Post-secondary students can find it tough to eat well once they’re living away from home.
Some may have limited storage space or cooking facilities, as well as a tight budget. Others are on their own for the first time, and are new to cooking, shopping and budgeting. Cooking for one can seem more trouble than it’s worth. And making time to prepare meals amid classes, papers, assignments and exams can be challenging.
But eating well is definitely worth the effort. The rewards are better health – and better results in school. And with a little planning and a little practice, you CAN eat well on a student budget.
Here are some pointers on cutting food costs and still eating well:
Shopping tips:
- Avoid shopping when you’re hungry – you’re likely to buy more than you need.
- Try bulk food. It is often less expensive than packaged foods, and you can choose the amount you want.
- Share purchasing large quantities with your roommates.
- Make a shopping list. Be sure to check what items you already have, and then stick to your list. Don’t be tempted to throw in extras you really don’t need. You can end up buying 50 per cent more than what was on your list if you’re not careful.
- Avoid convenience foods. For example, would you pay someone $80 an hour to grate your cheese? According to nutrition researchers at Arizona State University, that's what you pay if you’re not doing it yourself. The researchers compared the cost of ready-to-eat foods with the time it takes to make the same items from raw ingredients to come up with that frightening figure.
- Store brands and generic products are often less expensive than brand name products with comparable quality. For example, brand name macaroni and cheese is double the price of the generic product.
- Be wary of gimmicks. End-of-aisle displays are not always specials. And that “special” sign doesn’t always mean an item is on sale. Pay attention to the price, not the label.
- Look up and down instead of at eye level when scanning shelves. Expensive national brands are often at eye level.
- Compare prices by the unit to get the best bargain.
- Buy food in jars. Products in squeeze bottles are more expensive and make it difficult to get all the food out of the container.
- Avoid shopping at convenience stores. You’ll pay for the extra convenience. An apple at the grocery store may cost around 30 cents compared with 75 cents at the convenience store!
- Use coupons only for products that you purchase regularly to prevent buying extras you don’t really need.
Home tips:
- Eat breakfast at home or bring it with you. The cost of buying a muffin and a coffee every day can easily add up to $50 per month! But whatever you do, make sure you eat a good breakfast. It provides the energy to refuel your body and mind, increases your intake of fibre, vitamins and minerals, improves memory and performance, and helps control appetite and body weight. To build a balanced breakfast, include foods from at least three of the four food groups in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating.
- Plan snacks and lunches to take to school. This will not only save you money but also provide the energy your body needs to run at peak performance. Choose food from Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating. If most of your meals and snacks come from the “other foods” category – coffee, soft drinks, doughnuts and chips, for example – then you’re likely not getting all the nutrients you need.
- Fill plastic drink containers with juice from home instead of buying it daily.
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