College Survival Without the Gain

Feel_the_Waltz

So in an effort to be a responsible adult, I've looked over my spending habits over the past few months, and to no one's surprise, food came at number 1 on my expenses(eating out, eating at school, buying stuff for complicated recipes AND my bf's junk food). I've decided to cut back and incorporate cheaper alternatives into my daily life by making my own lunch, buying in bulk, and....

eating Top Ramen.

Now I just literally forced myself to eat 300 calories of emptiness! Granted, it was cheap(30 cents), easy to make(3 minutes), and quick to down (again, 3 minutes), but I feel there's got to be a better way. 300 cals is usually what I eat for lunch, and I don't think I'll go overboard on calories, but I'd like some ideas as to recipes, healthy snacks that are cheap, etc that wont sabotage my diet and still help me keep a good budget.

I did pair my TR with a multivitamin and will have a healthy dinner tonight and any other time I choose to go the TR route, so it's not a disaster.... It's just gross.

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Its very hard to eat healthy because of the following formula:

Eating Healthy + You = Empty Wallet

For breakfast I have weet-bix with low-fat milk. Run out of milk halfway through the week so I get two. $4 per milk and $8 for the cereal. Sets me back $12.

Also, I find for lunch a three-tiered sandwich with turkey and some salad coupled with a yoghurt ties me until dinner. Yoghurt is $6 and the sandwich stuff is $20.

For dinner, I almost always cook brown rice with canned tuna. At $2 a can of tuna and $8 for brown rice, I usually get three cans and eat it every second day. Not bad for a tally of $14.
On the off days I have steaks and salad/steamed vegetables, which sets me back $20 per day.
So dinner for the working week is usually $34

Total tally for the work-week: $66

On the weekends I always eat out so the money I save throughout the week lasts me on the weekend.

Take from that what you will but I find that it helps a lot when it comes to spending money elsewhere And my diet is well-rounded with the dairy, wheat, etc. bodily needs.

mlidge

What I've started doing is putting fresh vegetables in the ramen, or some chicken if I have it. It stretches out the meal a bit and adds a healthier balance to the noodles.

LaurenAOK

I completely understand, I'm also in college and totally broke. (I work but I only have time for two shifts a week and that barely pays for gas).

One thing I've done that has helped enormously is I simply don't eat out as much. In fact, I hardly ever eat out. If I know I'm going to be on campus for a while I bring a granola bar or something to snack on so I won't be tempted to buy campus food. If I'm driving home and want to stop somewhere for food I just force myself to keep driving. If all my friends are going out to eat, I'll usually join them... but I'll normally eat something at home first and then just get a small salad or something at the restaurant. Cooking at home really is cheaper and it's also way healthier for you!

I often stock up on fresh veggies and then use them with salads, rice, quesadillas, etc. The veggies aren't super cheap but they do last me for a long time and I pair them with cheap things.

Good luck!

Feel_the_Waltz

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I've been keeping all my receipts and updating my expense reports daily. Buying frozen veggies in bulk have helped tremendously, and rice + tuna = win! I avoid carbs like the plague(unreasonable!), but they're good sources of energy at school. So far I've been good and not spending on luxuries, and these limits are actually helping me with my diet because not only am I budgeting my money but my calories as well. Yay!

Cndressing

A miso soup mix the cheapest is 1.99 for three and a lightly whiped egg put in after you turn stove on. plus veggies on side less time and its only like 130 calories. Just saying.

Cndressing

you can also buy some dried mini shrimp and put them in. or dehydrated vegies.

Feel_the_Waltz

I like that suggestion! Cheap and healthy!