Hey all!

I just wanted to let you know that there is a great new article on Redfin that you might want to share with new vegans or aspiring vegans in your life.

I'm super excited that a tip from Cheap Vegan Chick was included.

Here is the link:

21 Beginner Tips for a Vegan House in 2021

Every time I head to the Kindle Store on Amazon to look for free books, there are always at least a handful of offerings related to vegan cooking, plant-based diets or organic living.

The only catch is that you have to get these ebooks right away, because the price can increase back to the normal retail price any time.

You do not have to have a Kindle to enjoy free Kindle ebooks; you can download a free app on your phone or tablet, and then start filling your library with free vegan cookbooks and more!

These are the four free vegan ebooks I found today, so head to Amazon as soon as you can to grab them while they are still free:

Take this fun, quick quiz to test your Vegan IQ!

After you take it, I would love for you to leave a comment to let me know how you did.

I missed two the first time I took it, but I'm fixin' to have a rematch!

This is just a quick note to make sure all of you know about this recently published list of the Top 60 Vegan Blogs to Follow for Inspiration in 2017.

I am so honored to be included in this list with so many awesome vegan bloggers. I encourage all of you to check it out to see if there might be some vegan blogs on there of which you are not yet aware.

Get inspired to go vegan or get tips to help you on your vegan journey!

Here you go:

Top 60 Vegan Blogs to Follow for Inspiration in 2017

If you are considering moving towards a plant-based diet or going vegan, here are four FREE ebooks to help make sure you are well informed and have plenty of easy recipes on hand.

Keep in mind, the free ebooks on Amazon can change price at any time, so hurry over to get these before they go back to their regular price!

You do not have to have a Kindle to enjoy these free ebooks. You can read ebooks on your computer, tablet or smartphone with the Kindle app, which is free to download.

Okay, it has been one week since I headed south to Costa Mesa and spent two awesome days at the 2016 SoCal VegFest.

I would have posted this sooner but, since I’ve been home, there have been a couple of things to contend with – such as having the fam over for Halloween, and then having our second slab leak this year. Ugh! It was the same pipe, so we had to have plumbers come and reroute the whole line so that it now runs through the attic. Up next are the drywall repair folks, and then determining whether we can replace just part of the flooring where the leak happened or if we have to replace all of the flooring in our house. Blah to all of that.

Anyways, that is what has been keeping me busy this week, so I apologize for waiting a week before posting my wrap-up of SoCal VegFest!

Now on to the good stuff…

First off – thank you so much to all of you who liked and retweeted my live tweets from the event. I hope you found them fun and useful! It was great to meet some Twitter friends at the festival and, as I tweeted during the event – I’m so used to being the only vegan in the room almost everywhere I go that it was truly incredible and amazing to be surrounded by thousands of compassionate vegans, vegetarians and veg-curious folks.

This green juice was so refreshing once the day got hotter.

I had the chance to have a long chat about vegan makeup and our love of tea with vegan singer/songwriter Annette Conlon, ate A LOT of awesome vegan food, and had the opportunity to meet some of the amazing folks who own or run vegan companies and organizations that I love. I also found out about some new brands I had yet to discover and picked up several products that I will be reviewing on Cheap Vegan Chick in the coming weeks.

Like this luxurious body butter from Veg in OC (above)!

This is just one row of vegan food vendors at SoCal VegFest (above) and the one I chose for my first meal at the festival (below).

The vegan Italian sandwich form Cafe MoMa was SO good! They also had this Mama's Sweet Bread (pictured below) that I meant to pick up before I left...and I totally forgot! I'm so bummed about this.

But...the important thing that I wanted to mention is that they do not normally make this sweet bread in a vegan version, but they said that they would if they got a good response. So if you have the chance to try it and you love it, please be sure to let them know!

There were also some awesome speakers -- like Matt Ruscigno, MPH, RD...

And lots of booths giving away vegan coupons!

Here's the Animal Rights Legislation Panel on the main stage (Jane Velez-Mitchell has the mic)...

And here are the purveyors of the best vegan croutons I have ever eaten! (I came home with three bags.)

I tried lots of new things...

...got Samson and Piper some vegan dog treats from Shaded Trails (which they loved!)...

...and met so many great people doing great things!

I <3 Sean and Queenie from Ahimsa Essentials. If you did not have a chance to stop by and try some of their products, you might just have to drive to Arizona to hit up one of the markets where they regularly sell their wares. Or, of course, you could just visit their website and order some of their oils, soaps, scrubs and more.

I came home with their Om body butter, which I will be reviewing soon!

I also came home with some of these awesome bamboo socks by Bambu Dru (for me and my wife!).

Oh! And I can't believe that I have missed Miss Jones vegan, organic baking mixes and frostings right in the baking aisle at Vons! If you are like me and just assume there aren't any products for us on that aisle, keep an eye out for Miss Jones!

All in all, SoCal VegFest was awesome!

I'm so glad I was able to attend both days to enjoy the hundreds of booths, thousands of attendees, tons of vegan food and awesome, compassionate vendors.

