Poor College Student, HELP!

niavalentino

Well, I'm in college and like most students that study in the U.S...practically broke. Its difficult for me to keep up with a nutritious and delicious diet when every time I open my fridge moths fly out, and crickets chirp. So I'm usually stuck with a piece of bread and peanut butter, or going out to buy something cheap and fast to eat. How can I afford the good stuff on a tight budget? Or rather, how can I make a healthy diet work on a tight budget? Any suggestions?

missvics

I'm sure a lot of people would frown on even suggesting this...but have you thought of applying for Food assistance? I did a few months ago and got approved and I eat so much healthier now because I can afford to buy the good stuff. I know a lot of people look down on it, but the programs are there for a reason, for people who really need the help. Good luck.

sandyfeet10

even though i am out of college, i am on a tight budget, so here are some staple foods for me that i can afford: peanut butter (check ingredients to make sure they don't add sugar), tuna fish (protein keeps you full), string cheese(reduced fat store brand), and fruit that's on sale. i always have frozen veggies in my freezer because they are cheap and last for forever.

best of luck to you! even if you can't eat healthy, be conscious of your portions!

nph1960

Don't forget about oatmeal - the real stuff, not instant.

ESVABelle

Buy what's in season or on sale. And coupons coupons coupons. Go to manufacturer's websites, they'll usually have some that aren't in the paper (not that anyone gets the paper anymore).

When you go to the store, go to the meat dept, get the stuff that's marked down because it has to be sold THAT day...then freeze it and use it when you're ready. Pears, apples and bananas are pretty cheap eats these days. And a bag of baby carrots is about $1. You just gotta shop around for the deals.

christina_michelle

look at coupons! we had green peppers at safeway for 10/$10 so I got the green ones but not the red or orange or yellow which were $3 each. Also, I got TWO bags of lettuce (one romaine, one a spring mix) for $1.50.

Its about being savvy too. Go to the online store and add online coupons to your card (its separate than club card prices) look up whats on sale and clip coupons! Everything helps.

I remember one time crab was one sale for like $2 a pound and my mom went nuts and bought like $16 worth! but she had plenty of crab and had two months worth of it (-:

just depends on how you spend it. The burger and fries are actually the same amount as TWO greek yogurts in price.

I bought 10 tuna cans for 25 cents a piece a few weeks ago!

kateanne27

when I was in college I lived off spagetti, since it is so cheap, but while a few years ago my metabolism could handle that, it cant anymore. Other things we did was make muffins by adding canned pumpkin or applesauce to cakemix; and lots of chicken bought in bulk and then wrapped individually and frozen: chicken and rice, chicken yogurt curry, chicken chili. canned beans, tomatoes, and corn are all cheap, so is rice. frozen veggies are also sometimes less expensive than fresh.

hilhall822

Oatmeal, fruits, veggies (buy what's on sale)- do you have a kitchen in your dorm/apartment? Soups are cheap to make, filling, and you can make them in big batches and portion them out so they are quick and easy.

paulhood

#1 Well, I'm in college and like most students that study in the U.S...practically broke.

#2 I'm sure a lot of people would frown on even suggesting this...but have you thought of applying for Food assistance?


#3 even though i am out of college, i am on a tight budget, so here are some staple foods for me that i can afford: peanut butter (check ingredients to make sure they don't add sugar), tuna fish (protein keeps you full), string cheese(reduced fat store brand), and fruit that's on sale. i always have frozen veggies in my freezer because they are cheap and last for forever.

best of luck to you! even if you can't eat healthy, be conscious of your portions!

#1 - You keep it up. It WILL pay off. I congratulate you in advance for doing this!!!

#2 - I am not frowning on it. I worked at a convenience store and saw more abuse of these than one would ever imagine goes on, but they serve their place in this country and I still say keep them.

#3 - Great advice. Do, if you can, try to steer away from boxed and canned processed foods. They are cheaper, but they are cheaply made and can be bad for you. Read the labels. Buy the generic brands of food most of them really do taste identical.


Best of luck to you. I made my way through college with my wife both of us working at convenience stores making not much money. We applied for grants and got some, other than that it was loans.

rklein88

i buy heads of lettuce, lots of frozen veggies, frozen fish, chicken, canned tuna, and any fresh produce that's on sale. i have a store for locally grown produce nearby so everything is really fresh and cheap. I go a few times a week so i don't buy too much in advance...this keeps me from wasting food. whole grain pasta and brown rice are also inexpensive and filling! oatmeal is great too. i buy the cheapest apples i can get (usually in a 3lb bag, not the ones you pick and weigh), and cut them up in oatmeal with cinnamon. not the individual packages, but the large canister. i also keep milk and cereal on hand at all times...milk i can get for $2.50 a gallon and i only buy cereal that is on sale for less than $2/box (I look at the adds for my stores online before i shop). cereal is a pretty cheap and low-calorie meal that keeps me from running to get fast food (which is convenient, but expensive for what it is and not usually worth the fat/calories/gas to drive and get it!)

good luck!

gingerfoxxx

when i was in college, rice was the center of every meal just about. I would by a huge bag at the asian market, and just mix it with frozen veggies, or canned beans, or whatever i could cheaply keep on hand!

