'Vegan food is expensive, if she wants to eat it, she can buy it herself'

"It nearly doubled our grocery bill," the dad said about his teen's request for specialty items during her transition to a plant-based diet. 

A dad has voiced his concerns about his teenage daughter's desire to go vegan, not because he had any issue with the decision itself but rather the financial strain it would put on the family's grocery budget.

So, he decided to give his daughter a choice—should she choose to make the switch, she would need to fund her own groceries because the specialty items she wants are so expensive. 

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Image: Supplied/IStock

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The dad's ultimatum to his teen

According to the dad, his daughter’s switch to a vegetarian diet a year ago was manageable, but her recent request to go vegan nearly doubled their grocery bill.

"My daughter, 15, almost 16, went vegetarian about a year ago. Overall, it went well and didn't add much to the grocery list. The family already didn't eat much meat,” he explained to the AITA forum. 

"She has been talking about going vegan for a while, and the last time I got groceries, she asked me to pick some stuff up. Overall, it almost doubled the price of our grocery bill,” he continuned. 

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In addition to the price, the taste of the vegan substitutes didn’t sit well with him or the rest of the family. 

“I found most of the food to be bad,” admitted the OP. “Vegan cheese has to be grossest thing I ever tried.”

This eventually forced the dad to sit down with the teen to figure out a solution. 

"She kept talking about it, so I told her if she goes vegan she will have to get her own job and pay for her groceries. I also told her that we can not afford to double the grocery bill and I am not going to replace things with alternatives that the family doesn't like."

"This resulted in an argument, and now she is calling me a jerk."

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"This is insane"

Reddit users chimed in with varied reactions. 

Some empathised with the dad’s financial concerns, agreeing that his daughter needs to understand the cost of her decision and try to make smarter choices. Others suggested ways to figure out a plan that would work for the whole family. 

“NTA for refusing to buy those vegan convenience food items, which, much like their non-vegan counterparts, are more expensive than buying from-scratch ingredients,” a top commenter wrote. “I recommend sitting down with her and talking about what you ARE willing to pay for in terms of food, and coming up with some vegan meal ideas together that would still fit within your family's overall preferences and grocery budget, then telling her than anything she wants on top of that (vegan cheese, fake meats, whatever else) is on her to pay for.”

That person added: “At 15, your daughter is old enough to do some research of her own and figure out what's vegan without relying solely on convenience food. She's also old enough to understand that money isn't unlimited, and there are other people in the house that have to be fed, too.”

“In any case, you're not the asshole for refusing to double your grocery bill, but I do think there's room for you two to find some compromises and meet somewhat in the middle.”

Another commenter suggested that the teen could take charge of her vegan diet by learning to cook instead of relying on pre-packaged foods.

“If she wants to be vegan, she needs to learn to cook vegan. Supplying ingredients shouldn't cost much more, but buying prepared vegan food is EXPENSIVE. If it is so important to her, she will do it. If not, she can eat what is provided and exclude what she doesn't want. Veggies, nuts, beans, etc. shouldn't add too much overall, but if she wants meat and cheese substitutes, then I agree that she can contribute. She can make all of it herself with a little bit of effort.”

A third replied: “You’re not in the wrong  - doubling your grocery bill for a single member of the family for a personal choice, not a medical need, is insane,” before advising the dad to hold his ground. 

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Originally published as 'Vegan food is expensive, if she wants to eat it, she can buy it herself'