college student diet

fauxdetresse
fauxdetresse Posts: 40
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
so i'm a college student, and though i work full-time as well, i can only spend $20-$30 a week on food. i try my best to get food with low sodium, but i just can't afford fresh meat. i try to change up the things i eat here and there, but i basically eat the same things 24/7. any cheap ideas?

Replies

  • TCASMEY
    TCASMEY Posts: 1,405 Member
    Use lots of beans. The dried ones are cheaper than the canned. Put them on a salad or make soups. Tuna salad ( one can can make 2 meals) Watch for meat sales. Sometimes you can get a bigger package at a good price and then divide it up and freeze for several meals. Eggs are cheap and nutritious.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    frozen fruits/veggies last longer and are cheaper and are just as fresh. (If you have a fridge/freezer and a microwave). If you can't do fresh meat skip it. processed meat is no good. Try a protein powder and lots of nuts/beans/legumes. And there's nothing wrong with a good old PB&J AS LONG AS you stick with organic/no sugar added and WHOLE wheat bread (not multi-grain).
  • AmandaB4588
    AmandaB4588 Posts: 655
    When I was in your situation, I would shop at Sam's. I would buy the HUGE bags of chicken, fish (whichever was cheapest at the time,) and frozen vegetables. It would be a little pricey to buy the week I went to Sam's but I didn't have to shop for meat or veggies for the rest of the month.
  • HealthyKt78
    HealthyKt78 Posts: 439
    I'm a college student too so I'm bumping this for ideas.
  • MistyFabrizio
    MistyFabrizio Posts: 4
    Some cheap food ideas:

    Oatmeal
    Cereal in the bags, not the boxes
    Eggs -better for you than you'd think

    Soups
    Casseroles use less meat and are usually cheap - google for low calorie versions

    Hope this helps,

    Misty
  • latalianheat
    latalianheat Posts: 1
    I usually spend about $30 on food every week. Here's my skeleton grocery list:

    3 dozen eggs (lots of protein, really cheap, plenty of recipes)
    5 bags of frozen veggies (peas are the best)
    More vegetables like carrots
    Cottage Cheese
    Spinach
    Tuna
    Sunflower Seeds
    The cheapest meat possible. Sometimes the chicken is on sale for 99 cents a pound. Stock up on that. Stays in the freezer forever.
    Milk
    Frozen Fruit
    Bananas

    Other miscellaneous, but this is the stuff that I have to buy weekly.
  • CoachJ77
    CoachJ77 Posts: 80 Member
    Completely agree with Amanda. I am a college student too and spend maybe 100 a month if that on food. I buy big bags of Kirkland boneless/skinless chicken breast. It is 6.5 lbs for about 15.35 or so. It will last you at least a few weeks, depending on how much you eat. I also suggest eggs. Good protein and they say eating two a day is like taking a multivitamin. If you like milk, I drink non fat ( I hate it) but its healthy so I drink it. I occasionally go to Albertsons or other grocery store and buy previously frozen talapia. Its a good lean white fish and its usually about 2.99 a lb. If you have any other questions let me know. I hate how expensive eating healthy is.

    P.S. 99 cent store usually have good veggies and salad.
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