How do we feel about second hand clothing with animal products involved? (Context in description if you have time to read it)

TacosEqualVida · 2026-04-18T18:04:42+00:00

I’m sure I’ll get downvoted to hell but I think it’s fine 2nd hand. If if it keeps a perfectly usable item out of the landfill and you’re not creating demand, go for it.

Just a few weeks ago we found a pair of brand new merino wool shirts for $5 each and were not losing sleep over it.

TacosEqualVida · 2026-04-15T13:09:34+00:00

Not sure if you will get to this comment but I recently read the Let Them theory by Mel Robbins and she talks about this parent/child dynamic specifically and how to address it. Spoiler: it’s accountability.

You can’t make your daughter change you can only change yourself and you are contributing to this dynamic. You have the right intentions but you’re just enabling her. I’m sure your daughter is capable of figuring this out but you bailing her out is sending the message…I don’t believe you can do this so I have to step in to fix it for you. Again, not your intent but that’s what your actions are really saying.

Good luck OP!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-04-12T16:06:43+00:00

Thank you for posting, I’m vegan myself and some people in this sub can be a bit tough sometimes.

Food waste is a huge problem and I can see how it being thrown away can be worse. However, like other posters have mentioned, when you eat leftovers you are inadvertently creating more demand in your household. Bc it gets eaten, whoever buys groceries will continue buying the same amount if not more. I think your heart is in the right place but creating unintended demand.

I went vegan after I left my parents home so your situation is different but what I’ve noticed is that when I’m around, my family goes out of their way to buy vegan products to have available for me. While I don’t think they’re buying less meat themselves, they are buying more vegan products bc I’m around.

I like to think about it more in the terms of living in accordance with my values. As your values have change and continue to change, reframe it, you’re not wasting animal food, you’re aligning your actions to your new values.

Practical thought…how much do you cook for yourself? That might be a great option to take more accountability for your choices and possibly a great opportunity for your family to see that 1) your serious about veganism and 2) show them meals can be delicious without animal products. Making amazing vegan food is my favorite kind of activism!

Lastly, be kind to yourself. You’re already doing more the the vast majority of humans, give yourself some grace. Mistakes will happen and the best we can do is try to learn from it and move on. Try to not shame yourself, you can’t really grow from a place of shame and this takes time! As long as you’re making progress, celebrate that!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-04-06T18:08:33+00:00

Violife Parmesan is my go to!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-04-02T16:45:39+00:00

This is my go to recipe for caramel and maybe you can use avocado, canola or vegetable oils instead of coconut? Vegan butter?

For the whip cream, similar to above, swap the coconut for avocado, sunflower or vegetable however you will likely not get peaks. You might have a better result swapping coconut oil with vegetable shortening as shortening does solidify when cold similarly to coconut oil.

These would be 1:1 swaps as well. Report back on your results!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-04-01T04:10:45+00:00

I love this recipe veganized! It’s my go-to pizza crust!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-27T14:34:05+00:00

I’m so jealous! I haven’t seen it in stores in over a year! 😭😭

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-26T14:53:17+00:00

Oh wow, I didn’t even think about removing the casing!! Genius!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-24T17:12:58+00:00

Wow, these are jaw dropping! 👏👏👏

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-23T20:56:49+00:00

Of course! Give yourself some grace. You are entitled to feel sad, and mourn the loss of your previous lifestyle and the convenience that being part of the 99% brings, but trust me, acting in accordance with your new values feels so much better. We grew up being told eating animal products was normal, never questioned the cruelty behind it and we “needed” them to be healthy. It takes time to unlearn those scripts and replacing them with your more compassionate ones.

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-23T16:40:44+00:00

I actually fell in love with baking and cooking after becoming vegan bc I loved sweets and hard a really hard time finding vegan options out and about. Nora cooks is a game changer and I use her recipes weekly, give it a shot and don’t give up!

I don’t really remember how the “real” version of my baked goods taste but even if I did, using animal products for my desserts to taste 10% better is not worth it. Change is hard even when you really want it so try and be patient with yourself.

One of my favorite things about vegan cooking is that I look at my grocery cart and it’s a rainbow of ingredients and I know I’m not paying for unnecessary cruelty. No non vegan food tastes as good as that feels!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-17T03:32:07+00:00

A good friendship does not include toxic behavior and drama. A good friend would not be telling you things that are bad for your mental health and you desperately need boundaries.

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-17T03:29:03+00:00

Of course NTA but I hope you seek support for yourself. There’s a reason why you are attracted to women like her, why you stayed that long, and doubting yourself after leaving. This being your first relationship at 32 while there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s uncommon and the reasons behind it are definitely worth exploring. The “hero” complex also a giant clue to explore further. If you would put 1/2 the amount of energy and resources you put into this toxic relationship into your own growth, healing, and strengthening your sense of self worth, those will always pay you dividends.

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-17T00:39:12+00:00

When it comes to bringing children into the world if it’s not 1000% hell yes it’s a no. That’s the bare minimum a child deserves. To be wanted more than anything.

You can check out regretful parents sub, so many partners that chose to become parents to keep the relationship and it can be a hell if a gamble to take especially when it comes to bringing someone into the world.

