Say you are a broke college student....

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SergeantSunshine_reused
SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
And had very little money for food for the next 2 months *-* what would be the top items on your list?

I was thinking:
cans of tuna 52 cents
bag of rice around $1.20 or so
maybe a bag of frozen chicken breasts - $6 or so

what would you add :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • Scott613
    Scott613 Posts: 2,317 Member
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    Learn to coupon and visit your local dollar stores. Buying store brand items instead of name brand also saves you a few dollars.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Learn to start walking around campus saying, "do you have a dollar, I need a ____" You would be surprised how many people will give you a dollar. OR...you know I will suggest some beans :)
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    And had very little money for food for the next 2 months *-* what would be the top items on your list?

    I was thinking:
    cans of tuna 52 cents
    bag of rice around $1.20 or so
    maybe a bag of frozen chicken breasts - $6 or so

    what would you add :flowerforyou:

    alcohol-desi-glitters-1.gif
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    I get a coupon book delivered with the paper every week actually :D Many of the things in there are still more expensive than the basics it seems :/ Looks like im going to need to learn how to extreme coupon here soon xD
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I'd get someone to take me to a club store (Costco, Sams, etc) and buy a big thing of chicken breast and ground beef. Then I'd get noodles, beans and milk as needed. I'd bum seasoning off my friends.
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
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    Beans - dried beans are cheap and not hard to prepare, decent source of protein, and full of filling fiber.

    I also would hit up Aldi's for food. Cheap, but still good food.
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    Id skip the chicken breast as it is a little pricey I think you can find lean ground turkey for cheaper. Plus I would add a bad of dried beans black is my preference.

    Baby carrots are usually pretty cheap. For some veggies
  • beccala18
    beccala18 Posts: 293 Member
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    Shop the food sales - frozen veggies won't go bad, so if they are doing a deal of some sort, grab as much as you can. Lots to pay initially, but could save you in the long run.

    Any dried bean - lentils and chickpeas/garbanzos are really good and have protein, too!
  • _Ben
    _Ben Posts: 1,608 Member
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    Red baron french bread pizza ($3.50 for 2)
    Pickles
    Baby carrots


    Had that for dinner, it was great
  • BiscuitsNDavy
    BiscuitsNDavy Posts: 212 Member
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    Second the beans. Goya beans are dirt cheap. Wait for canned veggies to go on sale. Stock up on tuna at 52 cents, no idea how you get it that cheap (cheapest around here is 89cents for chunk light). Bananas are a cheap fruit that you can add to your nasty tasting protein powders.
  • kirsty736
    kirsty736 Posts: 65
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    I have started buying frozen chicken & fish fillets, even though they are more expensive than processed type meats, they fill me up well and are healthy. But I agree its tough being a student- limited supply of money for healthy food!
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    Frozen veggies and peanut butter
  • christibam
    christibam Posts: 478 Member
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    Make a big batch of veggie soup and a big batch of vegetarian chili. Freeze most of it. Beans and veggies aren't that much monies.

    You're right on with the tuna and chicken.

    Buy some flour, yeast, oil, eggs, sugar or splenda and some condensed milk. Make some bread. It's pretty easy unless you use a bread machine because those things are a ***** to clean.

    Hard boiled eggs make a decent snack but I wouldn't suggest more than one per day if you're watching your cholesterol.

    Peanut butter. It's amazing. That's all.
  • plushkitten
    plushkitten Posts: 547 Member
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    lots of tofu
    black beans
    rice
    frozen veggies

    :p
  • jessimacar
    jessimacar Posts: 291
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    I can do groceries for my fiance and myself every 2 weeks for under $100, and that's getting things that are sometimes a little pricier. We live on "no name" brands. They taste the same and are much cheaper. We eat a lot of pasta when we're low on cash, as well as sandwiches. Cheaper meals for us also include anything in a lettuce or tortilla wrap. We buy a lot of peppers and onions. I don't buy a lot of meat, since it's so pricey.. Making your own pancakes can be a cheap meal to use up the basics (flour, eggs, milk, etc). And things like Kraft Dinner that is 'jazzed up' with other flavours I'm feeling that day. Most of this isn't exactly healthy, so we make sure to buy fresh fruits and veggies that are on sale. And no fruit juice/soda! We only buy a can or bottle of something as a treat, other than that it's water, saves us a lot of money.

    I hope this helps! :)
  • Meaganandcheese
    Meaganandcheese Posts: 525 Member
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    Whatever produce/frozen veggies are on sale
    Don't drink your money/calories
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    Second the beans. Goya beans are dirt cheap. Wait for canned veggies to go on sale. Stock up on tuna at 52 cents, no idea how you get it that cheap (cheapest around here is 89cents for chunk light). Bananas are a cheap fruit that you can add to your nasty tasting protein powders.

    Just checked walmart :D 52 cents for chunk light in water - great value brand! Bananas might be a good idea since I can freeze them too to add to powers. Might make them a million times better.

    What beans do you guys buy? I was thinking chickpeas and pinto, and grab some corn tortillas?


    Oh also about the veggies - in one of my classes we looked at prices of veggies for what you are getting, and frozen was the most expensive. Think that it is still a good idea to get them? I know I can get bags of frozen veggies at walmart for about 99 cents each actually. Peas, carrots, and broccoli :D Also I think winter squash might be good price at the moment too
  • amphora
    amphora Posts: 43 Member
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    Tortillas- wrap up beans and veggies and you can eat it on the go!
  • muwchck
    muwchck Posts: 261 Member
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    Coupons, sales, and discount stores are your friends. I'm working on my next shopping trip (in the morning), and I'm trying to save more money because eating cleaner has made our grocery money run out sooner. I still have some things around the house to eat, but by the end of my month, I'm out of all my fresh fruit and veggies and haven't had money for any extra for several days.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    I'm pretty broke myself, but I've managed to do okay.

    In my experience, the biggest saver is eliminating things you DON'T need. Don't buy drinks (other than milk), and limit yourself to one or two snacks. Planning is also important too, so you're not wasting food.

    Other cheap iterms that are awesome:
    -Beans, dried or canned
    -Oatmeal
    -Frozen fruit and vegetables
    -Look for sale items and stock up when you can. I buy cuts of meat on sale and freeze them for later sometimes.
    -Eggs

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