I'm a university student. How do I save money on food? Is there some special (fast and cheap) cooking recipes?

Answer 1

Watch the weekly grocery ads for store specials. My local grocery does " buy 1, get 1 free" but the good part is you don't have to buy 2 items - you can buy 1 @ 1/2 price. So when I catch the sale, I buy a large bag of boneless, skinless chicken breast which is about $4 - great price!! They also do frozen veggies 10 or $10 so I grab a few bags & steam them in the micro. Got a baby foreman so I can just grab a chicken breast & have dinner ready in under 20 minutes. You can also stock up on pizzas, hamburger helper, etc.......

Answer 2

I am an university student as well and like u, I don't have enough money to spend for my daily meals. What I normally do is buy my needs for the week and try to make a meal plan as well. I tend to cook of make simple healthy food such as mashed potatoes, rice, fried rice, steamed vegetables and simple pasta with fried chicken, baked salmon or anything simple that I can manage to make. Its not hard as you think it is. Cooking may take time but you can always have a couple of tv dinner within that week to give u a break in preparing your food. its cheaper to buy the goods and making it yourself makes it cleaner and healthier too. if cooking doesnt really works for you, let somebody help u and cook with them. hopefully this advice helps. good luck

Answer 3

Cook things on your slower days and freeze them in zipplock bags or such.
Look for sales on meat and use them .. Some store sell there "old" meat on Monday Mornings .
pasta rice and pototes or good and cheap .
try a site called
www.cooks.com
In the search look up enxpencive food or something like that
Also if you have room mate all take turns with meals It is chaper to look a bunch of food than one meal
Also freeze your left over veg and sauces( And like meats ) lable it free soup when it is filled some make soup outta ir buy adding spices and tomatoes sauce

Answer 4

make a massive stew every week that will last you a good few days.

Chop up one large onion, and sauté in a little bit of oil. Add 3 or 4 sliced carrots, 3 or 4 peeled and diced potatoes, and enough water to just cover the vegetables. Add one large can of diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are almost tender. Add about a quarter cup of soy sauce, a few tablespoons of lemon juice, a minced or crushed clove of garlic, and a generous cup of peanut butter. Return to a boil, stirring constantly, until the peanut butter has been mixed in thoroughly and the stew thickens. Add a little more water if you want a thinner "soup" to serve with bread, or add a little extra peanut butter if you want a thicker stew to serve over rice. Adjust individual ingredients to taste.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

We ate a lot of sphagetti with and without meat. Pasta is cheap, it's often on sale and you can do many things with it. But mayo and tuna = pasta salad. Add fresh garlic and butter. or buy a small jar of alfredo sauce. Ask friends to chip in so that you can add chicken to some of the pasta dishes. We also ate a lot of turkey wings. Brown them and add a can of cream of mushroom soup and you're done. Rice a roni and cheap mixed veggies and the ladies will be impressed.

Answer 7

stew. get a crockpot, some broth, beef, rice, and anyother vegis you like (potatos, carrots, celery, etc) throw it in the pot in the morning, plug it in, and let it cook all day. eat at dinner time. (you dont have to watch it)

frozen taquitoes are good, and you can get them hella in bulk.


GRILLED CHEESE

get two slices of bread, two or three thingys of cheese. butter up the cooking pan, put stove on medium heat, stick the bread on the pan with cheese on each side. when the cheese is starting to melt, slab the bread together and flip the sandwich over a few times.

if you want more protein, add ham or pastrami int he middle of the sandwich.

eat with carrots.

make sure you stay healthy so that ur brain wil be fresh for finals and so partying doesn't take too much of a toll!!! also you dont want to gain too much weight, b/c when you grow up and get a job, you wont have time to lose it....

Answer 8

I struggled with this same issue during my college years. Here are some suggestions:

The key is to eat foods that make you feel full for as long as possible. Simple carbs like ramen, rice, mac & cheese, and pasta are cheap but will not keep that hungry feeling at bay as long as lean proteins like chicken and fish. Lean proteins will make you feel fuller longer and give you longer-lasting energy.

1) Eggs, chicken, fish, and beef should be your main goals (in that order). I've found chicken to be the least expensive lunch or dinner meal mainly because you can freeze uncooked chicken parts for up to 9 months and they come in bulk packages at your local chain grocery store. (Be careful with freezing. Rinse each chicken part, dry it with a paper towel, and wrap individual parts in foil. These steps prevent freezer burn and freezer burn will ruin your food.) Cold water fish are important for keeping your brain healthy, so you might want to keep sardines around. Canned sardines have a decent shelf life, are healthy, and provide protein. If nothing else, keep them around for lean times when you're broke but need to get in some protein.

2) Never skip breakfast. Always have some sort of protein (eggs) for breakfast in addition to anything else you eat, because it will keep you full first thing in the morning.

3) Research. One great site for recipes is www.foodnetwork.com. Find a couple recipes for lean proteins that sound appetizing to you, are easy, inexpensive, and can be portioned out for the week. Slow cooker meals are the best - inexpensive, easy, and you can make enough for the entire week.

4) Plan ahead. This is key. If you make all you'll need to eat for the week all in one day, you won't be tempted to spend money on junk food when you're rushed and you'll never go hungry because you'll have all your food with you. Plan breakfast, lunch, and dinner in advance. It'll be easier if you generally use the same couple of recipes for each. If you get tired of the recipes you use, a little planning and research will help you change things up.

5) Throw in some apples and oranges to eat for the week. They're full of fiber which also makes you feel full.

Good luck!

Edited to add: Beans!! Canned beans are the least expensive way to get in both protein and fiber which will keep you feeling full. Chili is a great way to use both meat and beans.

Answer 9

Top ramen that is what I use to eat when I was in college and it can save you lots of money its cheap and tasty and you can add your own seasonings and make it taste real good. also I use to eat grilled cheese sandwiches and TV dinners. also learn to cook spaghetti it will last a few days,or chili it also goes a long way like two or three days. YUM YUM

Answer 10

Ever hear of rice noodles, or rice. Buckwheat is also good. Keep rice, buckwheat around, a big bag of frozen veggies, buy a rice cooker, drink water, and green tea. Eat frozen veggies which you can add to the rice, also combine the buckwheat with the rice, a big bag of frozen veggies at Walmart costs $1.50 and a big bag of Basmati Rice~ $6-10, and this lasts for months. Buckwheat you can buy at a Russian store, a big bag costs ~ $5-7, lasts for months. Buy some Pam or good oil like coconut oil to add to the rice-buckwheat while cooking, and eat away. Take vitamins, keep pickles around. That should take you down to like $20 bucks for groceries for the month. You can also eat like lentils, split peas, and beans, at like $0.50-1 a bag, that's not bad, mix them with the rice, and this makes protein. Remember to buy spices to add to your meals, and there you go. Keep a bag of nuts around for energy. Your brain will need energy, the brain is all fat but can only use Vitamin E, omega-3-6-9, and fatty acids, so eat nuts like almonds or buy some linseed oil which is omega-3-6-9 and take a teaspoon of that, the best brand is Barleans Flax oil. Other good oils are coconut oil which are just fatty acids, drink this too. Keep honey around and mix that with your teas, drink decaf teas. Honey is nothing but 6-carbon sugars that your brain & body can easily use, the brain loves honey. Buy & eat raisins and mix these with the nuts, your body will love them too. Also I recommend Barlean's greens, just to give you all the energy from the green family- lettuce & veggies.