Blog 2 Eating On a College Budget By Tim Costa

Tim Costa

Blog 2

#GunbyBlog

It can be fairly difficult to manage what you eat while at college. This can be even more challenging if you live in one of the dorms like myself. However in time I have managed to come up with a routine that works fairly well for myself and may also work for others as well. 

My Situation

I am currently living on campus in one of the dorms. As of now I am on the food plan that gives me 9 meal swipes a week. This means if I ate twice a day it would only last me 4 days and one meal on the 5th day. Now there are a number of ways you can go about eating other meals until you get more swipes, but there are only a few cheap healthy ways you can go about this. 

Grocery Shopping

I like to shop at Walmart for the best deals. The best way I get through the extra days with no remaining meal swipes is finding good microwavable food. Now this may not seem like the best choice health wise, however there are some decent choices you can pick from out of the bad. For instance I choose to get oatmeal for mornings, and some type of rice for lunches and dinners. I also would highly recommend getting jelly, peanut butter, and bread for PB&J's to fill you up good if necessary. I also would recommend Cup of Noodles to hold you over as a snack. I would not recommend making that a regular meal. Another thing worth noting is to invest in a water flask of some sort so you will not have to purchase too many water cases. 

DC

As for what I eat at the DC I try my best to stick with the main line or the sandwich line. You can't really go wrong with eating a sandwich that you put together yourself. As for beverages I would steer clear from any of the Soda machines and only have juices and water. This is so you can retain some of your vitamins and also stay hydrated. The main foods I think are worth searching for is rice, chicken, and some type of fruit or vegetables. I think these foods can be eaten almost every day. As for the DC Store I would not abuse going there too often. I would say that it is reasonable to eat there once or twice a week to treat yourself, but don't go overboard with it. I usually order the breakfast burrito with a hash brown because it seems like the best non healthy food on the menu that fills you up. It includes eggs, hash browns, bacon, and cheese. In most cases that can make the stomaches feel extra happy. 

Students have to remember that eating on a budget is not going to be perfect. There may come times where you choose the cheap easy food instead of the expensive more healthy food for you. However if we can stay mindful and try our best to work in the best microwavable food for ourselves when we are not eating at the DC, it can be super beneficial for ourselves.