Grocery Shopping for a Broke Student?

Akariixo
Akariixo Posts: 57 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi friends, I'm one of those broke College students up in Canada land and would love to hear your tips for eating/meal planning on the cheaper side :)

I don't eat dairy as I'm lactose intolerant or much meat as that also makes me feel sick and is expensive but I'm starting to get tired of eating one bowl of pasta every day lol.
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Replies

  • sgtx81
    sgtx81 Posts: 466 Member
    Ramen noodles, frozen veggies, eggs, bread, chicken leg quarters (most places I've seen have em for $6 or $7 for a 10-pound bag), rice, dried beans, cabbage, carrots, butter, salt, soy sauce, hot sauce. You can do all kinds of things on a meager budget. I'm not sure what all you have growing up there, but you can also find wild dandelion greens, wild chives, etc. to add to your diet. If you have Amish communities up there nearby, they sell food for excellent prices too.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    Do you have cheaper Asian or Arab shops in town? Those might be good places to get dry products in bulk. Is meat or veggies more expensive where you are? Can you get either frozen at a lower price?

    I can only comment on the UK, but I manage on roughly 80-110 pounds per month on all groceries. Veggies are often very cheap, especially at stores such as Aldi and Lidl. I buy what's on offer and in season. Meat is quite expensive, thus I eat fairly small portions. Tinned tomatoes are cheaper than fresh ones, and often taste better. I make a lot of dishes involving pulses, Asian noodles, rice, pasta, bulk them up with veggies and add some meat or fish. I usually cook for 2-4 days as it saves time and money. A simple curry doesn't need to be drowned in sauce. if you find an acceptable curry sauce then throw in a lot of veggies and/or cheap protein for a few days. Left over veggies? Throw them in an ovendish with a bit of oil, some potato or sweet potato and a breaded fish makes a nice dinner.
  • Akariixo
    Akariixo Posts: 57 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Do you have cheaper Asian or Arab shops in town? Those might be good places to get dry products in bulk. Is meat or veggies more expensive where you are? Can you get either frozen at a lower price?

    I can only comment on the UK, but I manage on roughly 80-110 pounds per month on all groceries. Veggies are often very cheap, especially at stores such as Aldi and Lidl. I buy what's on offer and in season. Meat is quite expensive, thus I eat fairly small portions. Tinned tomatoes are cheaper than fresh ones, and often taste better. I make a lot of dishes involving pulses, Asian noodles, rice, pasta, bulk them up with veggies and add some meat or fish. I usually cook for 2-4 days as it saves time and money. A simple curry doesn't need to be drowned in sauce. if you find an acceptable curry sauce then throw in a lot of veggies and/or cheap protein for a few days. Left over veggies? Throw them in an ovendish with a bit of oil, some potato or sweet potato and a breaded fish makes a nice dinner.

    Ooh that's great! I didn't know you could store noodles for more than a day. I think there might be an Asian food market downtown I'll have to check it out :)
  • Akariixo
    Akariixo Posts: 57 Member
    Orphia wrote: »
    Are you trying to lose weight?

    For inexpensively good food:

    Avoid expensive organic products. "Organic" is a marketing scam and is no healthier nor better for the environment than conventionally grown food.

    Frozen veggies are just as good for you as fresh, and usually cheaper and last longer.

    Yes, weight loss is the goal :)

    Frozen veggies aren't bad it's like 99c a bag sometimes so I'll definitely have to grab some.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    edited October 2017
    Cottage cheese
    Lentils
    Chick peas
    Buy whole chicken, cook it and shred it in to 150g servings
    Gammon joints, as above
    Seasonal veg
    Eggs


    OOPS! Missed the lacto intolerance part. I will leave the suggestions for lurkers reading though.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited October 2017
    No matter where you live and what you like - avoid hyped-up items (anything that is more expensive because it claims to be "natural", "organic", "low"/"high" etc), aimed at children or nouveau riche, and decide how much (time vs money) you really save by buying prepped (cut, pre-cooked etc) food.

