Ways to Save Money on Food in College

Being in college, there are a lot of sacrifices we make to avoid depleting our bank accounts. As someone who has lived off of Ramen for a week because my bank account was next to nothing, I understand that when it comes to buying groceries, it is important to shop smart. Here are some helpful tips to save money on food while on a college budget.

1. Plan your meals ahead – People, along with myself, have wasted so much food simply by not planning out what you are realistically going to eat. If you were to write out what you are having, you could shop from that list and avoid over-shopping or just going out and picking something up because you don’t like anything you have at home.

2. Learn how to shop – Go into the grocery store with a list already prepared, that way you know what you are shopping for. I had a bad habit of going to the store with nothing in mind and picking up whatever appealed to me in that moment. By learning what you want to shop for and looking at the different brands that offer the same items, you can save a lot of money. Purchasing the generic brand instead of the name brand cuts cost and virtually tastes the same.

3. Shop with coupons – This is a new thing for me. I would sometimes look at what was on sale, but mainly I just got what I wanted. If you look at a grocery store’s weekly catalog or even go to their mobile app at their uploaded coupons, you can save them and help to pick out your weekly menu based on what is on sale for the week.

4. Cook with a buddy – As someone who hates leftovers, I have a problem cooking for one. I love to try new recipes, but they are always for multiple people and I have tons left after I eat. I have learned to shop and cook with my roommates, which helps in the cost for ingredients and decreases the amount of food that gets wasted.

5. Get a slow cooker – I am constantly busy with class and work, and sometimes I don’t have the time to spend an hour making a meal and will end up going out. I recently invested in a slow cooker and it has changed how I can prepare meals. In the morning before class, I can just stick something in and come back a few hours later with a prepared meal.