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first eBook. Your support

means the world to us and we
are so happy to be sharing our
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Living on Less was our March challenge to live on just 3 euros a day each.
This daily allotment was for everything from spices to drinks to subway fare...
everything but our bills. We also decided not to use any of our kitchen
appliances to make sure that all the recipes in this eBook would be easy to
make for someone who doesn’t have access to any fancy kitchen equipment.

This eBook is a compilation of all the information we gathered during this

month long journey. We decided to live this way for the entire month (and not
just for a week, or a few days) because we wanted to fully understand the
intricacies of meal planning around a budget. Our interest in budgeting,
self-sufficiency, and minimalism comes from “Early Retirement Extreme,” by
Jacob Lund Fisker. It’s definitely an “extreme” book - it’s about a lot more than
just retirement - and it’s a book we recommend everyone read at least once.
We began this challenge for many reasons:
• to prove that veganism doesn’t have to be expensive
• to create a resource of information on how to live on a budget
• to inspire more people to try a plant based diet even if it’s just a way to save some $$
• to test some of the concepts in Jacob Lund Fisker’s book “Early Retirement Extreme”


...But the most important reason was to reduce the amount of money we spend each month so
that we can have more space (and time) to be creative. We are so grateful for the support of our
families and want to figure out a way to support ourselves entirely with our creative projects. We
figured the less we spend the less we have to earn and the sooner we can become completely
self-sufficient on our creative endeavors!
We know that a huge percentage of the world lives on less than 2 dollars a day and that their diet
mainly consists of rice, beans and vegetables, so we decided to follow their lead. While this wasn’t a
huge change from our normal routine, we did have to ditch organic produce since it is usually twice the
price of conventional, and sometimes even four or five times more! (If only organic produce farmers got
the government subsidies they deserve! Instead lavish subsidies are given to the meat and dairy
industry.)

Sorry about that rant, let’s get back to the basics: one of the easiest ways to stay on your budget is by
finding super cheap staple foods. This goes for your rice, potatoes, beans, oats, pasta. We found that
buying in bulk - think 5 kg bag of rice - was the easiest way save money, and use way less packaging,
which is both good for your pocket and the environment.

We also recommend taking a multivitamin to ensure you get all your B12 needs covered. We found that
after tracking all of our food on Cronometer (or another nutrition tracking app) we were slightly deficient
in a few nutrients so we started taking a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses regularly as well as
including sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and broccoli in our diet so that we weren’t missing
any vitamins. Once we got that figured out we were easily able to get all the calories and nutrients we
needed for just 3 euros a day!
STEP 1: Print out our “Grocery Store Compare” chart and go to 3 of the least expensive supermarkets you can think of near your
home and fill out all the prices for each food item.

STEP 2: Make a weekly meal plan using our recipes as a template.

STEP 3: Print our “Weekly Grocery List” and get shopping. Make sure you save your receipts. This is critical to remaining within
your budget. Also, don’t worry if your initial purchase of bulk staples makes up ⅓ or ½ of your monthly budget, buying cheap
staples in bulk will always save you money in the long run!

STEP 4: Place all the produce you bought in a Vinegar Bath (see YouTube or Google for more info). On a tight budget you can’t
usually afford organic, but cleaning your produce well before eating it and peeling things when appropriate can do wonders for your
health. If you aren’t living on a super strict budget feel free to look into the Dirty Dozen, Clean Fifteen and splurge on organic
produce that you can afford.

STEP 5: Get cooking!

 Grocery Store Compare Chart
Food Item Store #1 Store #2 Store #3
Rice
Black Beans
Chickpeas
Red Lentils
Pasta
Oats
Canned Tomatoes
Canned Corn
Tomato Paste
Potatoes
Onions
Broccoli
Carrots
Red Peppers
Clementines
Apples
Lemons
Limes
Sunflower Seeds
Soy Sauce
Curry Powder
Ketchup
Nutritional Yeast
 Grocery Store Compare Chart
Food Item Store #1 Store #2 Store #3
 Suggested Grocery List
Apple Cider Vinegar Potatoes Apples White Rice
Tahini Yellow Onions Clementines Black Beans
Soy Sauce Red Onions Kiwis Chickpeas
Coconut Oil Garlic Lemons Red Lentils
Curry Powder Ginger Limes Yellow Lentils
Paprika Tomatoes Bananas Oats
Salt Lettuce Avocado Pasta
Pepper Red Peppers Frozen Fruit
Dried Basil Carrots
Canned Tomatoes Mushrooms
Sunflower Seeds Frozen Peas
Walnuts Frozen Broccoli
Nutritional Yeast
9 Tomato Sauce
Tomato Paste
UNTITLED
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Canned Corn
Pickles
Apple Sauce
It’s important to note that all of the prices included in this eBook reflect what we were able to find at the cheapest
grocery stores in Berlin. We are really lucky to have access to such cheap produce and hope that by including the
price details of every recipe you can see how we were able to manage on such a tight budget. You may have to
adapt your own plan based on the prices in your location.

