College Budget

a_new_kiara11
a_new_kiara11 Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
Hello , What can a college student do when their funds are very limited?

I want to completely cut out fast food but sometimes its hard.

Any tips?


Add me :)

Replies

  • thatsillyshana
    thatsillyshana Posts: 141
    Eggs are pretty cheap, but I remember eating a ton of crap in college and making sure I ate in moderation. I'm pretty broke now and the foods I get weekly are eggs, tomatoes, spinach, and bread if it is on sale. Cucumbers are cheap now too. Get lots of beans, rice and pasta too if you're ok with the occasional carb. Tuna and carrots are good, maybe not together, but i remember eating that often. Sorry if this seems sporadic, my brain stops functioning sometimes.

    Have you tried ramen casserole?
  • Sunitagt
    Sunitagt Posts: 486 Member
    Make large batches of things, and make them in advance. A serving of a really good homemade recipe is going to be better nutritionally, and way less expensive then your fast food meals.

    Freeze the servings individually, and pull one out when you need a quick meal.

    Buy easy to cook staples for times when you can cook. Things like eggs are not expensive but are so good for you and versatile.

    Mostly, plan out your meals in advance so you know what you need to buy, make your list up, and stick to it! I plan my whole work week in advance (then just go with whatever we do on the weekends), makes it much easier to stick to our budget and to my calorie goals.
  • T_ThomasXOXO
    T_ThomasXOXO Posts: 11
    Broke college kid here too

    Chicken in bulk, frozen veggies, brown rice. And I try to cook at home a lot. I'll freeze leftovers and eat it throughout the week. My favorite thing is taco salads. It heats up well. Ground turkey, corn, blk beans, lettuce, cheese, and plain Greek yogurt.
  • choijanro
    choijanro Posts: 754 Member
    my budget as a college kid,, will i'll save my money for the gym membership,diet & supplements :) or i can do outdoor exercise or bodyweight exercise at my home its free hehe
  • JollySnidge
    JollySnidge Posts: 18 Member
    I'm going back to college this year, and I remember my weekly food bill being about £10 before. I mostly lived on vegetarian food, baked mushrooms, veggie pasta etc. But you can bulk up turkey mince (v.cheap) with breadcrumbs and make lean meatloaf and burgers. Homemade tomato soup, turkey mince chilli.

    Homemade is always cheaper than ready made - just use cheap ingredients.
  • godsgrl33
    godsgrl33 Posts: 307 Member
    Homemade food will inevitably be cheaper than fast food. Get fresh fruits and veggies in season. Carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes are always cheap. Bananas are always cheap. Don't buy frozen dinners, they will be more expensive. Get what's on sale, and search for the deals. Coupons may be an idea too, but many of those will be for processed stuff. You can do this if you're determined!!!
  • skinnymalinkyscot
    skinnymalinkyscot Posts: 174 Member
    breakfasts coud be boxes of cereal such as cornflakes, rice crispies, porridge, muesli, lunches could be homemade soups, eggs, bananas, brown bread etc . Dinners could be homemade things with either brown rice, brown pasta, noodles for bulk and fibre with whatever vegetables you have and a little chicken or fish. Cans of things can be very nutritious such as baked beans, tuna, salmon,pilchards, even the pound shop/dollar store carries a food range some of which are acceptable such as individual packets of microwave savoury rice, I dont know if you have access to a freezer, cooker or microwave? if you want the occasional ready meal weightwatchers dinners are reasonably priced, or the odd slimfast ready made drink for lunch. Sometimes when cooking for one person its not cost effective to buy lots of different ingredients to make one salad, so buy a ready prepared salad bowl and eat it over 2 days with boiled eggs or wafer thin ham/chicken/turkey. I would recommend getting some one a day multivitamins as well. Make sure youre getting enough iron if you dont have much red meat or leafy green vegetables.
  • 530chick
    530chick Posts: 1
    Go to discount grocery stores, something like Grocery Outlet. You can find good, healthy finds at way cheaper prices. The trick to shopping at those places is to look through it well, take your time, check dates on food. You'll be surprised at the good brands and healthy things you can find there.

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