Saving Money on Food in College
If you go away for college, you’ll be doing yet another thing on your own that you probably previously didn’t have to do at all—shop for food. I mean, yeah you went out to dinners with friends and bought an occasional dinner from the supermarket, but you’ve probably never done full out grocery shopping before. And let me tell you, it is quite an experience! However, you can navigate the food buying mayhem without losing all of your money. Here’s how:
Make a List
Never go to the grocery store without a list in hand. Not only will you surely forget something important, but you’ll also buy a bunch of stuff you don’t need because it looks good at the time. Making a list is pretty easy, especially once you’ve done it a couple of times. You may want to use a sample shopping list to get you started and to help you generate ideas of your own. And for your own sanity, try to write the list so you keep like items together—all frozen food listed together, all produce together, all paper goods together, etc. You get the picture.
Plan Ahead
Another great way to cut costs when shopping for food is to plan ahead. Meal planning may not sound like fun, but it is certainly one of the best ways to keep tabs on what you’re spending and to ensure you have enough food for the week. Even if you’re not a fan of cooking, you can meal plan. For instance, it could be as simple as deciding you’ll eat macaroni and cheese one night and fajitas another. Seriously, just giving yourself an idea of what foods you will eat each week can help you focus your grocery list so you’re not buying lettuce if you don’t need lettuce and tomatoes if you don’t need tomatoes,
Use Coupons
This may seem to go without saying, but a lot of college students have never coupon clipped before, so now is a good time as any to bring it up. You should clip coupons. Even though you may only save a few cents on each product, these savings add up to dollars, and over time, that’s a lot of money saved. The key, however, is to only clip coupons for things you actually use. Using a coupon to buy something you normally wouldn’t buy just because it’s on sale kind of defeats the purpose of the coupon clipping.
Buy in Bulk
It doesn’t necessarily make sense to buy a two gallon container of mustard, but 24 rolls of toilet paper? Why not? Buying in bulk can be tricky, because unless you really use a lot of something, it won’t be worth it to spend the extra money on bulk right now. If half of the product goes to waste, you’ll lose money rather than save money. Stick to buying bulk items that you use a lot, that you use often and that won’t go bad quickly. Paper towels, razors, pens, sodas are good things to buy in bulk.
Don’t Buy Water
Most people drink bottled water these days. And sure, tap water is nasty to say the least, but bottled water is just plain wasteful. Not to mention somewhat expensive. A good way to save on water in the long run is to get a water filter and to bottle your own using a washable and reusable bottle with the pop top. You’ll save money and be helping the environment at the same time. You’re bound to feel pretty good about that, right?
Pack a Lunch
So you just spent money at the grocery store yesterday on food, but you’re going to spend money again at the school food court? How does that make any sense? Rather than letting al of that food you just bought go to waste at home, why not pack a lunch for yourself everyday, and just “treat” yourself to the food court food every once in awhile? And you don’t have to resort to the typical sandwich, either. Make a fruit salad, pack some fruit and granola, or even pack up some leftovers from the night before. The more you utilize the food you buy, the more money you save.
Don’t Be Afraid to Tally
Okay, so you might fear looking like a complete and total dork, but who cares? I mean, really? Bring a calculator to the market with you when you go shopping. As you place items in the basket, add the price to the total. This is a great way to gain an understanding of just how much food costs and can solidify in your mind whether or not those cookies are essential or just a treat that you may not be able to afford every week.
Go Generic
When you can, buy the generic brands of foods. Every supermarket has their special generic brand. For the most part, the quality does not change between name brand products and generic. When this is the case, go generic, because prices are considerably lower and you don’t miss out on anything. Of course, there are those rare occasions where the generic is actually different from the name brand product. But by purchasing generic products for the most part, you’ll be able to afford that once in awhile splurge.
Stick To a Budget
Before going to the market, do some research into how much food costs and how much you think you will need to spend a week on food to get by. Once you’ve come up with a number, stick to it. Going over your budget even just a little bit gives yourself too much leeway to go over it a little more next week and a little more the week after. This may sound tough, but keeping a budget is the best way to ensure your money is being spent in the most responsible way possible and that all of your other bills will be paid on time.
Share When You Can
A good way to save money on groceries is to split the cost between yourself and a roommate or roommates. Now, this can get tricky if you all like different foods, or if one person tends to eat a lot and others don’t eat so much. However, if you’re all pretty laid back about it, you can split the cost of groceries—or just alternate who pays each week—and you’ll save a ton of cash. Think about it. You only need one can of non-stick spray between the two of you, right? And a lot of the time vegetables like onions and tomatoes go bad before you get to eat all of it. When you share meals and groceries, you save money and become more resourceful.
Of course, there are many other ways you can save money on food in college, but hopefully these tips should get you started buying food on your own without breaking the bank.