This is what a typical day for us looked like - Breakfast: Oats topped with fruit, which usually cost in total 20 to 30
cents per person. We liked doing a super cheap breakfast in order to save money for lunch and dinner!
Lunch/Dinner: Either rice and beans or potato based meals. The combinations here are endless depending on
what spices, beans and condiments you can afford.

• Our Spices: curry powder, falafel mix, paprika, salt & pepper, parsley, cilantro, garlic, and ginger
• Our Beans: chickpeas, black beans, red and yellow lentils
• Our Condiments: ketchup, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, tahini, lemon, lime, vinegar 


We also want to make sure that you recognize that these 8 recipes cost roughly 1 euro per serving, which means
we did have to sacrifice a little flavor in certain instances. If you are not on as tight of a budget feel free to add
more curry powder, include coconut milk, a little extra tahini.... The key is really in mixing cheap bulk staples
with reasonably priced fresh produce and finding combinations that work for you.

If you make any of these meals or come up with your

own Living on Less recipes please share them with us
on Instagram by tagging @PlantBasedTraveler !
 Oats are the perfect way to start your day - super filling, super affordable, and really versatile. When it comes to
toppings sometimes we used kiwis (once we found a box of 10 for just 1 euro!) sometimes clementines, but usually
apples because we found a place that has Pink Lady apples for 75 cents a kilo, which is a deal we can’t resist.

RECIPE - SERVES 2
PRICE PER SERVING: 25 CENTS

2 cups of oats
1 apple
1.Dice apple and place in a pot on medium heat with 3 tablespoons of water for 4
2 tbs apple sauce
minutes
2.Once apples are soft, add oats and 4 cups of water
3.Stir oats and let cook on low heat for 10 minutes
4.Top with apple sauce and enjoy!

12
 The second video in our Living on Less YouTube series shows exactly how to make this recipe! This has become
one of our favorite recipes because you can mix and match with your choice of veggies, and it’s super easy to
stockpile your freezer with frozen peas. It also tastes a lot more expensive than it is, if you know what I mean?

RECIPE - SERVES 4
PRICE PER SERVING: 1.00 EURO

3 cups dried white rice 1. Cook rice to package directions

3 large carrots 2. Dice onion, garlic, red peppers, carrots (into matchsticks)
150 g frozen peas 3. Sauté onion and garlic for 15 minutes with 1 tbsp water or oil
1 large onion 4. Add carrots and cook for another 3 minutes
3 small red peppers 5. Add red peppers, peas and cook for 3 more minutes
8 cloves of garlic 6. Add cooked rice to veggies and stir to combine
4 tablespoons soy sauce 7. Add soy sauce to the rice and veggie mixture
1/2 cup sunflower seeds 8. Portion out into bowls and top with sunflower seeds and a quarter lime, and drizzle
1 lime with tahini if your budget permits
14
 We ate curry almost every week during this challenge and the key part of the recipe is to use just a touch of
coconut oil when frying the onions as it boosts the flavor so much and fat helps you absorb all the good
properties of the turmeric :)

RECIPE - SERVES 4
PRICE PER SERVING: 1.05 EURO
2 medium potatoes 1. Cook rice to package directions
3 small carrots 2. Cube potatoes and steam for 15 minutes
3 small onions 3. Cook lentils to package directions
4 cloves garlic 4. Finely dice onions, chop carrots, grate ginger and garlic
1 inch cube ginger 5. Put coconut oil in the pan and then add onions and cook for 10 minutes
2 tbsp curry powder
6. Add garlic, ginger, curry powder and carrots
1.5 cups yellow lentils
7. Add cooked lentils and potatoes to onion mixture and cook for 15 minutes (add water
3 cups dried white rice
to create your preferred consistency)
1 lime
8. Portion out into bowls with rice and top with cilantro and a slice of lime
1 small bunch cilantro
16
 Beans take a bit of foresight. In order to save money, you must purchase them dried and in bulk, but that means you need to remember to soak
them overnight and allow enough time to cook them... we ate a ton of beans this month and are now considering investing in a pressure cooker.