    Look at the price per pound, especially when you consider items on sale. Large quantities are usually cheaper per pound, but don't buy more than you can store and eat before it spoils (frozen foods keep for a long time, and canned and dry goods for eternity). Conversely, nothing is worth it if it causes you to overeat. You use different foods in different amounts, so different price per pound for pepper and flour is irrelevent - compare similar items. Best before-date is a guideline for quality, not the day the food turns toxic - use common sense.

    Don't restrict yourself to recipes - learn to cook. Plan and balance your meals (you need to get enough of a range of nutrients every day, but overdoing it is wasteful), cook/prepare just what you need, and eat up everything (that includes to not drain fat, and to eat broccoli stalks). Be flexible so that you can use whatever is available and cheap and on hand - look into "reverse meal planning".
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    AngelxAnnih wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    Do you have cheaper Asian or Arab shops in town? Those might be good places to get dry products in bulk. Is meat or veggies more expensive where you are? Can you get either frozen at a lower price?

    I can only comment on the UK, but I manage on roughly 80-110 pounds per month on all groceries. Veggies are often very cheap, especially at stores such as Aldi and Lidl. I buy what's on offer and in season. Meat is quite expensive, thus I eat fairly small portions. Tinned tomatoes are cheaper than fresh ones, and often taste better. I make a lot of dishes involving pulses, Asian noodles, rice, pasta, bulk them up with veggies and add some meat or fish. I usually cook for 2-4 days as it saves time and money. A simple curry doesn't need to be drowned in sauce. if you find an acceptable curry sauce then throw in a lot of veggies and/or cheap protein for a few days. Left over veggies? Throw them in an ovendish with a bit of oil, some potato or sweet potato and a breaded fish makes a nice dinner.

    Ooh that's great! I didn't know you could store noodles for more than a day. I think there might be an Asian food market downtown I'll have to check it out :)

    A cooked pasta doesn't go off in a day. As my kitchen is usually unheated I might leave a portion of pasta in the pot. But usually I put it into portion bowls or lock 'n lock boxes and put them into my fridge. Ok, I must admit that I'm sometimes a bit odd (well, chaotic!). The oldest pasta I've ever eaten was 3 days old and not in the fridge. Probably not recommended, but I didn't get sick either.
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    where in Canada are you? shop one of the cheaper grocery stores, shop sales, use coupons, look for stuff marked down, etc. - all of that adds up to a lot of savings, combined with some of the food choices above.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    No matter where you live and what you like - avoid hyped-up items (anything that is more expensive because it claims to be "natural", "organic", "low"/"high" etc), aimed at children or nouveau riche, and decide how much (time vs money) you really save by buying prepped (cut, pre-cooked etc) food.

    Look at the price per pound, especially when you consider items on sale. Large quantities are usually cheaper per pound, but don't buy more than you can store and eat before it spoils (frozen foods keep for a long time, and canned and dry goods for eternity). Conversely, nothing is worth it if it causes you to overeat. You use different foods in different amounts, so different price per pound for pepper and flour is irrelevent - compare similar items. Best before-date is a guideline for quality, not the day the food turns toxic - use common sense.


    When using coupons, the price per unit calculation is different and often a smaller size becomes more economical.

    For example

    There is an occasional recurring coupon for .75 off Dawn(dish soap)--ANY size.

    Normally the large 75 oz size is most economical at 8.00 . 10 cents an oz
    With the coupon, the 8 oz size at 1.00. Becomes much more economical


