Saving money on food in college
Out of Gas Newsletter - Issue 94 August 14th, 2010
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We talked about saving money on textbooks on Monday, and I figured that we would continue with some advice on saving money as you get ready for college.
In college there are a few different things you’ll spend money on, these include Books (which we talked about), Eats, transportation and other expenses (if you want to go out on the town or go shopping).
Saving Money on Eats - probably the least expensive way to get your eats is to buy a meal plan. Colleges offer a wide variety of packages that you can choose from. If you are a big breakfast eater then you would of course want to include that. If you don’t like breakfast then you would skip that from your meal plan. The big thing is you want to cater it to meet your needs. If you live off campus then you may not opt for fewer meals. Costs usually range from $8 to $12 / meal (thats based on the UK food plan). The good thing about the plans is you know that each week you (or your child) will at least have x number of meals during the week, of course having the meals available and actually eating them are something totally different.
If you don’t want to go with a meal plan there are other options. I had 2 roommates and an apartment for much of my college experience. We would budget for food and each person would contribute a set amount at the beginning of the month (you could also do this every week). I had a roommate who loved cooking so we let him do the shopping and the cooking and he didn’t have to contribute as much to the food fund.
Some other ideas for saving money on food.
If you drink coffee make your own and a Thermos is your friend. Buying coffee at 2 bucks a drink can get pretty expensive.
Collect coupons and use them.
Couple of meals that are very cheap. Oatmeal, Ramen Noodles and Mac and Cheese