SaLandrum

I would invest in a small crockpot .... that will help you plan healthier meals as well using frozen ingredients.

milaxx

Buy a crockpot.You can get one for around $10 at Walmart or kmart.
Buy ziplock freezer bags from the dollar store.
Stock up on dry spices. A little flavor goes a long way and helps you not use salt.
Quinoa is dirt cheap and you can use like rice. it's also a complete protein. You can also treat it like oatmeal as a breafast dish.
Brown rice is also pretty cheap.
if you eat beans, they cook really well in a crock pot and again you can add spices for variety.
If you can't afford fresh veg, buy frozen or buy freezer bags and buy the quick sale produce in the market and then either blanch in hot water for 3 min/shock in ice water for 1 and freeze them or roast them with onions and garlic powder and freeze them.
Teach yourself to cut up a chicken. Seriously if you eat meat, the best way to save money is to buy a whole chicken, Google or search youtube. You will be eating off that thing forever and then you can boil the carcass and make a soup.
Check if there is a farmer market in your area. There's one near me that sells eggs 3 dozen for $4.

muriah2

Girl I'm in the same boat, raising two kids! I get food assistance bug not much, so I'm really careful about what I spend my food benefits on. I don't know about your area, but my local Save A Lot actually has some great things for cheap! I used to stick my nose up at that place, but now I get some great things there. 1% milk for 1.99 a gallon, frozen veggies for around $1 a bag, frozen fish filets, individually vacuum sealed, for about $4 a bag, lowfat cottage cheese and yogurt, mozzarella string cheese for about half the price as other store brands, bagged spinach and other great produce items for very reasonable prices, good, whole grain bread for about $2.... I just make sure to shop around the perimeter there. Good luck! Hope it helps!

elliecolorado

Brown rice and frozen veggies is cheap, buy a big bag of each and it is pretty healthy and you can get a lot of meals out of it. Nothing wrong with bread and peanut butter just eat wheat bread and get natural peanut butter. Yogurt on sale can be less than .50 each. Go to a dollar store and things like tuna are really cheap. I just bought a bag of frozen chicken and it was like $4 for 2.5lbs. Check the specials every week and plan your meals around that. It can be hard, but with some planning eating healthy on a tight budget is doable.

niavalentino

Don't forget about oatmeal - the real stuff, not instant.

I LOVE oatmeal. My boyfriend teases me about it ALL the time, but I love it! And not the instant kind. The REAL stuff with brown sugar. I swear, it is a God send when I literally have nothing else left but oatmeal. I survived off of that for a week. No joke.

NoExcuseTina

frozen veggies when they are on sale...load up the freezer
tomato sauce instead of spaghetti sauce
beans (kidney, cannellini, pinto, refried)

make healthy chili with the tomato sauce and beans, only add a little meat to keep cost down

find a local farmer's market...less expensive to purchase fresh fruits and veggies

COUPON...COUPONS and more COUPONS

I personally do not eat pasta that often...but if your body can lose weight while eating pasta, it is low fat and low cost (if you eat it, get the whole wheat variety)...stay away from the packaged pasta and rice flavored-add-water packaged foods (might be cheap, but too much processing to be good for you - my opinion)

brown rice...buy in bulk...it will keep for a long time...add veggies, beans, meat to it for meals...maybe even inexpensive soup to give you variety

good luck!!!

maddymama

You have a ton of great advice here. Here's my two cents:
As a pp mentioned, either cook dried beans in the crockpot (super cheap and healthy)... eat as a main dish for a night or two over rice (cuban black beans, i.e), then turn the leftovers into a salad side dish. One bag of dried beans is often under a dollar... and will make a ton of food for you.
Canned beans- I added them to almost everydish for a long time to stretch my budget- salads, chicken, veggies, etc.
frozen veggies are wonderful to stock up on and eat
in season fruits are often affordable
Cheaper cuts of meat often cook up well the crockpot.
Bulk oatmeal. As a pp mentioned, I could eat oatmeal all the time. It's healthy and cheap. Actually bulk grains- barley, quinoa, brown rice, etc. are cheaper than in packaged form... and add good nutrients to your diet.



Good luck! It's doable.

reallivefitness

The only way I can afford to eat meat most of the time is because I buy it out of the "reduced for quick sale" section. It's still good, and half the price.
Also, the more junk and processed food you can cut out, the more real food you'll be able to afford. It'll still be a struggle, and it'll seem easier most of the time to just buy mac and cheese and stuff like that, but it does make a difference to get it out of your diet.

pittielover23

If you have a Trader Joes by you, they often have really good prices on produce that you would never find at the super market. I also do a LOT of shoping at Target, most have pretty substantial grocery sections, and there store brand stuff (Market Pantry) is all great.

gnalani

Tons of great advice here!

I'm a post grad with less money now than when I was in college. I know how it feels to be told to buy organic, eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, etc. I can't even afford to buy frozen fish.

I do a lot of canned foods. Canned tuna, canned veggies, etc. Pasta is cheap. Canned pasta sauce isn't so nutritious with all the sugar, but I put a little olive oil, spices, and a little cheese and its great! For fresh veggies, I typically buy some spinach since its not very inexpensive and it can be added to omlettes, pasta, sandwiches, and obviously it makes a great salad.

Also look for cheap grocery stores. Aldi's is amazingly cheap!

niavalentino

First of all, I'd like to say, that I really appreciate all of this advice from everyone. Its been so very helpful! When my next pay check comes around, I am going to try my best here to survive with all of these tips from all of you beautiful, and wonderful people of MFP. I think I fell in love with all of you.