Eating Healthy on a Budget

EatingHealthy on a Budget

Eating healthy on a budget can be hard for anyone, but it is especially hard for college students who are new to cooking and preparing meals for themselves. Eating healthy during college does not have to be hard or expensive and will get easier with experience.

Prepping your own meals is an effortless way to cut costs and eat healthier in college. According to fitplan.com, the average lunch is about $20 dollars a day, times that by five, that’s $100 week. Times that by four, wow, that’s about $400 dollars a month for lunch alone.

A trip to the grocery store can cost $60 to $100, and you will have food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You might be surprised by how much healthy food you can keep in your dorm and even how much meal prep you can do if you have mini-fridge and/or microwave. For example, prebagged salads are convenient, but you pay more for that convenience.

To save on cash, grab a head of lettuce ($1–$2), along with carrots (less than $2 for a whole bunch), a cucumber ($1), and maybe a few more veggies of your choice (spend up to $5). Chop everything up at home and store in an airtight container in your fridge for an easy-to-grab base for lunch and dinner salads. Most retailers and grocery stores in college towns offer discounts for students, so long as they show a student ID. Use this to save on healthy groceries whenever you can. Not only is it the easiest way to save, but the discount is also generally high, around 20% off in many cases.

Saving money on healthy food in college is doable. Whether you use an app, do your research, or rely on the bulk bins each week, you can get what you need without going over budget.

Darnell Wright