I don't eat a lot of meat. In part it's because I just don't like it all that much, but in part it's because I can't rationalize the cost to myself. I could buy some chicken breast for $5 or $6 or I could opt for that eggplant for about $1.

(Source)

Eggplant parm and chicken parm are both delicious recipes, but when it's just me, preparing food for myself, I prefer the veggie options. It's friendly on my wallet and my waist line.

I'm not a vegetarian and I definitely eat meat from time to time, but it's not a main staple of my diet.

The other day, I saw this really cool chart on the LearnVest blog. It compares the costs of several different kinds of diets by looking at sample meals.

In the end it found that eating a vegan diet could save you more than $1,200 per year.

Now granted that chart just offers a snapshot of a few meals in a day. Over the course of a week or even a month things might even out more. And I know vegan is something I couldn't ever do. I eat, and thoroughly enjoy, dairy products.

But in general, beans and grains tend to be much cheaper per pound than meat, and if you're building meals around beans/grains and fruits and veggies, I think you will save more in the long haul than if you're splurging on meat all the time.

What do you think? Do you think you save by eating less meat, or do you think it all evens out in the end?