5 Ways to Take Control of Your Food Budget

One of the hardest adjustments to make in the transition from home life to college life is diet. Some, usually those with meal plans, fall victim to the Freshman 15. Others struggle with their schedule and eating properly, and become gaunt in their first few months. Eventually, everyone figures out a routine of sorts that works for them– it may not be most healthy, or the most cost-efficient, but it functions. However, if you find yourself struggling with your food budget, or just want to make improvements to it and save some money, here are five tried and true methods to saving money, and having fun doing it!

1. Plan Meals Ahead of Time

This one is pretty straightforward, but still great to keep in mind. When you get home after a long day and you’re hungry, the sight of a large quantity of unorganized, uncooked ingredients can be overwhelming, often enough so to say “screw it” and order something or go out. Getting in the habit of planning your meals the night before makes a world of difference, and can be fun if you make it into a schedule (tacos on Tuesday, homemade pizza on Friday, etc). If you’re the disorganized type, there are plenty of apps and online diet planners that can assist you. A bonus to this system is it also makes grocery shopping really quick, since you know exactly what you need.

2. Make Things You Normally Wouldn’t

This may not save you heaps of money unless you really commit, but it sure is fun. Bread is good to start with– it’s incredibly easy, requires few ingredients, and tastes amazing fresh. My roommates and I got very into breadmaking freshman year and baked all sorts of delicious loaves. If you can score a bread machine, then it’s even easier, with no mess! We also attempted to make our own yogurt and failed, but if you have patience and skill in the kitchen, anything is possible. I have friends that do everything from grinding their own flour, to making spaghetti from scratch.

3. Sam’s Club is Your Friend

Or Costco’s, or BJ’s, whichever big box store is your fancy. The upfront membership costs seem daunting at first, but are very much worth it in the long run. Even if you don’t eat enough to justify buying food in large quantities (splitting with roommates is a great idea), you can buy things that don’t go bad quickly, which is not only cost-efficient, it’s very convenient. Imagine never running out of any condiment, rice, oil, vinegar, spice, etc. your entire college career, or at least a hefty portion of it. I bought a large jug of vegetable oil 18 months ago that’s just starting to run low.

4. Cook With Your Friends

For some of you, the biggest challenge is the actual cooking. It might be laziness, inexperience, whatever, but something is keeping you from cranking up that stove. Organize cooking nights with your friends to cross this hump and turn cooking into a fun group activity. Trust me, there’s nothing greater than throwing a gamut of ingredients together, waiting awhile, and reaping the benefits of your creation with your hungry comrades. Eventually, the joy of that experience may transcend down to cooking solo as well.

5. Take Advantage of the Student Community

There are ample opportunities for free and cheap food in college, you just have to know where to look. Many schools have unofficial “Free Food” groups, where students combine to post their knowledge of free food events. Clubs often offer free pizza or something of the sort at their major meetings, and some local restaurant is always running a promotion. Get in the know, and you may find you never have to pay for food again during your college career, or y’know, at least not as often.