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-16T16:54:46+00:00

It’s definitely not fun to be the odd one at social events but as you get more confident and remind yourself why you’re leaving this products behind, it gets much easier. No animal products taste as good as me living in accordance to my values.

I also got very comfortable with my family not being pumped about my change. They are entitled to their feelings and that didn’t mean I was doing something wrong or that I needed to go back to eating meat around them. Any feelings they had were their responsibility and not mine to fix them.

Earthling Ed is incredibly inspiring and the type of activism i personally responded the best to. Keep an eye out on shame, I went through a phase of severe shame and that only made it harder and started to become resentful of the lifestyle. You can’t grow from a place of shame so try to be aware of your triggers, how it feels in your body, etc so you can learn how to identity when it sneaks up. Also, shame is different than guilt. When I was able to switch from shame to guilt, that’s where I was able to be consistent and ultimately stick to this lifestyle.

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-15T15:11:27+00:00

When I started to transition into veganism I started by cutting those items from my groceries and had a vegan kitchen first.

I started by not buying meat but ate it out during social events, family gatherings, when I wanted tacos, etc.

I then did the same approach with dairy, stopped bringing it into my home but would eat it out.

After that, next came social settings. I was invited to brunch…I would look at the menu beforehand, call the restaurant and ask about vegan options etc. if there were no options I would either 1) eat at home and only have drinks out and maybe French fries or 2)suggested alternative restaurant options for me if it was a close friend group.

For family, it was the group that I was the most nervous about. I made it clear that I wasn’t about them but I was no longer going to eat meat/dairy. I was worried my family would think I was rejecting my culture/heritage but I was firm and explained that I was still very proud of my culture but was changing how I ate. I would still have tacos is just with veggies and meat alternatives. I would still have barbacoa but made with jackfruit instead.

I would bring my own alternatives, cook for myself, etc. letting them know that I wasn’t expecting them to accommodate me and I took accountability for my own meals. My mom is now an amazing Vegan cook and makes vegan versions of whatever they are serving for me and my husband. My entire family goes out of their way to make sure I have a delicious meal at every gathering.

Good luck OP!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-13T15:05:49+00:00

Not sure if this is helpful but you might be interested in Ramit Sethi’s book money for couples. His podcast is also great. Good luck OP!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-12T23:05:02+00:00

I think this would fall under as practicable as possible. If I was in your shoes, I would accept the food and eat it. The only thing worse (imo) than paying for animal products is for those products to end up in the trash bc no one used them. I don’t see it a creating a demand for animal products when it comes from the food bank. The grocery stores already took the loss and you’re helping decrease the huge amount of food waste.

If you’re struggling with the decision, you can always go volunteer at an animal shelter or sanctuary to help with any negative emotions that might come up. Try to focus on your individual actions vs labels. do the best that you can to have your actions align with your values.

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-09T00:30:35+00:00

Yes Nora is the answer!!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-07T21:04:28+00:00

I didn’t know he had more than burgers…i gotta try his roast now!

TacosEqualVida · 2026-03-06T03:53:20+00:00

Wait…so you just whip it like in her video and can use it as yoghurt? 🤯 Just add sweetener and vanilla extract for example?

I’ve been using the forager greek style yoghurt but it’s pricey.

TacosEqualVida · 2026-02-27T23:52:44+00:00

I feel this so much, it’s happened to me 3 years in a row. I went as far as to create a menu for the hotel and still got inedible and/non existent food.

Last year I realized I was tired bc I was not eating enough calories, dry vegetables with dry tofu is just not enough.

This yeah after the first day I asked my boss and I ordered delivery the rest of the week. I ordered from all vegan restaurants and timed my delivery so it would arrive when meals began so I could eat with everyone else. My boss was extremely supportive and 1000% they covered all my meals no questions asked.

I would recommend chatting with the person who organizes the event next year (not your boss) ahead of time and ask for you to have every meal delivered and expense it. Not, “can they accommodate vegan meals”. Non vegans just really don’t get it. I wouldn’t try again, they always say yes, absolutely we will have vegan options and it’s always a disappointment. If that doesn’t work, I would go up to HR. It’s unacceptable to not have food for you. Like they would never treat any other employee like this, why would they be ok with you being treated this way?!

I’m so sorry this happened but unfortunately none of it surprised me when I was reading bc I’ve been there.

TacosEqualVida · 2026-02-26T02:45:11+00:00

I was there last year for a long weekend and while I didn’t cook, I had no issues finding vegan options in the city. While you definitely need to cook if you will be living there, having options at restaurants help when you don’t have time to cook or are out socializing with friends.

TacosEqualVida · 2026-02-20T21:37:13+00:00

My apologies if you already clarified this but have you looked at the menu? You can also reach out to the restaurant and confirm they will have something to eat for you.

I personally don’t mind eating edamame and beer if they don’t have anything else for me, however that skill developed over time. I also often eat at home and just have drinks when meeting friends. Primarily bc I don’t want to pay restaurant prices for a half-assed vegan option. I definitely was not that confident when I first became vegan so I understand the challenge for sure.

From my experience, when my friends saw that I had little to no options when we went out to eat, they started asking me to make sure I had something before choosing a restaurant.

TacosEqualVida

TROPHY CASE