RECIPE - SERVES 6
PRICE PER SERVING: 1.10 EURO
1. Thinly slice 2 red onions and place in a tupperware container with ½ a cup of vinegar and a
3 cups dried black beans
pinch of salt. (Let sit in the fridge overnight or up to 4 days)
3 large onions
2. Cover black beans in water and soak for 12 - 24 hours
8 cloves garlic
3. Drain beans and add them to a large pot of fresh water. Bring the pot to a boil and then
6 sun-dried tomatoes
reduce to simmer. Cooking will take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours
4 tbsp paprika 4. Cook 3 cups of dried rice to package instructions
2 tbsp tomato paste 5. Add salt and water to corn meal and form into small balls, then press in a tortilla press or use
2 cups dried white rice a rolling pin to flatten. Each corn meal is different so check the package for water ratios and
2 medium red onions try watching some videos online to get the hang of tortilla making!
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 6. Dice onion, grate garlic, chop sun-dried tomatoes
1 can corn 7. Add 3 diced onions to a large frying pan and cook with tbsp of water or oil for 10 minutes,
8 cherry tomatoes then add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste.
1 small bunch cilantro 8. Add cooked black beans to onion mixture and let cook for 10 minutes to combine flavors
1 avocado 9. Cook tortillas per package instructions and then serve with a combination of all of the
toppings.
1 kg bag tortilla masa

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 When we used to live in NYC, late night slices were one of our favorite things... oh how times have changed! Making
your own pizza is such a fun activity and when topped with tons of veggies it’s a great healthy dinner option.
* One tip: once you place the pizza dough on the baking sheet consistently shake it gently so that it doesn't stick.

RECIPE - SERVES 4
PRICE PER SERVING: 80 CENTS

5 cups white flour 1.Preheat oven to 450 °F

1 package yeast 2.Slice your potatoes (1cm thick slices) and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and
2 cups lukewarm water cook for 25 minutes
pinch of salt 3.Add yeast to 2 cups lukewarm water and stir to combine (let sit for 5 minutes)
4 medium potatoes 4.Place flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the middle
1 can tomato sauce 5. Add yeast mixture to the flour and mix together adding more flour or water to get the right
consistency (like the corn tortillas - watching a few videos online can be very helpful in
understanding how to make the perfect dough.)
6.Flour your rolling surface and then knead mixture to form a firm dough ball, then divide that
ball into 3 even pieces
7.Then using a floured rolling pin roll out each pizza dough and place on a floured baking sheet
8.Add 1/2 cup tomato sauce and spread evenly on the pizza dough then add cooked potatoes
or any toppings of your choice. Let cook for 15-25 minutes and then serve! 20
 Pasta is such a great thing to always have in your pantry. It takes so little effort to make and with a yummy
sauce you can feel transported to an Italian restaurant in no time (well the lentil balls take a little time, but you
can skip them if you’re in a rush)!
RECIPE - SERVES 4
PRICE PER SERVING: 1.34 EURO
2 bags pasta (500 g each) 1. Cook lentils according to package directions
2 cans diced tomatoes 2. Cube and then steam potatoes until super soft (30 minutes)
1 small bunch parsley 3. Finely dice 1 onion, grate the carrots and grate the garlic
3 medium onions 4. In a mixing bowl combine lentils, potatoes, carrot, onion, garlic, tomato paste, and herbs
5. Preheat the oven to 400 °F
2 medium carrots
6. Form the mixture into small balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
3 medium potatoes
7. Cook lentil balls for 1 hour or until they are browned and hold their shape
1.5 cups red lentils 8. While lentil balls cook, make pasta sauce by sautéing 2 diced onions with garlic and a tbsp of water
8 cloves of garlic or oil for 10 minutes
5 sun-dried tomatoes 9. Add canned tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and black pepper to onions and cook for 15-20 minutes
4 walnuts 10. Cook pasta according to bag directions and then drain and combine with pasta sauce. Top with lentil
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast balls, parsley, nutritional yeast and grated walnuts

22
 Potatoes are an incredible staple food when trying to keep your budget low. Not only are they super filling and cheap, but
they are also extremely versatile. We even made a whole video to illustrate how many different ways you can include
potatoes in your diet on our YouTube channel!

