College grocery shopping

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tnpxx
tnpxx Posts: 335 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I am a college student who moving out and into an apartment in the coming weeks. Last year I lived in a dorm and ate at the dining hall most of the time but since I'm in an apartment this year I felt spending money on a meal plan was a waste. This is pretty much the first time I'll be cooking and buying everything on my own. Yes, I can cook and do cook some of my own meals at home but mostly rely on my parents. Do you have any suggestions for things I should be including on my grocery list? Any kind of "college-aimed" cook books that I could look up? I'm just a little worried about keeping up with the healthy eating and staying on a pretty tight budget. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated (:

Replies

  • judysmith6139
    judysmith6139 Posts: 3
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    > Be sure to get lots of fruits and veggies.
    > High Protein foods
    *chicken
    *fish
    *almonds
    > Take a look at this website, there are some AMAZING recipes on this! IN LOVE with this website
    http://livingachangedlife.blogspot.com/
  • lichensandseeds
    lichensandseeds Posts: 41 Member
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    I eat pretty healthily on a tight student budget. Here are my favorite tricks:

    - make popcorn on the stovetop. it's much cheaper than microwave popcorn and tastier and healthier too.
    - sunflower seeds are cheaper than almonds (peanuts are probably cheaper too...but I have an allergy)
    - fruit can be expensive, but it's cheaper (and tastier) when it's in season. apples in the fall, citrus in the winter, berries in the summer, etc.
    - eggs....wonderful, inexpensive, easy to cook
    - try cuts of meat that you aren't used to. For example, bone-in chicken breast is always cheaper than boneless, and I think that cooking with the bones adds flavor.
  • TyTy76
    TyTy76 Posts: 1,761 Member
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    Ramen Noodles.
  • faithnna
    faithnna Posts: 42
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    As a 6 year super super senior the best advice I can give you is look for a local farmers market. When I go to a big chain grocer my bill is usually between $70-90 per week for my boyfriend and I, but when I go to the farmers market I get about twice the produce for about $30-$50 a week.

    Just as examples (Giant/farmers market):

    Cucumbers: $1 a piece/ $1 for 3
    Granny Smith Apples: $2 a per pound/ $1 per pound
    Grapes: $4 per pound/ $2 per pound

    And the produce is usually locally grown which is an added plus in my opinion. Chicken & other meats are also a lot cheaper there as well and are usualyl sold in bigger quantities so it can be frozen for the week to come. Look into getting a crockpot too if it's within your budget. I usually make 2 dishes a weekend and eat them as my meals throughout the week so prep is done & when I'm hungry all I have to do is heat them up.
  • RonkyCats
    RonkyCats Posts: 25 Member
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    Ramen noodles are the reason we're all on this website. hahahaha

    eggs have a lot of protein and are super versatile
    buy lots of lettuce and make yummy salads!
    i like frozen fruits. get the bags they last longer and especially in the summer it's a nice, frosty, healthy treat!
    and honestly, you can eat anything you want, just check the serving size and compare calories and prices! :)
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
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    I eat pretty healthily on a tight student budget. Here are my favorite tricks:

    - make popcorn on the stovetop. it's much cheaper than microwave popcorn and tastier and healthier too.

    OR put 1/4 cup popcorn kernels in a brown paper lunch sack, fold over top 1/2 inch twice, and microwave for 3 minutes.
  • epie2098
    epie2098 Posts: 224 Member
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    Get a good collection of staples when they're on sale: things like canned beans/tuna etc., peanut butter, pasta, rice etc. Get whole grain staples when you can for the nutrition boost and satiety that they provide, but budget ultimately comes first. Just don't get ramen - they're so incredibly bad for you - although that last week before going home one semester, I'm ashamed to say I sort of lived on them!

    Consider going vegetarian most of the time. Meat is where the bulk of my grocery dollars go, and only the husband eats it in our house! Legumes, nuts, seeds, grains give you good nutrition.

    If you have a good farmers market (we live in a tourist town so it's crazy expensive) shop there for produce. If not, hit up an Asian supermarket, as they're usually 1/4-1/2 the price of the regular supermarket. If you see something cheap that you don't know how to cook, google it to see what others do with it. You may find new favourites!

    If you have a freezer, make batches of food and freeze it in portion-sized containers for later (really good when you're trying to cram for finals or get that project done). If you're going to cook and freeze rice, portion it when it's still warm so it doesn't dry out. Bread freezes incredibly well - buy your favourite when it's on sale, because it will last a good month or so.

