As a college student who is very busy and can't afford to go out and eat everyday it is important to know how to ration food and eating healthy is a plus. When you don't have a great amount of income you learn to save on what is most essential and since we eat everyday it would be one of the things at the top of the list.
1) Not shopping when you're hungry. When you are craving something or go into a store hungry, one tends to spend more money than they would have, had they ate beforehand. When a person is hungry they don't focus on anything else but how their stomach feels and over buy items to try and combat that hungry feeling but it is more than what they would have needed and is a waste financially.
2) Using coupons and discounts can go a long way. As students at Unr we actually get discounts at a lot of places in Reno and this is true for students attending any college, they most likely have discounts in their local areas. It doesn't hurt to ask if the store you are shopping at gives student discounts. Saving even $2- $5 on every purchase goes a long way when you add it up. With the money you saved you could put in a savings account or even spend on something you've had your eye on.
3) Currently I live in the dorms and have a meal plan set up. I have a set number of swipes at the DC and for the students who are under this meal plan have the ability to get take out as well for any of the food available in the buffet style Dining cafe. Along with the meal plan are meal trades available in certain restaurants on campus that can actually be very nutritious. Some meal trades allow a sandwich with wheat bread and quality meats and vegetables alongside a fruit and water. Due to the consistency in food and times at the DC it also helps students to go on a diet of sorts. Getting scrambled eggs or an omelet in the morning alongside some meat and fruit to get the protein to start your day.
4) Saving food to be eaten later in the day or even tomorrow. Sometimes we can't finish an entire meal and rather than throwing out the entire plate, it would be best if you save what you couldn't finish to eat for later. It saves you money from buying food later and can be stored in a fridge or packed away as a snack for your breaks.
5) Not going out to eat. Going out to eat even twice a week can be expensive and can even unknowingly set a standard for yourself where you feel as if you have to go to a fast food restaurant and eat unhealthy and waste your money when you can buy fresh produce at a whole foods or ingredients to make something healthy that would last you longer than one meal someone cooks.
You make great points and great tips. It is a dangerous game to go into grocery stores while hungry. If I do it, I leave with way too many things and not a lot of them are healthy either. Also, coupons and discounts are amazing. I used to never care too much for them but now I realize they will help, they're so underrated. I live in the dorms as well, but to me the food in the DC is gross. I don't like most of it. I would say I eat about 8% of what they serve. Going out to eat is so fun but expensive and I never order healthy food. I get salads almost everywhere I go, but then a side of bread or fries or something. Not too good.
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