A College Students Guide To Cheap Eating

Are you a college student? Living off the money you saved during the summer, working a minimum wage part-time job, or stuck begging your parents to add some cash to your student debit card? Let’s face it: we don’t have time to cook, and ordering take-out every night doesn’t help our checking accounts. If you’re smart about what you buy and remember a few tricks along the way, it’s easy to stay ahead regarding your food money.

1) First off, invest in some Tupperware! Maybe your dining hall has unreasonably short weekend hours, or your meal plan balance is low. Maybe you simply don’t have time to run over before your morning class. Whatever the case, wrapping up an extra sandwich, filling a bag of your favorite cereal, or filling a container with that night’s lasagna can save you a lot of money on unnecessary snack foods and late-night take-out dinners.

2) Despite the Tupperware trick, not everyone is allowed to take food out of their dining hall, and almost all of us will need something on hand for those late-night paper-writing sessions the night before our due dates. So, what can you whip up quickly that won’t cost a lot? There are tons of options. 12-packs of Ramen noodles only cost about $3, and boxes of macaroni & cheese aren’t far behind. It might not be something you want to eat every day, but it’s quick, cheap, and easy to keep on hand.

3) As long as we’re on the topic of cheap and unhealthy food, here’s a tip for stocking up on those potato chips and cookies: go to the dollar store. Sure, it’s not brand-name ice cream or candy, but you’ll find plenty of chips, crackers, and other snacks made from the same ingredients, minus the well-known name attached to it. You’ll find it for a fraction of the price and walk away fully stocked with snack food for under $10 easily.

4) Did someone say FREE FOOD? That’s right: pizza, soda, chips, and everything else that’s part of a regular college student’s diet are always available at movie nights, club meetings, etc. I’m willing to bet there’s at least one free food event on campus every night, with the occasional fully catered event thrown in sometimes. Take advantage of this! There are usually plenty of leftovers, and event sponsors love to get rid of it at the end of the night. You can easily walk away with an entire pie and enough soda to wash it all down for no money.

5) When all else fails and you’re craving a burger and fries, most fast food restaurants have a dollar menu. Don’t get fooled into paying twice the price for a special promotional burger or liter of soda. Go for those 99 cent fries and walk away without looking back!

Healthy, Cheap & Fast Dinner Ideas

Cheap and fast dinner ideas do not have to compromise on health. Many dinner ideas take less than 20 minutes and are not only fast but also healthy and cheap. Buy produce when it is on sale or frozen for the best deals, and stock up on a few dinner staples like whole wheat pasta and cheese so that you don’t have any excuses not to eat healthy.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Homemade pizza can be healthy, cheap, and just as fast as take-out pizza. Its main ingredient is a lean protein source like chicken, and it is paired with a whole wheat crust.
Spread tomato sauce on a pre-made whole wheat pizza crust or make your own dough for pennies in a bread machine. Add Monterey jack cheese and cooked chicken strips on top. Then drop about six to nine teaspoons worth of BBQ sauce on it if you want a BBQ chicken pizza. Bake according to the pizza crust directions or until cheese is bubbly. Serve with a side salad for a healthy side dish.

Veggie Wrap

For this healthy, cheap, and fast dinner idea, a trio of vegetables and cheese are rolled up and melted into a warm tortilla. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. While the pan is heating, layer Monterey Jack cheese, chopped zucchini, a few slices of tomatoes, and fresh spinach on a tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and cook until the cheese is melted. Cut the veggie wrap into two and serve with a side of coleslaw if you wish.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Spice up the typical spaghetti night with chicken pesto pasta instead. Pesto has a unique flavor and can give your taste buds a surprise. Boil your choice of whole wheat pasta as directed. While pasta is boiling, heat up 4 tablespoons of pesto over low heat. Drain cooked pasta and toss with pesto and pre-cooked chicken strips. You can serve this healthy, cheap and fast dinner with salad and a whole wheat roll.

Lime Cilantro Shrimp

This dish gives shrimp a little bit of flair. The lime gives the shrimp a citrus kick, but AllRecipes.com suggests using lemon instead of lime. Sauté shrimp for a couple of minutes, then turn and add two teaspoons of lime juice and chopped cilantro. Serve over a bed of rice.

Cheap Snacks

More often than not, college students have courses that are so close together they don’t have time for a real meal. This leads college students to rely on snacks that can be eaten in class or while they go to their next course. Unfortunately, most college students grab candy bars and chips out of the snack machines. Not only are these snacks unhealthy, they are also costly. The following snacks are great for college students because they are affordable and can be thrown into their backpacks before leaving home.

Power/Granola Bars

Power bars are a great snack for college students because they are very portable. They are also filled with vitamins and low in calories, and they do a great job of keeping college students full.

Peanut Butter Sandwich

These are so easy to make and incredibly affordable. Peanut butter is very healthy because it’s full of protein. To make this snack even healthier, college students should use whole-wheat bread instead of white bread.

Trail Mix

Trail mix is a great snack because it is filled with a variety of different things like dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and sometimes chocolate. College students can even make their own trail mix, adding the items that they like most.

Mixed Nuts

Mixed nuts are a great snack because they are loaded with protein and they are also very filling. If college students are looking for an even more affordable option they could just buy roasted peanuts. Also it’s cheaper to buy a large container and put some into a small container before going to class.

Beef Jerky

Beef jerky is very healthy. It is low in calories and loaded with protein. Now, I know you’re wondering why I keep stressing snacks that are loaded with protein. The truth is protein will keep up your energy levels. Your body will slowly burn the calories from the protein rather than plowing through them, the way your body does with candy.

100% Fruit Juice

College students are constantly bombarded with colds. A great way to boost your immune system is to get enough Vitamin C. Instead of chugging down pops, drink 100% fruit juice. One thing you need to remember is that fruit juice has calories, so don’t drink a lot of it.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit is another way to get your Vitamin C. Dried fruit is also a great snack for college students because it’s very portable. It may not be feasible for college students to carry around a days worth of fresh fruit, but it is very easy for them to carry around several servings of dried fruit.

Apples

While it’s impossible to carry several apples around, one apple easily fits into a backpack. Apples are a great snack simply because they keep the doctor away, and God knows college students need anything that will keep them from getting sick.

100 Calorie Packs

At first college students may not think this snack is very affordable, but it really is. A box with 6 pouches costs around $2.50, meaning each pouch costs only around $0.41. This is much more affordable than snacks from the snack machine and much healthier as well. This is the perfect snack for college students wanting something more sinful.

Bottled Water

Walking around a campus is a lot of exercise that’s why water is a great snack. Water is perfect because you might not always be hungry, you’re just thirsty. A tip is to buy your own large water bottle to easily refill, and be sure to get 8 glasses of water each day.

There you have it: easy tips to keep your stomach and wallet BOTH full. Good luck, and happy munching!