BUYING HEALTHY FOODS ON A COLLEGE BUDGET My first trip to the grocery shop resulted in a receipt that I can still clearly recall: $125.42. I was stunned.
How was I going to afford groceries as a broke college student? I was so tempted to give all of my food away and replace it with bulk purchases of mac and cheese and ramen instead of the quinoa and brown rice I had in my shopping bags. To buy wholesome, nutrient-dense food, I currently pay approximately $25 thanks to some careful planning and discount shopping, nevertheless!
GENEROUS ADVICE: 1. AVOID PURCHASING PERISHABLE FOOD IN BULK I recently purchased entirely too much milk, and I had to discard the majority of it since it had become sour. I was excited to learn that I could purchase a pint size for less money. It was the ideal size and only cost 99 cents.
2. SAVE THE REST! Purchase some Tupperware so you can keep food in it. By doing this, you won’t waste food.
3. SEARCH FOR SALES AND COUPONS I recently received two fantastic salad dressing bottles for the price of one.
4. AVOID SHOPPING FOR FOOD WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY You’ll wind up splurging on items you wouldn’t ordinarily buy and buying way too much food.
5. MAKE A LIST PRIOR TO LEAVING You will end up paying more more than you intended to if you stroll about aimlessly and toss items into your cart at random.
6. CHECK OUT THE STORE’S EXPIRATION DATES The least fresh goods are frequently pushed to the front. Try a little digging to achieve that extra week of freshness; don’t be frightened.
7. AVOID NAME BRAND PRODUCTS I consistently save $20 or more on each grocery bill by doing this.
8. REMEMBER TO EAT By just purchasing the things you actually need when you have three or four meals planned out, you can save money. You may check out some fantastic recipes and money-saving advice on my College: Cooking for One Pinterest board.
FOODS TO BUY: Oatmeal, which costs under $2 for a decent-sized container. My preferred breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal with a little milk and honey (you can quickly make it in the microwave). Quinoa, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta are all typically affordable when purchased in quantity. I enjoy cooking large quantities of all three on the weekends for simple, fast meals during the week. this Greek Quinoa bowl was really simple to make and wonderful recently. Baby carrots – You want to pay less than $2 for a small bag. They are convenient to consume on the go and make a fantastic snack. Unpopped bags of popcorn are SO much less expensive to purchase than bags of already popped popcorn. This is a fantastic snack, too. Apples are my particular favorite fruit to purchase because they keep their freshness for such a long time. They will probably still be safe to consume even if you lose track of them at the back of your refrigerator. To add more protein, you can dip them in peanut or almond butter. Keep in mind that eating healthily on a college budget is not difficult! It is definitely doable with a little preparation and a lot of willpower.
What are your preferred strategies for grocery store cost cutting?
College and lifestyle blogger Shannon works for Endless May. She believes that kindness and optimism can assist students navigate college life by pointing them in the right direction one step at a time. Her interests include coding, photography, lemon water, fall candles, and grey sweaters. She is also active on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