  • Ssg25
    Ssg25 Posts: 21 Member
    Amy's soup, eggs, frozen vegetables, frozen berries, oatmeal, cheerios/granola, peanut butter, whole wheat crackers, brown rice, rice cakes, kashi/kind granola bars, popcorn, baby carrots, apples and bananas are all cheap too
  • shans34
    shans34 Posts: 535 Member
    Here in Canada food is crazy expensive. On a week of $50, this is my suggestions:
    Eggs 1.99 a carton at fresh co or food basics
    Frozen veggies 2$ a bag good for two or three meals
    $10 pack of 3 1lb ground lean beef
    Potatoes
    Rice 4-5$ for a decent size bag
    Lentils $3 per bag
    Curry powder
    Coconut milk 1$ /can
    Onions
    Garlic
    Ginger
    Whole chicken (you cut it up and for one person that’s 5 meals) $8 at food basics
    Salad fixings $5-8 depending
    Dressing $2
    Oatmeal $2 for instant $3 for oats
    Light mayo 3$
    That’s a week of eating really healthy with enough left over for bread.
    Dollar tree is a good place for sauces, can turkey flakes and spices as everything is $1.25
    Good luck
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    Do you have a slow cooker? That's a great way to make use of cheap beans/lentils and frozen veggies. Stock up on some broth and you can make a LOT of soup and stews for not very much money. I'm just a mom who pinches pennies with a daughter in college, and we both are big into our slow cookers and beans! My daughter is also not a big fan of meat, so the beans and lentils help with that quite a bit.

    Rice is a little pricer, but it's a nice alternative to pasta also.

    A big shout out to Oatmeal, also. And eggs. I know in the U.S., eggs are pretty cheap.
  • Akariixo
    Akariixo Posts: 57 Member
    Muscleflex79 wrote: »
    where in Canada are you? shop one of the cheaper grocery stores, shop sales, use coupons, look for stuff marked down, etc. - all of that adds up to a lot of savings, combined with some of the food choices above.

    Kingston Ontario, I definitely don't do much coupon stuff because it's not as common here but maybe something to get into!
  • Akariixo
    Akariixo Posts: 57 Member
    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    Do you have a slow cooker? That's a great way to make use of cheap beans/lentils and frozen veggies. Stock up on some broth and you can make a LOT of soup and stews for not very much money. I'm just a mom who pinches pennies with a daughter in college, and we both are big into our slow cookers and beans! My daughter is also not a big fan of meat, so the beans and lentils help with that quite a bit.

    Rice is a little pricer, but it's a nice alternative to pasta also.

    A big shout out to Oatmeal, also. And eggs. I know in the U.S., eggs are pretty cheap.

    No slow cooker but I've been looking at them for months!! I really have to get one haha!
  • Akariixo
    Akariixo Posts: 57 Member
    shans34 wrote: »
    Here in Canada food is crazy expensive. On a week of $50, this is my suggestions:
    Eggs 1.99 a carton at fresh co or food basics
    Frozen veggies 2$ a bag good for two or three meals
    $10 pack of 3 1lb ground lean beef
    Potatoes
    Rice 4-5$ for a decent size bag
    Lentils $3 per bag
    Curry powder
    Coconut milk 1$ /can
    Onions
    Garlic
    Ginger
    Whole chicken (you cut it up and for one person that’s 5 meals) $8 at food basics
    Salad fixings $5-8 depending
    Dressing $2
    Oatmeal $2 for instant $3 for oats
    Light mayo 3$
    That’s a week of eating really healthy with enough left over for bread.
    Dollar tree is a good place for sauces, can turkey flakes and spices as everything is $1.25
    Good luck

    Omg I never even thought of dollar tree/dollarama. I'm over here waddling through loblaws -.-
    Definitely going to have to get some flyers and shop around.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    if you have a car - i often shop around for my weekly groceries - i get the flyers for all the stores by me (for me its safeway, giant and shoppers) and then I look at all of them to figure out what is on sale; shoppers tends to have better deals on shelf stable items (rice/beans than others)

    i know lots of ppl swear by Aldi - but i've been disappointed in their options/quality (bread that went moldy within a day)

    meal plan - budgetbytes is a great website because she breaks down cost to cook each meal
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    AngelxAnnih wrote: »
    shans34 wrote: »
    Here in Canada food is crazy expensive. On a week of $50, this is my suggestions:
    Eggs 1.99 a carton at fresh co or food basics
    Frozen veggies 2$ a bag good for two or three meals
    $10 pack of 3 1lb ground lean beef
    Potatoes
    Rice 4-5$ for a decent size bag
    Lentils $3 per bag
    Curry powder
    Coconut milk 1$ /can
    Onions
    Garlic
    Ginger
    Whole chicken (you cut it up and for one person that’s 5 meals) $8 at food basics
    Salad fixings $5-8 depending
    Dressing $2
    Oatmeal $2 for instant $3 for oats
    Light mayo 3$
    That’s a week of eating really healthy with enough left over for bread.
    Dollar tree is a good place for sauces, can turkey flakes and spices as everything is $1.25
    Good luck

    Omg I never even thought of dollar tree/dollarama. I'm over here waddling through loblaws -.-
    Definitely going to have to get some flyers and shop around.

