How to Eat Frugally as a Student
Being a student on a budget isn’t easy. You have limited time and money for cooking, and thinking of ways to save on food is sometimes challenging. The following tips will set you on the right track when it comes to eating frugally on your own or with your roommates:
Shop your kitchen
The first step to planning a weekly menu is to see which ingredients you have in your own kitchen. When you check out your current inventory, you can avoid buying things that you may already have.
Flip through flyers
Look through weekly flyers to see what you can buy to incorporate into your meals during the week. This can be a fun activity for cooking with friends.
Use coupons
If you have coupons, you can match them up with sales that you may have discovered in the previous step. Saving a few bucks each week will make a big difference in the long run.
Plan your menu
There are many websites that are helpful when searching for recipes with food that you already have. There are even websites that suggest recipes for people on a budget.
Make a shopping list
Try to pick one day of the week to be your grocery shopping day to save time and effort. A shopping list will help you stick to a budget and avoid impulse purchases.
Use a slow cooker
A slow cooker is an amazing appliance to make large meals in so you will have leftovers. This will save you money during the following days.
Purchase family packs
Consider purchasing a large family pack of meat that can be split into single servings and placed in freezer bags. This will create multiple meal options and will be the base for all sorts of recipe possibilities.