An interesting piece on MSN Money highlights a little-touted benefit of vegetarianism, for all of cynical cheapskates out there. I probably wouldn't go vegetarian because I feel sorry for the furry woodland creatures, and I certainly won't do it for my health. Arteries? I mean come on. But they've finally found something that might just convert this steak-guzzling carnivore: Being a vegetarian can save you money.

Aside from the benefits of having good health later in life, check this out:

If you drop red meat, poultry, and fish from your diet, you'll find plant proteins cheaper than the equivalent amount of animal protein ... Contrast that with dried beans and lentils at less than $1 a pound and rice well below $1 per pound ... Even tofu, the chicken of the vegetarian world, is usually well under $2 a pound.

All right, I'm sold! Note to PETA: Instead of sending me mailings full of propaganda about animal cruelty, send me a detailed summary of how much money I can save each year by being a vegetarian. The number one thing marketing experts say you have to tell the the customer is: "What's in it for me?"

I would be willing to bet that a national ad campaign touting the economic benefits of a meat-free diet would convert a lot of cynics like me.