    Be careful with dollar stores, some of their stuff is actually more expensive per unit.
  • beadgalsarita
    beadgalsarita Posts: 47 Member
    When I was living in Toronto, we often shopped at NoFrills and BulkBarn. I haven't lived there in a few years, but I imagine they're both still fairly affordable. Definitely get your spices at BulkBarn or non-western stores, as they'll always be cheaper. With BulkBarn you can buy small amounts so you'll always be able to have fresh spices around.

    Like someone else said, also check out various non-western grocery stores. I'd occasionally find certain foods much cheaper there, although that won't be the case for all things.

    If you have an oven and are open to making your own bread, I suggest giving that a go. If you have no interest in actually spending time on making bread, not judging it's not for everyone, look into no knead bread. You just mix everything together, let it sit for 12 hours, spend <5 minutes shaping, let it rest for an hour or two and then bake. With this method, you get a really high quality loaf of bread with minimal work and expense as the only ingredients are flour, water, salt, and yeast.
  • Akariixo
    Akariixo Posts: 57 Member
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    if you have a car - i often shop around for my weekly groceries - i get the flyers for all the stores by me (for me its safeway, giant and shoppers) and then I look at all of them to figure out what is on sale; shoppers tends to have better deals on shelf stable items (rice/beans than others)

    i know lots of ppl swear by Aldi - but i've been disappointed in their options/quality (bread that went moldy within a day)

    meal plan - budgetbytes is a great website because she breaks down cost to cook each meal

    No car and no Aldi but there is a shoppers like a 10 minute walk from my house. I've always thought they were a little pricey but I'll have to look again because they might be cheaper for some things (like the rice you mentioned).

    I find when I get bread it sits in my freezer for 3 months and then goes in the garbage haha. My boyfriend goes and buys a loaf and then no one eats it!
  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
    edited October 2017
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    if you have a car - i often shop around for my weekly groceries - i get the flyers for all the stores by me (for me its safeway, giant and shoppers) and then I look at all of them to figure out what is on sale; shoppers tends to have better deals on shelf stable items (rice/beans than others)

    i know lots of ppl swear by Aldi - but i've been disappointed in their options/quality (bread that went moldy within a day)

    meal plan - budgetbytes is a great website because she breaks down cost to cook each meal

    Aldis will vary a lot. Two by me are great, one the produce is really unreliable. You want to find a store with a fairly high turnover. The best thing to look for is an Aldi that's really busy on the weekends and on Wednesdays...and then do your shopping on a Monday.

  • Akariixo
    Akariixo Posts: 57 Member
    beadgalsarita wrote: »
    When I was living in Toronto, we often shopped at NoFrills and BulkBarn. I haven't lived there in a few years, but I imagine they're both still fairly affordable. Definitely get your spices at BulkBarn or non-western stores, as they'll always be cheaper. With BulkBarn you can buy small amounts so you'll always be able to have fresh spices around.

    Like someone else said, also check out various non-western grocery stores. I'd occasionally find certain foods much cheaper there, although that won't be the case for all things.

    If you have an oven and are open to making your own bread, I suggest giving that a go. If you have no interest in actually spending time on making bread, not judging it's not for everyone, look into no knead bread. You just mix everything together, let it sit for 12 hours, spend <5 minutes shaping, let it rest for an hour or two and then bake. With this method, you get a really high quality loaf of bread with minimal work and expense as the only ingredients are flour, water, salt, and yeast.
    beadgalsarita wrote: »
    When I was living in Toronto, we often shopped at NoFrills and BulkBarn. I haven't lived there in a few years, but I imagine they're both still fairly affordable. Definitely get your spices at BulkBarn or non-western stores, as they'll always be cheaper. With BulkBarn you can buy small amounts so you'll always be able to have fresh spices around.

