University/Budgeting

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allychant261
allychant261 Posts: 8 Member
in Recipes
I'm moving out of res and into an apartment in a few weeks, which means I'll be cooking for myself.
However, I don't know how to cool in the slightest. I have a relatively small food budget each week, and I was wondering if anyone had any easy, low budget, healthy recipes that they enjoy?

Or tips for how to balance budget/nutrition?

Thanks :)

Replies

  • creatureofthewind
    creatureofthewind Posts: 34
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    Can't wait to hear the answers. I am still trying to figure this all out.
  • AyeeLadies
    AyeeLadies Posts: 3
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    the presidents choice canned white kidney beans are $.98 with almost no sodium, 34g carbs, 10-11g fibre, 16g protein per 250mL serving. Usually mix that with a can of tuna and you got a good snack there
  • JeneticTraining
    JeneticTraining Posts: 663 Member
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    Buy in bulk.
    Look for sales.
    Get a bunch of catalogs and compare prices.
    Invest in freezing your meats(if you eat meats) and buying frozen vegetables.
    You can freeze other foods like bread too. I do not really eat fruit, but I do buy bananas. They are cheap and you can make a lot of breads and desserts with them.

    Jen
    UCSB '15
  • dandandee
    dandandee Posts: 301 Member
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    Hey! I'm a university student and I'm living off campus. It's really not that hard (in my opinion) to find simple and cheap meals.

    To balance your budget, I'd suggest to try and keep track of every penny you spend. I know it seems tedious, but at least do it for a month or two. That way you can see where you spend the most money and where you can cut back. Then maybe, in a few months do it again to compare how you're doing. Obviously, simple ways of cutting back extra spending is not going out for meals, not grabbing a coffee at a shop, etc (but it's inevitable, it will happen sometimes and that's ok)

    the first month living on your own will be pretty expensive since you'll have to stock up on all everything, but after you've got a base set, you'll see it's doable to be cheap :P Well you don't need to stock up on EVERYTHING, but you will need things that you wouldn't normally get on a weekly trip (like salt&pepper, oil, flour, etc) Heck, I've been living on my own since september now and we STILL only have a bare spice cupboard lol.

    ummm.. healthy and cheap recipes?
    - if you're grocery store has a "Reduced" bin for veggies, you can get older veggies on sale that are great for throwing in a pot for soup. super easy meal right there
    -tuna. with anything (I like tuna and avocado sandwiches)
    -taco salad! mhmmm :)
    -eggs. with anything really

    Those are just a few ideas but you can literally make ANYTHING. I usually spend 25$ (canadian) a week on groceries and I eat a good variety of foods. Look for sales, heck get a job at a grocery store and get a discount! hahahah. I get 10% off at my store since I work there. its not much but it's 10 bucks every month off my 100 :D

    edited to say try not to waste foods. wasting food is where lots of money goes down the drain. Freeze stuff if you're not going to eat it all (since buying bigger portions/bulk is usually cheaper - unless you throw out part of it of course).
  • sjv1966
    sjv1966 Posts: 121 Member
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    Well, it kind of depends on how much work you want to put into it and what you define as "healthy." That being said ...

    One of the cheapest options for breakfast is oatmeal. And I don't mean the kind that come it the little packet, I mean the round can of oatmeal. For breakfast I just take a half cup of oatmeal and put it in a coffee up with about a half cup of water, heat it in the microwave, stir in some more hot water from the tap, add some spenda and a dash of cinnamon and I am good to go. You can get a can of oatmeal for less than 2 dollars and at a half cup per day it will probably cost you about 20 cents a serving. Add a piece of fruit (Target by my place has bananas for 30 cents each) and it is a decent breakfast.

    Canned soup is full of sodium but it is easy and filling. Making your own soup is even better -- I like to make a big pot of soup and then I am set for several meals. Check out websites like skinnytaste.com for soup recipes.

    Beans and rice is the old standby for cheap nutrition. And frankly a big pot of pinto beans flavored with bacon, onion, tomato and peppers served over some rice is a pretty delicious thing. I am also a sucker for plain old pasta with jarred tomato sauce. Just last night I bought a jar of Target brand "three cheese" tomato sauce for $1. Combine that with a $1 box of pasta and put a $1 (on sale) bag of frozen veggies on the side and you have several basic meals for less than $1 each. Pickup a package of chicken leg quarters (the drumstick and thigh together) which you can often get for 29 cents a pound and roast them in the oven with a few sliced up potatoes and carrots and you have another great meal for probably about $1 per serving.

    Just a few simple ideas!
  • allychant261
    allychant261 Posts: 8 Member
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    THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

    This is way more help than I was expecting so quickly!

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