Eating on a budget
Moving into your first apartment is a big step and many Fanshawe students are living away from home for the first time this fall. Suddenly there are bills to pay, roommates to deal with and chores to tackle. For some students, this is the first time they've had to cook too! No more sit-down dinners with Mom and Dad. When 5 p.m. rolls around, you'd better be in the kitchen chopping veggies or your tummy will be rumbling!
If you've never had to grocery shop before, this is going to be a learning experience! Shopping for groceries is a lot like shopping for clothes; you have to know what's in season, shop on a budget, know how to spot a bargain and be willing to try something new!
If you know what you're doing, you should be able to do your shopping at a discount grocery store, like No Frills or Food Basics, and still walk away with a fantastic selection of food; kind of like finding a wicked outfit at Giant Tiger (come on, we've all done it!)
The expensive grocery stores can be enticing; with their ready-to-go meals and “convenience” frozen foods, but don't be sucked in! Keep shopping at the Superstore and your OSAP will be gone in no time! Take the time to learn to shop and cook properly and you'll not only save money, you'll probably eat healthier too.
Here are some tips on how to stretch your grocery dollar this year:
- Make a list! If you just wander around the store you'll grab everything that looks yummy and end up overspending (or forgetting an important ingredient)
- Eat before you shop! If you're hungry when you're shopping you'll impulse-buy to satisfy your cravings.
- Try to eat at least two “meatless” meals each week, even if you're not a vegetarian. It's cheaper and better for the environment.
- Don't shop every two weeks; some perishable foods will be wasted. You're just one person, buy what you need as you need it.
- Plan ahead! If you know you're going home for the weekend, don't buy a bunch of groceries on the Wednesday your bananas will be bad when you get home.
- Speaking of bad bananas, don't throw them away, make muffins or banana bread for a quick breakfast
- Buy produce that is in-season and locally grown. It will be fresher and less expensive. Check out this link for a list of produce organized by season www.eatlocallondon.blogspot.com
- Read the flyers; when the cheaper stores have their “dollar days”, don't stock up on perishables or junk food, grab canned items like beans, soups and sauces and dry pastas for quick dinners.
- Be sure to eat those leftovers! Cooking for one person is difficult and it can be wasteful if you end up throwing half of it in the trash. Freeze them if you don't want to eat the same thing three days in a row.
- Be careful about buying in bulk; food has to be stored properly in air-tight containers and used quickly or it can go to waste.
- When frozen vegetables are on sale; grab them! They're great for stir-fry's and soups or adding to rice or pasta. Frozen veggies won't go bad and they're just as healthy as fresh.
- If you have to buy junk food, buy it at the grocery store. Your pop and chips will be much cheaper and then you'll have snacks on hand for emergency all-nighters!
- Don't buy shredded cheese; come on! Shred your own.
- Don't buy name brand dairy products, unless they're on sale. No Name dairy products are the exact same as their name brand competitors; cream cheese, yogurt, sour cream, brick cheese, cottage cheese...it all tastes the same!
- Stay in and cook rather than heading out; you can make quesadillas, nachos and wings at home for a fraction of the cost of going out.
- Organize a potluck dinner with friends once a week. Rotate hosting duties and have everyone bring Tupperware for leftovers!
- Buy a crock-pot! You can make huge amounts of inexpensive chili, soup and stew and let it simmer while you're in class. You'll come home to a delicious home cooked meal.
- Get creative! Searching your pantry and fridge wondering what you can make? Try this site www.kraftcanada.com, just enter three ingredients that you have on hand, and the site will give you a recipe. Genius!
- Think outside of meat and potato meals; as long as you can identify all Four Food Groups (Meat, Dairy, Fruit/Veg & Grains) in your meal, you're good to go! A quesadilla with cheese, black beans and green pepper on a whole-wheat tortilla is a complete meal!
The life of a student is always going to lead you to the Pizza counter at school or a late-night fast food run; it's inevitable! As long as you take your time and plan your grocery shopping though, you'll always have something healthy to make at home when you've got the time.
If you've never had to grocery shop before, this is going to be a learning experience! Shopping for groceries is a lot like shopping for clothes; you have to know what's in season, shop on a budget, know how to spot a bargain and be willing to try something new!
If you know what you're doing, you should be able to do your shopping at a discount grocery store, like No Frills or Food Basics, and still walk away with a fantastic selection of food; kind of like finding a wicked outfit at Giant Tiger (come on, we've all done it!)
The expensive grocery stores can be enticing; with their ready-to-go meals and “convenience” frozen foods, but don't be sucked in! Keep shopping at the Superstore and your OSAP will be gone in no time! Take the time to learn to shop and cook properly and you'll not only save money, you'll probably eat healthier too.
Here are some tips on how to stretch your grocery dollar this year:
- Make a list! If you just wander around the store you'll grab everything that looks yummy and end up overspending (or forgetting an important ingredient)
- Eat before you shop! If you're hungry when you're shopping you'll impulse-buy to satisfy your cravings.
- Try to eat at least two “meatless” meals each week, even if you're not a vegetarian. It's cheaper and better for the environment.
- Don't shop every two weeks; some perishable foods will be wasted. You're just one person, buy what you need as you need it.
- Plan ahead! If you know you're going home for the weekend, don't buy a bunch of groceries on the Wednesday your bananas will be bad when you get home.
- Speaking of bad bananas, don't throw them away, make muffins or banana bread for a quick breakfast
- Buy produce that is in-season and locally grown. It will be fresher and less expensive. Check out this link for a list of produce organized by season www.eatlocallondon.blogspot.com
- Read the flyers; when the cheaper stores have their “dollar days”, don't stock up on perishables or junk food, grab canned items like beans, soups and sauces and dry pastas for quick dinners.
- Be sure to eat those leftovers! Cooking for one person is difficult and it can be wasteful if you end up throwing half of it in the trash. Freeze them if you don't want to eat the same thing three days in a row.
- Be careful about buying in bulk; food has to be stored properly in air-tight containers and used quickly or it can go to waste.
- When frozen vegetables are on sale; grab them! They're great for stir-fry's and soups or adding to rice or pasta. Frozen veggies won't go bad and they're just as healthy as fresh.
- If you have to buy junk food, buy it at the grocery store. Your pop and chips will be much cheaper and then you'll have snacks on hand for emergency all-nighters!
- Don't buy shredded cheese; come on! Shred your own.
- Don't buy name brand dairy products, unless they're on sale. No Name dairy products are the exact same as their name brand competitors; cream cheese, yogurt, sour cream, brick cheese, cottage cheese...it all tastes the same!
- Stay in and cook rather than heading out; you can make quesadillas, nachos and wings at home for a fraction of the cost of going out.
- Organize a potluck dinner with friends once a week. Rotate hosting duties and have everyone bring Tupperware for leftovers!
- Buy a crock-pot! You can make huge amounts of inexpensive chili, soup and stew and let it simmer while you're in class. You'll come home to a delicious home cooked meal.
- Get creative! Searching your pantry and fridge wondering what you can make? Try this site www.kraftcanada.com, just enter three ingredients that you have on hand, and the site will give you a recipe. Genius!
- Think outside of meat and potato meals; as long as you can identify all Four Food Groups (Meat, Dairy, Fruit/Veg & Grains) in your meal, you're good to go! A quesadilla with cheese, black beans and green pepper on a whole-wheat tortilla is a complete meal!
The life of a student is always going to lead you to the Pizza counter at school or a late-night fast food run; it's inevitable! As long as you take your time and plan your grocery shopping though, you'll always have something healthy to make at home when you've got the time.
