Grocery Shopping on a College Kid's Budget

One of the toughest non-academic challenges a college student faces is sustaining themselves nutritionally while at school. Most students have been brought up depending on their parents for sustenance and expect a bountiful dinner each night. When they go to college, those dinners are no longer there and the onus is on them to find quality food and prepare meals.

A way to avoid food shock is to purchase a meal plan from your university. This allows you to still obtain prepared meals and avoid the hassle of shopping. However, there are drawbacks to this strategy. First and foremost, you’re restricted to eating what the university provides. And there are some colleges which offer a plethora of unhealthy options and only a few healthy alternatives, such as a salad bar. Second, you have to eat at the resident halls and in cafeterias. This can be extremely inconvenient, especially if you have a busy schedule and don’t have the time to walk to a resident hall to grad a quick meal. Finally, the quality of food can be questionable since many universities contract their food services out to third parties. This harkens back to the first issue, not having the freedom and control over what you’re putting into your body.

So if a meal plan isn’t for you, the obvious alternative is grocery shopping. I highly suggest this option since the process of grocery shopping and buying your own food is an inevitable fact of life; everyone will have to do it at some point in their lives, so why not start in college. But most college students aren’t swimming on big pools of cash, so shopping on a strict budget is the unavoidable obstacle.

Shopping on a budget can be difficult, but not impossible. And please, don’t fall into the trap of buying extremely cheap, unhealthy foods such as ramen noodles and canned meat. That strategy will only lead to you acquiring a big ‘ol gut and potential health problems down the road.

Let me make this clear: it is possible to eat healthy on a tight budget.

Here are some healthy foods that are very cost-effective…

1.) Whole wheat pasta

Pasta is always a very affordable food item. You can usually buy a pound of noodles for $1 (or less). The same applies to whole wheat pasta. This is a great way to eat healthy while still being fiscally responsible.

2.) Brown rice

Another historically cheap food item. And just like wheat pasta, brown rice is very good for you. It provides nutrients and the brown version is a complex carbohydrate, which means is digests much more slowly in your system keeping you satisfied for a longer period of time.

3.) Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a great food that is not only healthy, due to its high protein content, but is also relatively inexpensive. Most organic peanut butters are pricey, so just go for the reduced fat version of JIF, Peter Pan, or which brand you enjoy the most. They usually only cost $1.50 to $2.00 a jar.

Other simple strategies to apply when shopping…

1.) Clip coupons

Some people feel embarrassed using coupons, but don’t be. It’s not bad to use them; that’s why they’re available.

2.) Stock up when items are on sale

The great thing about the food items listed above is that they last for long periods of time. That means when a sale is on, stock up. Not only is this wise financially, but it will afford you more time to do other things later on in the week since you’ll have more food available for a longer duration.

3.) If a grocery store savings card is available, get one

Grocery store MVP or VIP cards are a great way to save a few extra bucks. If your local store offers one, definitely go ahead and fill out the application to get it.

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