Food can be one of the main expenses for a college student. From grocery shopping, being pressured by friends to eat out, or simply grabbing a quick meal, a college student’s income can quickly be depleted. In the midst of our busy schedules, it can be difficult to trade convenience for saving money. Luckily, there are tips that can make both saving money and eating conveniently possible! I hope these suggestions can help with eating well on a budget and navigating grocery shopping seem a little more attainable.
How to eat cheaper?
- Eat at Home
I have found that one of the easiest ways to save money during college is to eat at home. I can make a meal that will last me a few days for the price of eating out once. I choose a couple of options for breakfast and dinner, and then eat leftovers as many times as I can. This simplifies grocery shopping, and I don’t have to cook near as often. I also always have a few options of fruit and/or vegetables on hand to keep a balanced meal.
- Choose meals with ingredients that are cheap and variable.
Meal Ideas:
Quesadillas- You can use cheese, beans, meat, pizza, vegetables or even banana and peanut butter.
Soup- Normally, soup recipes just take a lot of canned goods, broth and spices.
Potatoes- My favorite way to have potatoes is to roast them in the oven. I put chicken breast, potatoes, and green beans with Italian seasoning powder in the oven and it is a great meal!
Salad- You can make your own salad or get the salad kits and add some chicken in them.
Pasta- Noodles can be so versatile and require few extra ingredients. Sometimes all it takes is some alfredo sauce!
Pizza- You can make this with pizza crust, bagels, flat bread, tortillas, or anything else you have on hand.
- Check out places around Manhattan that help students by providing food.
St. Isidore’s offers a free meal (plus breakfast) each Wednesday at 5:30pm for anyone. https://www.facebook.com/konzastudenttable/
Riley County has many resources available if you are in need of food or want to donate. There is a new helpful online tool to connect you to food sources: https://nourishtogether.org/?fbclid=IwAR3W6cgpVOCqJPUgawFY59FrxJXzriqkDoJ75S_oEe64VkU8Dlm7xepEejc
Cats’ Cupboard is a free food pantry located on campus in Fairchild 009. Check out their website for their hours and more information. https://www.k-state.edu/cats-cupboard/
HandsOn Kansas State, in conjunction with Harvesters Community Food Network of Topeka, hosts three mobile food distributions during the spring 2021 semester at 4 p.m. in parking lot C-1 of the Chester E. Peters Recreation Complex. The mobile food distribution is open to all members of the K-State and Manhattan community with fresh fruits and vegetables offered at no cost, while supplies last, on the following dates:
Friday, March 12
Friday, April 9
How to shop for groceries efficiently?
Before:
Before you head out to go shopping, set a budget for how much money you can spend on groceries. Then, start the process of making a grocery list. Look to see if you can use anything in your fridge. You may only need a few more ingredients to make something. If it is close to expiring, use it! Also, check your freezer for items that you may have forgotten about. After you are aware of what food you have, make a list of what you need and stick to it!
During:
While shopping, there are a few tips to cut down the total bill. It helps to look for the “unit price” that shows how much an item costs per pound/ounce. This helps compare brands and sizes of items in order to get the best deal. Another tip is to avoid shopping at eye level. Generic and cheaper items will be on the lower or higher shelves. Something that helps me is to choose one fun item or treat that I get each trip. Mine is often a bag of chocolate chips. If I limit myself to having one, then I get to look forward to that each week and avoid buying too many snacks. To combat impulsive buying, practice saying no to something each time you go to the grocery store. It helps improve self-discipline and save money at the same time!
After:
Now is the time to go back to your budget to record your expenses. This can be done by simply writing down how much you spent, or you can split it into categories. The idea of this is to be mindful of your spending habits and then determine if your expenses are exceeding your available amount to spend.
These are just a few tips that can make cooking and grocery shopping a little easier while being a busy college student! If you would like even more information on this topic, please check out this folder full of resources to help you out: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SzJjVuZ9cDGqt7c2cytcvW7_-zQDMJll?fbclid=IwAR3Rwy-kKnaUq3F-8rRt5f6XeTBLlMoyv9TZd_o7f0NwD7JCb7n681UZdrY.
If you have any more financial questions or would like to create your own spending plan to help lower food expenses, Powercat Financial is happy to help! To request a free appointment, go to the request an appointment link on our website at www.k-state.edu/powercatfinancial. Your session may be conveniently held via Zoom.
Laura Peterson
Peer Financial Counselor I
Powercat Financial