RECIPE - SERVES 2
PRICE PER SERVING: 75 CENTS
6 medium potatoes 1. Preheat oven to 400 °F
3 small onions 2. Grate the potatoes and then place them in cheese cloth or a nutmilk bag to squeeze out all of the juice over a bowl.
1/2 a lemon It is important to collect the juice from the potatoes as it has all of the potato starch in it
3 tbsp of flour 3. Squeeze half a lemon onto the grated potatoes and stir to combine
potato starch 4. Finely dice the onions and sauté until soft in a pan adding a tbsp of water or oil(10 minutes)
1/2 cup apple sauce 5. While you’ve been cooking the onions, the potato starch has had time to separate and sink to the bottom of the
bowl. Slowly drain the liquid and you will find a thick coating of white potato starch at the bottom of the bowl. Scoop
that out and add it to the grated potatoes
6. Add the onions and flour to the potato mixture and combine well
7. Form into small patties and place on a lined baking sheet
8. Bake for 45 minutes, turning half way through
9. Serve with apple sauce if you’re into that sort of thing :)
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 Without a blender or a food processor, making hummus is impossible and making falafels is quite tricky, so
we decided to make a deconstructed version of this Berlin favorite and think you’ll love the results.
RECIPE - SERVES 4 PS it’s way faster to do it this way rather than make your own falafel patties!
PRICE PER SERVING: 88 CENTS
1. Thinly slice 2 red onions and place in a tupperware container with ½ a cup of vinegar and a pinch of salt. (Let sit in
3 cups dried white rice
1 head of lettuce the fridge overnight or up to 4 days)
1 large tomato 2. Cover 1.5 cups of chickpeas in water and let soak for 12 - 24 hours
1 large cucumber 3. Drain the beans from their soaking water and add them to a large pot of fresh water. Bring the pot to a boil and then
3 medium potatoes reduce to simmer. Cooking chickpeas will take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours
1.5 cups dried chickpeas 4. Cook 3 cups of dried rice to package instructions
4 tbsp tahini 5. Preheat oven to 400 °F
3 tbsp paprika 6. Dice potatoes into small cubes and coat with 3 tablespoons of paprika then place them on a parchment paper lined
2 tbsp falafel spice baking sheet (cook for 45 minutes)
2 medium red onions 7. Take your cooked chickpeas and add 3 tablespoons of falafel seasoning and place in the oven on a parchment
1/2 cup apple cider paper lined baking sheet (cook for 15 minutes)
vinegar 8. Chop half a cucumber, 1 tomato, 1 large head of lettuce
9. Mix the juice of 1 lemon with 4 tablespoons tahini, 5 tablespoons water, and a pinch of salt and pepper
10. To serve: fill half of each bowl with rice and the other half with lettuce. Then place the potatoes, chickpeas, tomato,
26
cucumber, pickled onions on top and drizzle with tahini dressing
Woah, so we did it - a month of living on 3 euros a day. While we were shocked that making
delicious food on this kind of budget was so easy, there were also plenty of moments where
we felt like we had gotten in over our heads when it came to managing social situations. So
we wanted to discuss a few tips with you as you begin this frugal lifestyle. If you want to have
a social life and live on this kind of budget, you have to surround yourself with supportive
people and suggest interesting and creative things to do together. Let your close friends
know that you are going to start trying to be more frugal and see if they want to join or have
any fun ideas of free things to do in your neighborhood. People are usually up for doing fun
free things, but if you don’t suggest it, it might never happen.

We are very lucky as we get to go through this adventure together and support one another.
And while it would definitely be harder to manage alone, it can be completely manageable
depending on your perspective! Anytime you make a large life change you need to
understand deeply why you are choosing this new path. Do you have student loans you want
to pay back? Are you saving up for a big trip? Do you want to start an artistic career?
Whatever the reason is, you need to think about that when deciding whether to meet a friend
for drinks or suggest a walk in the park instead. Just remember that there is always an
alternative, you just have to be proactive enough to create it.

Even though our month long challenge is over, our commitment to living frugally has just
begun and we can’t wait to continue to share the skills we’ve gained with you! Next on our list
is perfecting a homemade fermentation guide, which can easily help add a bunch of nutrients
and flavor to the diet of anyone living on a tight budget.
 About pages are really hard to write. It’s tricky not to slip
into the third person, or create some sort of ugly cross
between a resume and a profile page. One day, right below
this sentence, we’ll find the time to make a funny “About Us”
video by digitizing and collecting all our old family photos and
videos, but until then, this little ramble will have to do: Lou and
Dana met in Barcelona in September of 2010 - see what I was
talking about with the third person thing? Eventually they
moved in together in NYC, in an apartment on the Lower East
Side so small that the bedroom was nothing but a bed tucked
between four walls (but it was perfect all the same). Fast
forward a year and a half, Dana has quit her job (tech startup if you’re wondering), gotten into veganism as a
healthy detox cleanse, realized it’s really about acting upon the things you believe in, convinced Lou to join, he’s
hesitant at first but soon realizes it can (and does) get rid of his rheumatoid arthritis. All the while they’re
scrambling to figure out how they are going to travel to Peru with Lou’s parents (a trip they booked months
before) now that they are vegan? And so, just like that, Plant Based Traveler was born, in a mess of massive life
decisions which eventually brought them to Berlin.
As you can see from this eBook, Plant Based Traveler has come to mean a lot more to us than simply vegan
travel. It remains our passion project because it’s become a space for us to explore our creativity (we taught
ourselves film making, video editing, audio leveling, color correcting, photography, hand lettering, gastronomy,
and tons of other stuff) because we want to show people that anything is possible, that being vegan doesn’t
restrict your life, it enhances it. We want to show that it’s still possible to take meaningful action for the things
you believe in, and that there can be real happiness, joy, adventure, (and frustration, and challenges) in living a
life radically different from the status quo.