://www.flipsmuesli.com.au/vegin.html

    So thanks very much for the guidance, and your kind visit. :)

    Reply to this comment

  15. Author

    Yvonne

    October 9, 2011 at 6:40 pm

    I converted back to vegetarianism in June this year. With love being my highest value I couldn’t continue to eat a fellow earth dweller. These girls have some good video’s on eating a clean plant based diet http://silvieandmaryl.com/category/nutrition-main/

    Reply to this comment

  16. Author

    Ensha Reiya

    October 9, 2011 at 9:16 pm

    Hi Paul, fab to see you’re enjoying veggie food and it’s numerous benefits. I have been a vegetarian for 20 plus years. And am a regular at Northey Street Sunday markets in Brisbane for the freshest veggies.
    I will check out Flip’s book.

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Paul Hassing

      October 10, 2011 at 7:24 am

      Hi Ensha! 20 years is most impressive. If you’re happy to share, I’d love to know what started on you the path.

      We used Flip’s book again on the weekend. I never thought it’d be strangely relaxing to smash the bejesus out of fresh lemon grass, but it is!

      Many thanks for your beaut comment. :)

      Reply to this comment

  17. Author

    Paul Hassing

    October 12, 2011 at 9:51 am

    If you’re contemplating selling a book Amazon, this recent feedback from Flip may interest you:

    ‘You have to have a warehouse in the US before Amazon will stock your book. Shipping is expensive, so you need to move many units to recoup freight costs.

    Further, warehousing in the US is getting a bit dicey, so you have take care who you choose.

    I may do Amazon down the track, but for now it’s best to order my book direct from my publisher:

    http://www.wakefieldpress.com.au/product.php?productid=874&cat=0&page=1

    or, if you’d like a signed copy, from me!

    http://www.flipsmuesli.com.au/vegin.html

    I may make ebook versions of some of my books available through Amazon in the future, but cookbooks are tricky to convert on account of all the piccies.’

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Stephen Hamilton

      October 13, 2011 at 5:47 pm

      Amazon actually now sells more ebooks than printed books.

      This recent article in smashing magazine is possibly worth reading for anyone looking at producing an ebook. They also have an inexpensive ebook for sale that has a simple guide to creating an ebook, but it assumes you have a Mac computer with Pages software.

      Thought you’d like to know.

      Reply to this comment

      • Author

        Paul Hassing

        October 13, 2011 at 6:33 pm

        I did and do like to know, Stephen, so thank you! That link looks like a ripper. Many thanks for always adding something of value whenever you visit. :)

  18. Author

    Suzanne Bowen

    February 10, 2012 at 12:15 pm

    Hi Paul,

    I have been vegetarian for 21 years, and have been vegan now for almost two years. I was a serious meat eater as a child and loved my steaks and meatlover’s pizzas. However, on one of our yearly trips down the Hume for Christmas as a 15 year old we passed a truck stuffed with sheep. It was a sweltering day and it made me think of where these sheep were destined to go (the abattoir of course). Then we arrived in Melbourne I bought Animal Liberation by Peter Singer and that was the catalyst for me giving up meat.

    While I had toyed with adopting a vegan diet over the years I found my addiction to cheese, chocolate and ice-cream always stymied my efforts. After a while though I couldn’t justify a selfish desire to eat these things if it meant that animals had to suffer. And while the slaughter of animals for our consumption is a straight-forward explanation for many vegetarians’ decisions, I think little is understood by non-vegans as to the treatment of animals exploited by us to produce other animal products such as dairy and eggs. Keeping cows pregnant for most of their lives so they can produce milk for human consumption, killing male (bobby) calves because they are surplus to the requirements of the dairy industry, the use of rennet (obtained from the lining of a calfs stomach) as an enzyme for cheese – all these things are anathema to those who believe that animals shouldn’t be exploited for human use.

    I think becoming vegetarian is an important step. Thanks for posting such an up-beat, positive post on the benefits of vegetarianism, for you, and others around you. If you would like to make the next step to becoming vegan let me know. I’m @veganeyes on twitter.

    Cheers,

    Suzanne

    Reply to this comment

    • Author

      Paul Hassing

      February 10, 2012 at 1:46 pm

      Dear Suzanne, it was great to meet you on Twitter and I’m delighted you took the time to visit us here.

      Your journey is fascinating and instructive. I’m continually stunned to learn how little I know.

      Vegan is on my long-term radar. You just brought it a bit closer. Thank you very much for crafting such a thoughtful comment. Best regards, P. :)

      Reply to this comment

  19. Author

    Paul Hassing

    February 21, 2012 at 12:42 pm

    A stunning inititative from @VoicelessNews http://pinterest.com/pin/44895327505252760/

    Reply to this comment

Add a comment

Connect with Facebook

*

* Denote required fields

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

We love to hear what you think, but please note, that by submitting a comment you agree to our comment policy.

Our comments work like a dinner party. Differences of opinion are welcome but keep it respectful or the host will show you the door. If you're rude or abusive, your comment will be deleted. And if you're offensive, you won't be welcome back. We reserve the right to remove any comments that do not comply with our policy. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation.

  • RSS Feed

Author

As founder of The Feisty Empire, Paul has written, edited, proofed and produced print, radio, online, outdoor and business copy for over 1200 organisations of every size and sector. He is extremely versatile, having handled everything from...

View Author's Posts

Get email updates on
new articles by this Author.

Similar Content

Tags

change, environment, goals, policy

Articles

Popular Authors

  • As founder of The Feisty Empire, Paul has written, edited, proofed and produced print, radio, online, outdoor and business copy for over 1200 organisations of every size and sector. He is...

  • As resident social media expert and editor of The Pulse, Emma is the online voice of MYOB. With a background in digital marketing, graphic design and advertising, she has a keen interest in...

  • Social entrepreneur Melina Schamroth is in the business of making a difference. Founder of m.a.d.woman (making a difference), creator of the unique Single Volunteers dating program,...

  • Justin Flitter has worked with United States based startups, Advertising Agencies and New Zealand companies of all shapes and sizes. Justin leads the Marketing Association Social Media Advisory,...

View Author's Posts