15.4 Maximizing Your Food Budget

Feeding oneself within a budget is a priority for many students, as it can be a struggle to cover the cost of food in addition to tuition, books, supplies, housing, and utilities, among other things. The following are strategies other students have used to get the most out of their food budgets. Consider which ones you might be able to try.

Planning Ahead

• Many students use pre-paid meal plans through campus dining halls. In some cases, unused money is forfeited at the end of each academic year or term. Getting the meal plan that best meets your needs, or adjusting the one you have if necessary and possible, can help prevent wasted dollars. Some schools allow students to donate unused meal plan money to other students.
• Some student-centric events on campus offer free food and may be a great way to get a free meal or snack and learn something new.
• Many restaurants offer coupons online on their website or through cost saving apps, or run specials, such as two meals for the price of one on certain nights of the week. Investigating these options ahead of time could result in saving money, while also trying new places to eat.
• The convenience and packaging of pre-made meals and snacks increases the prices of these products; planning meals and snacks ahead of time helps decrease the need for relying on these types of purchases to get through the day.
• While purchasing reusable containers may cost a bit more up front, over time, it’s less expensive to use containers when taking food with you than repeatedly buying disposable bags.

Considerations on Where to Shop

• Larger stores and discount supermarkets are generally able to offer foods at lower costs due to their size and purchasing power compared to convenience stores.
• Some local membership-based warehouse stores offer days when students can visit and shop without a membership.
• Many stores offer a loyalty card, email listserv, or downloadable app to get digital coupons, discounts, and rewards, which can help save money.
• If getting to a grocery store regularly is a challenge—due to distance, access to transportation, or time constraints—many stores offer delivery. Fees for delivery right to your residence can be pretty minimal as long as a spending minimum is met; ordering with roommates or neighbors might help reach delivery minimums needed to order or for free delivery.
• Some communities and campuses offer shuttles to local grocery stores to assist those without reliable sources of transportation.
• Some campuses provide public transportation options that pick up on campus and arrive near grocery stores. While paying for the train or bus is an added expense, the cost savings of shopping at a larger grocery compared to smaller convenience stores near campus might outweigh that expense, as well as provide more and healthier food options.

Working Within a Food Budget at the Grocery Store

• Keeping a list handy throughout the week to record needed items can prevent forgetting things or re-buying items unintentionally.
• Impulse buying can also be avoided by sticking to a pre-planned grocery list and avoiding food shopping while hungry.
• Checking online for your store’s sales before you go to the store can aid in planning a budget-friendly weekly menu and grocery list around the items that are on sale. Typically, sale prices are listed alongside regular prices so you can decide for yourself if it is actually a better price.
• Stocking up on sale items, depending on whether they can be used before going bad, availability of storage space, and total cost, can save money in the long run.
• Comparing unit prices of similar items, in addition to the actual price, helps identify the best value. The unit price—for example, price per ounce or pound—is generally listed on the item’s shelf tag directly below the product.
• Generic or store brands are generally cheaper and just as good as—sometimes even better than—the name brands. Store brands are usually right next to the name brands on the shelf or on the bottom shelf.

Food-Specific Considerations to Save Money

• Some bakeries offer their remaining bread, bagels, or other baked goods for free or at a steep discount on certain nights.
• Local goods are often cheaper than non-local goods—but not always, so it’s smart to check and compare the price of each item; farmer’s markets are a great place to buy local produce, especially at the end-of-season when farmers are trying to get rid of their remaining crop.
• Fresh produce items that are typically expensive but are in season or on sale, such as raspberries, can be washed and frozen in an air-tight container.
• To reduce waste, it is generally a good idea to shop for fresh produce and other perishable items more often than dry goods. One exception is root vegetables, which can be stored longer and may not need to be purchased as regularly to ensure freshness.
• Apples, bananas, carrots, potatoes, and greens like spinach, kale and lettuce are relatively low-cost options all year round.
• Canned and frozen produce can be great options because they have a long shelf life. They are also less prone to price fluctuations and, therefore, may be less expensive than fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Meats and seafood are typically relatively expensive, so choosing less expensive sources of protein such as beans, lentils, and eggs, at least some of the time, can save money.
• It’s generally cost-effective to buy dry goods and basic staple ingredients in bulk, especially when they’re on sale. This includes foods such as lentils, beans, rice, oats, and noodles.
• Splitting bulk items that are difficult to eat before going bad or too bulky to store with a roommate or friend can help save money.
• Snack items purchased in bulk can be separated into single-serving packs at home.
• Some stores stock imperfect produce at a lower cost, sometimes 20%-50% less. This produce may be too small or too big or have blemishes or irregularity in color or shape.

Making the Food You Purchase Last

How you store perishable items can impact their shelf life:

• With the exception of bananas, fruits keep longer when refrigerated than on a counter or shelf.
• Storing certain non-refrigerated vegetables and roots, such as onions and potatoes, next to one another can actually cause them to go bad prematurely.
• Because moisture causes mold, food should be stored away from vents, and storage areas should be kept as dry and cool as possible.
• Meats and grains, such as bread, bagels, and English muffins, can be stored in a freezer for months. Produce can also be frozen, though some freeze better after blanching.
• If produce has become soft or wilted, try submerging in ice water for 15 minutes to an hour to rehydrate and firm.

Optional: Budget-Conscious Food Shopping Tips

This optional activity invites you to engage in personal reflection/application and therefore deeper learning. If you choose to complete it, your response will be anonymous. The instructor may/will review the responses collected to inform future curriculum revisions.

Expired Foods

Note that manufacturers indicate “use by” and “best by” dates to tell consumers how long food products are likely to remain at their best quality, but these dates are not safety ratings. Therefore, many foods are still fine to eat beyond the “use by” or “best by” date—just be sure to smell and examine the food first. If you think the food has gone bad or spoiled, compost it. The following are some signs that may indicate a food has spoiled.

• The food smells sour or foul.
• The color of the food has changed or the color isn’t uniform—there are spots or pockets that are a different color. With regards to some foods, like produce or cheese, you may be able to trim off the spoiled part.
• There is white, green, black, or blue growth on the food or on the lid of the food container.
• Meats have turned sticky or slimy, faded or darkened in color, or emit a bad odor.
• Produce has become wilted, mushy, or slimy.
• Milk has the consistency of yogurt or emits a bad odor.