I can't wait for SoCal VegFest next year -- hope to see you there!

In the meantime, keep an eye out for several vegan product reviews coming soon as I have a chance to try out all of this vegan awesomeness I got at the festival!

If you are considering moving to a plant-based diet or just transitioned from omnivore to vegetarian or from vegetarian to vegan, these guides are a must read. They are packed with information about why to go vegan, how to go vegan, how to stock your pantry, cooking plant-based meals, health benefits of a plant-based diet and so much more.
 
Most of these vegan and vegetarian starter guides can be downloaded from the links below. You can order a hard copy of a couple of them, and a couple of them just have the guides in an online format with no download option.
 
These guides would be super helpful for parents, family members, partners and friends of vegetarians and vegans as well. They can help the people in your life better understand why you have made the choice to move towards a plant-based diet...and they might even convince them to join you on the journey!

1. Vegetarian Starter Kit (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)
 
2. Vegan Starter Kit (VeganKit)

3. Plant-Based Nutrition: Healthy Vegan Living for Everyone (The Vegan Society)

4. African American Vegan Starter Guide (Tracye McQuirter, MPH & Farm Sanctuary)
 
5. Vegan Starter Guide (Friends of Animals)
 
6. The Vegetarian Starter Guide (Mercy for Animals)
 
7. Vegetarian Starter Guide (Compassion Over Killing)
 
8. Vegetarian 101 (Happy Cow)

9. Your Guide to Going Veggie or Vegan (Animal Aid)
 
10. Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating (Vegan Outreach)

11. Eating Vegan: A Complete Guide to Vegan Cooking for Beginners (Eat Drink Better)
 
Are there other vegetarian starter guides or vegan starter guides that I'm missing?

Please share them in the comments below!

One of the things that makes SoCal VegFest awesome is that admission and parking are free. Everyone loves to save money, but this is particularly cool because it makes the festival accessible to a wider audience of people who can learn about a healthier, greener, more compassionate diet and lifestyle.

However, while the organizers might be letting us in for free, that does not mean there aren't a ton of costs that go along with putting on a two-day festival of this size.

If you are in the Los Angeles area and can make it to Au Lac on August 22, this is your opportunity to help support the festival. In particular, the proceeds from this fundraiser will help cover the costs of the main stage where attendees will enjoy speakers, celebrity guests and music.

The fundraiser is a free event where you can enjoy speakers and live music. If you purchase dinner while you are there, part of your purchase will go towards covering the costs of the festival's main stage -- so enjoy a night out, learn something new and support SoCal VegFest!

Dinner & Discussions with Health Experts...and Live Music! at Au Lac DTLA  - Aug 22

CARLY REEDER
5:00-6:00pm (discussion + Q&A)
Stress Free for Life: Alleviating the 4 Factors of Stress
Environmental, Food, Emotional, Spiritual

GINA BONANNO-LEMOS
6:15-7:15pm (discussion + Q&A)
Avoiding The Unknown Pitfalls Of A Plant-Based Diet: Deficiencies and Hidden Animal Products

LAURA ROBINSON OATMAN
7:30-8:30pm (discussion+ Q&A)
Top 10 Tips to Longevity Through Ayurveda

ELIJAH BUSTOS
8:45-9:30pm
Live Music

Join us for an enlightening, inspiring, and entertaining evening! Presentations and music are FREE - dinner is not included.
Enjoy world-renowned vegan and raw food. 
Call Au Lac DTLA to RSVP: (213) 617-2533 

* A portion of your purchase will help fund SoCal VegFest, a non-profit event, taking place on Oct 29 & 30, 2016. Proceeds will help cover some of the costs in creating a main stage for speakers, celebrities & live music.

Hi there!

If you found your way over here from the How to Go Vegan When You're Young and Broke article on VICE by Jay Stephens, I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Cheap Vegan Chick!

Whether you are a long-time vegan, an aspiring vegetarian or just a fan of Meatless Mondays, I hope you will find lots of useful information here to help you save money on your journey towards a healthier, eco-friendlier, more compassionate, plant-based lifestyle.

As Jay's article shows, it really is possible to eat well on a budget (and to save lots of money on vegan personal care products and cruelty-free cleaning supplies).

To help you navigate this site and find resources to help you, too, become a cheap vegan, here are links to some of the pages and posts I thought you might find most helpful:

Where to Find Vegan Coupons

Where to Find Vegan, Eco-Friendly Deals on Almost Anything

How to Save Money with Coupons

Easy, Vegan Lentil Soup Recipe (Cheap and Great for Slow Cookers!)

Best Cheap, Vegan Dollar Store Finds Ever!

Four All-Natural, Easy, Cheap, DIY Bath or Baby Powder Recipes

Egg Substitutes: 11 Vegan Egg Replacers

Eliminate Carpet Odors with this Cheap, DIY Baking Soda Deodorizer

I would love to also connect with you on Twitter and Facebook, and feel free to email me if you have any questions or suggestions for things you would like to see on the site.

Welcome!!