Healthy Eating on a College Budget
When in college, finances might be limited, causing some grocery shopping stress. Creating a grocery budget can help ease the burden of grocery shopping while in college. These tips may help save you money while shopping.
Make a Budget
Creating a grocery budget, whether it’s weekly or biweekly, is a great start to eating healthy. A lot of grocery stores have product prices online, so you can look at what commonly bought items generally cost. Knowing these prices before heading to the store can help you create a realistic budget and stick with it. For example, I go to the store once a week and have a budget of $35-40.
Make a List
In addition to creating a budget, making a list of what you need is a great way to prevent buying unnecessary products. Making a list can also give you a preview of how much money you may spend during your trip.
Shop Your Kitchen Before Going to the Store
It may sound silly, but shopping your kitchen before going to the store can help you save money by seeing what you already have. This can prevent buying things you already have, so you can use your money to buy other things.
Shop Sales and Use Coupons
Shopping sale items is a great way to save money on a lot of name-brand items, and you may even get more. A lot of stores have weekly flyers that let you know what’s on sale that week and if those items are buy one, get one free. In addition, these flyers sometimes contain coupons, which are also a great way to save money. Just remember to read the fine print on sale items and coupons.
Join a Rewards Program
Many stores have store cards that you scan at checkout. These cards often save you money at checkout. You can also upload coupons to the card from store apps. Some stores also take money off gas prices at certain gas stations they’re affiliated with.
Eat In-Season
If you’re buying fresh fruits and vegetables, in-season produce is often cheaper than out-of-season produce. You can find out what’s in-season in Georgia using this Season Food Guide.
Canned and Frozen Produce
Canned and frozen fruits and veggies are just as nutritious as fresh produce and sometimes more nutritious. These fruits and veggies are harvested at peak ripeness and are flash frozen or canned when their nutrient content is still high. Most of the time, frozen and canned produce are cheaper than fresh produce, which saves money. When buying canned fruit, try to purchase fruit canned in water or its own juices to decrease added sugar.
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