Philosophical Vegan Forum

dan1073 wrote:I mean that it's cheaper for me to but fake leather than it is for me to buy real leather etc.

I didn't know it was really cheaper than real leather. Some animal products—like milk, at least at my local supermarket—are cheaper than non-animal products, but it's worth paying more.

Volenta wrote: I didn't know it was really cheaper than real leather. Some animal products—like milk, at least at my local supermarket—are cheaper than non-animal products, but it's worth paying more.

It's due to economy of scale. If more people drank more soy milk, there would be higher volumes, more local production (even in the store selling it; the same way soda is mixed on the spot), and more competition, so the price would drop well below dairy milk. Probably less than 25% the cost of dairy milk.

If soy milk is more expensive than moo milk where you are, you might be well served by investing in a soy milk maker. They're a bit over $100, but you make that back fast if you drink quite a bit. If you have soy milk every day, you'd make up the difference in about three months, and thereafter save a lot of money.

brimstoneSalad wrote:If soy milk is more expensive than moo milk where you are, you might be well served by investing in a soy milk maker. They're a bit over $100, but you make that back fast if you drink quite a bit. If you have soy milk every day, you'd make up the difference in about three months, and thereafter save a lot of money.

Thanks for the suggestion. Maybe I will make my own. Something I do like about buying it is the added vitamins (and also calcium if I'm correct), but that of course can be replaced with a supplement. I kind of wonder whether a soy maker is really necessary though. Is it hard to make soy milk without it? What are the benefits of a soy maker?

Edit: never mind, you explained the alternative here already.

Volenta wrote:I kind of wonder whether a soy maker is really necessary though. Is it hard to make soy milk without it? What are the benefits of a soy maker?

Edit: never mind, you explained the alternative here already.

Yeah, I highly recommend it. Making it without a soy milk maker is a pain.

It's similar to the difference between making rice with or without a rice maker; considering the value of your time, it quickly pays for itself vs. the alternative of making it on a stove top.

I look forward to the day that more people drink soymilk and eat tofu so it's affordable and we can buy it at the supermarket without paying an unreasonably high premium.

The same applies to all vegan products. Get a larger volume going, and the products moving off the shelf faster (because you pay the rent for the shelf-time those products took up), and price drops really fast.