Student Diet Problems

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savannahribeiro
savannahribeiro Posts: 194 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hola!
I am going to university in September (Throws Confetti) and I will be living on my own. I know I won't be able to work full time while going to school so, as you can imagine, monetarily things will be tense. I know this may sound like a moronic question, but does anyone have any tips for buying good, healthy food (Organic or no, makes no difference to me) at a reasonable price? I had people cracking jokes about just eating "Ramen and KD" and all I could think was "NOOOOOOO!"
If this helps: I live in Alberta, Canada. I probably will not be making over 1000 a month, and after bills I will have <200 for groceries.
Tips, ideas?

Replies

  • monolith66
    monolith66 Posts: 168 Member
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    Get anything that fits your macros and your budget. At school, the options are pretty terrible so you're going to have to plan ahead a little. Consider bringing 1 or 2 meals prepped in tupperware with you and a protein bar here and there would't hurt either as a macro filler.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    Buy chicken in bulk if you'll have access to a freezer, keep a stock of basics like vegetables, rice, pasta. Fun stuff will have to come second :P
  • r3ban1x
    r3ban1x Posts: 51 Member
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    Note that 1 whole package of Ramen is ~400-500 calories depending on the brand an flavor. Not exactly low-cal.
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
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    I like this sire for recipes: http://www.budgetbytes.com/
  • TutuMom41
    TutuMom41 Posts: 278
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    Rice and beans, Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread, Pasta (try to use multi grain because it had more protein. Flash frozen veggies are cheap and you can get meats for stir fry's on their sell by date for less (just make sure you freeze them right away if you are not using them. Make your own pasta sauce with crushed tomatoes. Potatoes. Eggs are cheap high quality protein.... good luck
  • KaelaLee88
    KaelaLee88 Posts: 229 Member
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    Don't buy more than you need! That's the first place to start :)

    You'll need to look at your favorite meals and find ways to prepare the food that are possibly a little more cost effective. Scaling back portions may also be necessary whilst you find your groove!

    We eat on a tight budget and we have quite simple tastes. We eat a lot of Pasta, Eggs, Salad, Frozen Meats, Tinned Beans, chopped tomatoes and Spaghetti, Soups and Tinned fish.

    We also save money by buying fruits and vegetables as required, so we work out how many Potatoes we will need in a week, how many mushrooms and if it is cheaper (and it usually is!) we buy them separately.

    We buy only value and occasionally own-brand items and we save a lot of money that way!

    Get well acquainted with herbs and spices to brighten up cheaper meals and don't be afraid to grow your own at home too! Herbs are so easy to grow and can all be done in a window :)

    We now use fry-light but to save money and calories beforehand, we used an empty fry-light bottle and filled it with cheap oil. Much cheaper (and healthier) than sloshing a lot of oil around the pan!

    I hope that this information helps you and have a fantastic time at Uni :)

    Kaela x
  • db34fit69
    db34fit69 Posts: 189 Member
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    Work out a LOT, you'll need to do this to burn off all the beer you'll be drinking and associated drunchies you'll be eating.

    About the food: Buy the cheapest fresh vegetables you can find, make huge batches of roast vegetables, soup, casserole. Put chicken thighs on top of the roast vegetables and you'll have roast chicken. Little cooking time, lots of leftovers, will last you 6-8 meals.
  • misstweedy
    misstweedy Posts: 45 Member
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    Seconding the Budget Bytes website for healthy & cheap meal ideas!
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    Are you living in a dorm & eating cafeteria food or living in an apartment & making your own food?
  • TutuMom41
    TutuMom41 Posts: 278
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    move into the dorm after the first year become a residential adviser. I got a free double room as a single, a free meal plan and a $50.00 a week stipend :)
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
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    I like this sire for recipes: http://www.budgetbytes.com/

    Yup. Love Budget Bytes. I eat the black bean and corn quesadillas a lot. Also. Omi g dried beans in a crock pot is easy and cheap and they have lots of uses.
  • nikkibee2100
    nikkibee2100 Posts: 8
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    If you have a costco it goes a long way Im a student as well and i have to be careful how much money i spend on my food but because i do fitness shows I have no choice but to always eat healthy and to buy the food I'm given in my meal plans. I would just look into a membership if you don't already have one and take time each week to look through the flyers and buy in bulk if you can.
  • KatiePapaya
    KatiePapaya Posts: 30
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    I bought a bag of quinoa the other day (teeny little thing that set me back £1) that has 10 servings in! You can bulk buy oats and rice/pasta which won't spoil and are quick and that can be jazzed up with lean meat, veggies etc. Other than that, local markets are good for fruit and veg (at my local one you can haggle a bit, but make sure not to get swindled or landed with gross food. They can be sneaky!:grumble: )
  • savannahribeiro
    savannahribeiro Posts: 194 Member
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    I don't really drink much at all, actually, so that is another "Godsend" for my wallet.
  • savannahribeiro
    savannahribeiro Posts: 194 Member
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    Are you living in a dorm & eating cafeteria food or living in an apartment & making your own food?


    I'll be eating my own food in my own place. Dorms were just about as expensive as living on my own.
  • savannahribeiro
    savannahribeiro Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    If you have a costco it goes a long way Im a student as well and i have to be careful how much money i spend on my food but because i do fitness shows I have no choice but to always eat healthy and to buy the food I'm given in my meal plans. I would just look into a membership if you don't already have one and take time each week to look through the flyers and buy in bulk if you can.


    Costco is probably my best ****ing friend lol. I bought ... hmm... 12 BIG ****ing grapefruits almost the size of my head for 8 bucks. Which, here, is really cheap. So I have Costco covered, thanks :D
  • savannahribeiro
    savannahribeiro Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    Don't buy more than you need! That's the first place to start :)

    You'll need to look at your favorite meals and find ways to prepare the food that are possibly a little more cost effective. Scaling back portions may also be necessary whilst you find your groove!

    We eat on a tight budget and we have quite simple tastes. We eat a lot of Pasta, Eggs, Salad, Frozen Meats, Tinned Beans, chopped tomatoes and Spaghetti, Soups and Tinned fish.

    We also save money by buying fruits and vegetables as required, so we work out how many Potatoes we will need in a week, how many mushrooms and if it is cheaper (and it usually is!) we buy them separately.

    We buy only value and occasionally own-brand items and we save a lot of money that way!

    Get well acquainted with herbs and spices to brighten up cheaper meals and don't be afraid to grow your own at home too! Herbs are so easy to grow and can all be done in a window :)

    We now use fry-light but to save money and calories beforehand, we used an empty fry-light bottle and filled it with cheap oil. Much cheaper (and healthier) than sloshing a lot of oil around the pan!

    I hope that this information helps you and have a fantastic time at Uni :)

    Kaela x


    Thank you, sweetie. :) My mom has some spare tomato and pepper plants that she grows so I might snag one and grow some of my veggies. Thank you for the herb idea :)
  • Hell_Flower
    Hell_Flower Posts: 348 Member
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    Batch cooking, my friend!

    When cash strapped, I simply buy enough veggies, spices and rice to make a massive curry/stew/shepherds pie and then freeze some. I can usually get about 8-10 portions of tasty, wholesome food out of £5, which is half the price of one take-away pizza over here.

    Tinned tomatoes and mushrooms also bulk out everything.

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