Student food tips!

[Hallelujah]

So I know a few of you are heading off to/already at Uni/College this year, and I thought it'd be good to have some good student meal ideas down here. No pot noodles

I lived off pasta with basic homemade sauce, and chilli con carne. Buy Quorn mince frozen, it tends to be cheap or on offer a lot of the time, and use that for chilli or pasta. Honestly can't taste the difference. Plus, chilli can be frozen and defrosted looooong after it's made.

If you can, get some Basil, Cumin and Chilli Powder in, cause those are staple herbs/spices to have

If something is on offer that you usually need - milk, bread etc, buy extra and freeze it.

If you really need to buy cheese, buy it pre-grated. It's cheaper.

Soooo. Post tips!

[Dungeon Master]

Joanna! Thank you!

Live saving tips right there!

I would like to add for all you aussies. Talk to your butcher. Find out how long they keep their stock for before they drop prices. See if you can talk to them and do a pick up when they start to get ready to get rid of their meat. Even still. go for mince! Easily frozen, and very versatile!

The above goes for the supermarkets too! Buy when they cut prices. Freezing the meat can make it last longer.

Good luck to all you first years out there! I hope to join you soon

[TakeTheLeap]

Take a look in weekly ad inserts and compare prices. For example: If you need soda, see which stores have the 12 packs on sale 4/$10, 3/$11 or whatever the best sale is and stock up so you have some until the next big sale.

Search for coupons - there are tons of online coupons that are worth printing and taking with you, especially on products you know you'll need.

When you buy bread, put it in the fridge or in a bread box. It lasts several week longer than just letting it sit out.

Peanut butter. If you're not allergic, stock up on it. There's a LOT you can do with it, and is a great snack (whether with crackers, apples, or a pb&j) for those late night study sessions - not to mention, it's relatively cheap and is often on sale.

I'll come back when I can think of more tips and tricks!

[VampirePrincess]

I live at home, while a lot of university students live in dorms and apartments. Money isn't the same issue for me since my parents buy the food. With that being said, my angle with the food is more, what can you eat with limited time and a lot of homework? I might not buy the food, but I still cook it all myself and run my own schedule.

I often buy things in large amounts. Now you're saying to yourself, it's a stupid idea to buy a ton of food, you're just going to waste it. But you won't. Buying in bulk saves money, and depending on what type of food you buy you can store it all for a long time and eat it later. It's very convenient for me to cook up 30 hotdogs on my grill at one time, eat 2, and be eating the rest when I'm running out the door for the next few weeks. Or buying a ton of frozen foods or meats to put in the freezer, because they'll hold for a long time in there.

Pasta is a great thing to eat. You can work on homework while boiling water. You can put the pasta in. Then you can do homework while it's cooking. Then it finishes cooking, you can eat it, and go back to homework. Or even do homework while eating. A lot of people think a short cooktime is the way to go, but a long cooktime with little preparation can be a fantastic thing.

Oh, the wonders that are snackbowls. Now, this doesn't work well with people if they eat when they're bored or can't control themselves, but I rarely find myself reaching for food so it works nicely for me. I buy a lot of little snacks. Pretzels, candy corn, crackers, anything that I can safely leave out on the countertop. I often find myself in a rush to get places. I wake up, get ready in 5 minutes and go immediately out the door. I get home from school have a second to use the bathroom and then have to be somewhere else. It's impossible to have time to grab anything. But, when something is sitting out in plain sight and is easy to reach for, I can be dashing out the door with my car keys in one hand and a handful of snack food in the other.

My last suggestion: grocery stores. Yes, that's right. A lot of them have small pre-packaged salads or sandwiches you can buy, if you buy them and bring them with you that can be lunch instead of fast food. Maybe not cheaper, but definitely healthier, and you'll thank yourself for that one day.

[TakeTheLeap]

Granola bars! Always have some granola bars on hand - they're great for a snack just running out the door. You can either make them yourself or purchase the prepackaged ones... whatever floats your boat!

Get a package of frozen (grilled) chicken breasts. Heat one up and add it to pasta or simply eat with veggies and potatoes or whatever you like. They're good to add some quick protein to your meal and they're versatile.

Cook/pack your meals before you leave. When I was in college, I didn't have much time to eat between classes, so I took either snacks or lunch with me. Pack up a sandwich, a banana, and some chips for a quick and easy meal.

Buy the party packs of chips that have individual servings. They may be a bit more expensive, but they're easy to grab on the run OR to help you keep control of your portions (I tend to have a problem with that).

When buying meat, get it when it's on sale and freeze it. For chicken and pork, you can pack each piece individually in a freezer bag, freeze it, and use just one as you need it. It's another great way to pay attention to portion control and keeps you from cooking too much... Who wants to eat chicken stew for a week straight because they used a whole pound of chicken for just one person? xD