    Make sure you pack snacks and a lunch for the day. Here's my vegetarian lunch blog: http://veggiebentolove.wordpress.com. It's not monetized, so I don't make a cent from your visit if you choose to go. Taking food with you will set you up for a thrifty habit for life! You will save a ton of money :)

    Finally, if you have a buddy with a Costco card, hit them up before you go back to school - play the sympathy card, and they might treat you! Lots of staples at ridiculous prices, and you can pick up a big bag of trail mix that will last you forever (unless you're not so good with portioning it out).

    Good luck!
  • PlayerHatinDogooder
    PlayerHatinDogooder Posts: 1,018 Member
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    Learn the art of a good stir fry.

    That and cheap vodka.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
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    I am really liking iCookbook app. I can put in the foods that are on sale this week and it gives me a few recipes using those things, plus what other ingredients are needed. Each recipe I've tried I have tweaked to be a bit healthier/add extra vegg in them, and I have "extra" portions divided into lidded Rubbermaid containers in the fridge for lunches.
  • thistimewillbedifferent
    thistimewillbedifferent Posts: 217 Member
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    beans are very inexpensive and a great source of both protein and fiber -- there are all sorts of different ways you can dress them up. and good for you for thinking about this now while you're in school -- I sure wish I had done that.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    It's a learning process. It's tricky to know how much to buy. You'll learn how long things last and how much you eat of everything as you go along. Here are some tips:

    -Apples and bananas are pretty much always cheap. Just add peanut butter, and you've got yourself a quick meal!
    -Frozen veggies keep for a long time.
    -Blenders are awesome! You can chop up fruit that is threatening to go bad and stick it in the freezer to blend up for later.
    -When you know midterms are coming up, cook a bunch of food over the weekend so you'll have leftovers to eat off when you study
    -Share milk and eggs with your roommates to save fridge space
    -If you can't eat a whole loaf of bread before it goes bad, stick half in the freezer
  • Joehenny
    Joehenny Posts: 1,222 Member
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    Tuna+Noodles.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    buy whatever is on special and get creative. I lived on $20 a week for groceries for a year - don't recommend it but it's doable
  • shaunap3
    shaunap3 Posts: 206 Member
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    First off, amazon. When I was first learning to cook I found some pretty decent "college student" cook books on there. If you're worried about money always buy in bulk, freeze what you wont eat right away, and don't be scared to coupon! Go to the store, check out prices, see what you can afford and go from there. If you know the basics of cooking you'll be able to figure out some meals. You can never go wrong with home made soups/stews, tacos, burritos, and sandwiches. :)
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,171 Member
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    see if theres a market near you, its always a lot cheaper.
    also sliced bread, wraps, bread rolls freeze very well! and its easy to just get one out and eat it
    get a blender for those "not so tasty looking anymore fruit" and make smoothies with them.
    Fruit also freezes pretty well to be used in smoothies, not that nice on its own (just preper it before hand else its gonna be pretty hard after, i.e. cutr the green bits off strawberries)
    do not buy pasta in bulk. it tastes awful!! get like 1kg packets or 500g instead of like 3-5kg bags
    make your own pasta sauce, tin of tomatoes and some herbs is A LOT cheaper than the "pasta sauce" in jars
    hold parties at your aparentment, people normally leave a lot of alcohol and mixers behind
    cook in bulk, its very easy to make 5 servings of chili and just freeze most of it to use for later
  • Pookylou
    Pookylou Posts: 988 Member
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    Learn the art of a good stir fry.

    That and cheap vodka.

    True fact. Try not to go wild on the take out at 3am........... Even though it is SO good at the time :laugh:

    Your local book store will have a load of student cook books when it is "back to school" time!
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    I ate a lot of jacket potatoes and tuna as a student! And eggs. And salad. I lost a lot of weight at uni! Not sure how, because I often consumed my body weight in alcohol!

    When I lived in France for my 3rd year we just had a fridge and a hot plate, so I made pasta a lot. With tuna. My final year of uni back in England I lived in halls but all we had was a fridge and a microwave. So I microwaved jacket potatoes. With tuna. Or just made a salad with things like cottage cheese, coleslaw etc. I could also do scrambled egg. I hate microwaving food usually but had no choice.

    You could get quinoa and make nice salads. Eggs are good and cheap. Tuna, obviously, although that's pretty expensive here now.

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