    Like someone else said, also check out various non-western grocery stores. I'd occasionally find certain foods much cheaper there, although that won't be the case for all things.

    If you have an oven and are open to making your own bread, I suggest giving that a go. If you have no interest in actually spending time on making bread, not judging it's not for everyone, look into no knead bread. You just mix everything together, let it sit for 12 hours, spend <5 minutes shaping, let it rest for an hour or two and then bake. With this method, you get a really high quality loaf of bread with minimal work and expense as the only ingredients are flour, water, salt, and yeast.

    Oooh Bulk Barn is actually a great idea too, my boyfriend and roommate have 10% off there so maybe I should plan a trip over there with one of them!

    We have an apt (no dorm room) so there's an oven, I've never actually thought about making my own bread, because the loaf from the store never gets eaten and I don't know how to cook very well but that's definitely something I'm going to have to try out!
  • davidylin
    davidylin Posts: 228 Member
    Start stocking up on non-perishables when they go on deep discount even if you don't have immediate plans to use them. A can of tuna you bought two months ago goes really well with some diced onions and pickle relish to liven up any salad.
  • Akariixo
    Akariixo Posts: 57 Member
    nickssweetheart wrote: »
    Tip on bread if you don't eat it all: lay out slices on a sheet pan and freeze, then put in a plastic bag. When you want some, just pop it out of the bag and into the toaster.

    (I promise I'm not trying to take over your thread, but I have a couple of hours to kill this morning, and this is actually a topic I'm well educated in, out of necessity. ;) )

    Oh please, you go right ahead and take over cause I need all the suggestions I can get. These have been great because I'm not very good at the figure it out yourself. I'm a person who needs like someone to show me what I'm doing or give detailed instructions and then I figure the rest out on my own so this thread has been super helpful :)

    Do you put the bread in separate bags or in one bag with a paper towel between them? (Lol this is what I mean)

    We don't actually have a toaster, that's probably why all the bread goes in the garbage, they have to heat up the oven to make toast!

    That's probably too much effort for the men in my house when they first get up haha.
  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
    I just put it in one bag. If you freeze the slices separately at first, they don't stick together. Also, if it gets dry, that's a perfect opportunity to make french toast! If you don't happen to have eggs in the house, you can use mashed banana and milk or plant milk. In my experience, if men wake up to french toast, they decide that you're a goddess. o:)
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    edited October 2017
    Follow sales! I use the Flipp app on my phone before I go grocery shopping to see what's on sale where.

    Definitely don't skimp on the protein, it's very important for your body. Cheap sources of protein would be eggs (eggs are SO nutritious and cheap), beans, lentils.

    Rice, potatoes, eggs, beans, lentils and fruit and veggies will take you far.

    Buy freezable/non-perishable stuff in bulk when on sale. Don't buy fresh fruit/veggies in bulk, because you don't want to end up throwing away half of them before they go bad.
    Meal-prepping is an awesome way to save money and not spend too much time in the kitchen. Cook some big portions and freeze half for a later meal.

    My favourite things to prep are: soups, stews, chilis, curries, lasagna, quiches, breakfast sandwiches
  • bebeisfit
    bebeisfit Posts: 951 Member
    Check out youtube or foodtv for videos on how to cook. You will never regret it and your friends will be happy to come over and be your tasters. I used to tell a friend to buy the vegetable or bring the wine/beer and I'll provide the meal, she would reciprocate by buying lunch at a restaurant.

    If you don't eat much meat, check out vegetarian times website or check out a few cookbooks at the library. One of my new favorite meals is a lentil/mushroom 'meat' loaf.

    Roasting vegetables all at once is a time saver. Eat alone, on a piece of toasted baguette or over pasta or polenta. You can make your own polenta with plain cornmeal and boiling water. Add parmesean cheese and eat while it's in the mushy stage or you can pour in onto a sheet pan and bake for a firmer texture..super cheap.
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