1. You don´t eat as much...where as before we would have put one full chicken breast (or similar) per person into a stirfry for example, now we just throw in a handful of sesame seeds or cashew nuts, so the cost of the meal ends up being less.
2. No more racing against best before dates, these foods are non perishable so you don´t end up eating more than you need, just because it is going out of date or won´t last until after the weekend.
3. Pulses are sold dry, and take in more than double their weight in water when you (soak and) cook them, so the price per kilo you see in the shop ends up as less when you look at your plate, which is the opposite of meat which shrivels and loses juices while cooking.
4. You can save money buy buying in bulk; due to the long shelf life and the fact that they are sold dry you can avail of discounts by buying larger quantities, not really an option with meat, unless you have a giant freezer!