Eating right on a student budget

samanthaleethomas

I'm a student who recently moved out on my own. I'm lucky enough that my boyfriend buys 90% of our groceries but I do help out where I can. Any tips on how to eat healthy on a student budget?

determined2lose89

I would reccomend getting a crockpot. You can make so many easy, cheap meals in it! You can use tougher cuts of meat that are usually cheaper and they will soften right up in the crockpot.

Look for sales in your grocery flyers! When something is on sale that you would use a lot (ie: canned tomatoes are used very ofen in crockpots) stop up so you never have to pay full price. Buy whole grain pasta when it's on sale. Buy rice in bulk bags as it usually works out to be cheaper. Buy fruits and veggies in season (harder to do in the winter depeneding on where you live) Buy frozen veggies when they're on sale. Buy bags of apples as opposed to single ones.

Hope this helps!

Moonbyebye

It's rough, but not impossible. I have been doing it for the past 4 years! These things are just things that I can store pretty easily in my room. I don't have a freezer yet (dorm) but I can only imagine if I did how many frozen fruits and vegetables I buy. The freezer I have is tiny! So I only have enough room to store some veggie burgers, Kashi frozen waffles and a box of Vitatops! I try to buy things that I don't really have to pay too much attention to the expiration date! (except the fruits and dairy stuff!)

Peanut butter (Skippy. you can get a giant sized one at Target for only a tad bit more than the regular size!)
Nuts
Fruit that's on sale! (like for example, bananas are super cheap right now at the Walmart by my college. 39 cents a pound. So cheap!)
Cereal (nothing too fancy. Every store has their brand that tastes almost the same as the name brand kind!
Whole wheat bread (cheapest kind! Wonder makes a cheap Wonder Whole Wheat smart bread that's only 50 calories a slice and loaded with Fiber!)


basically just go spend time at your local grocery stores! Target, Walmart and Shop'n Save are where I save the most. I love Giant Eagle but it is soooo expensive! They do have great sales sometimes. You just gotta get out there and spend time comparing prices

beduffbrickie

when on a budget, I find that all you need to do is plan, plan your food for the week ,every meal, only shop once a week and always be full before going, makes a difference me thinks! group together if possible, never really had to shop on a budget but since I have been planning my meals, my food bill is a lot cheaper, no spur of the moment purchases when shopping. hope this helps.....................

caseysray

It takes work but it's very doable to buy healthy on a budget. Soups are a great way to spend money. If you make soup (which is very nice in chilly weather) you can make a lot with relatively low budget. Buy produce when it's in season, it'll be cheaper then. Look at your grocery store flyers to see what's on sale. Buying things in bulk helps too. I buy rice and beans in bulk.

It sounds simple, but also remember you don't have to buy things. If it's not a good price I don't buy it. It's especially difficult with fruits (because that's what we snack on in my house). If I want apples, and they're not a great price, I find something else.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you want any other tips. I buy only organic and feed my husband and I on a very low budget.