by Keri Withington

Created on: December 22, 2006   Last Updated: November 01, 2010

It is possible to eat cheaply and still eat well. Healthy, home-cooked food doesn't need to be more expensive than junk food.  Here are some practical tips to help students cook delicious food on a budget.

Buy in Bulk

First of all, decide what type of food you like: Italian? Mexican? Chinese? Then buy generic ingredients in bulk. It's cheaper to buy a huge bag of rice and eat from it for months than to buy a small box every time you shop. Likewise with seasonings.

Most supermarkets sell larger sizes of items.  Big, discount stores (like Sam's Club, Costco, or Makkro) can all offer good value for money if you're willing to buy a lot of a product.  If you or someone you know has a membership to one of these stores, consider shopping with a friend so that you can buy bigger, cheaper packs of things and then split them up afterwards.

Buy on Sale/Offer

Secondly, don't get into a shopping rut. Pay attention to what's on offer. If you normally buy one brand of cheese, but a different brand is on sale, then try the sale brand.  Also, be willing to buy things that are reduced.  Most grocery stores have a section where they put their reduced food.  These items are often close to their expiration date, but you can get some great deals.  Consider buying reduced items and sticking them in the freezer if you won't eat them before they go off.

Also, go to more than one store. Learn where you can get things the cheapest.  It may be that one place is the cheapest for fresh produce, but somewhere else is far cheaper for dairy. 

Use Your Freezer

Third, learn to freeze things. If you can get a good deal on more food than you can eat, stick it in the freezer. You can freeze almost anything, and then pull it out and cook it at your convenience.

Cook Rather Than Buying Premade

Fourth, learn to cook. Pancakes and tortillas are both easy and cheap to make yourself. Buy cheap tins of beans and mash them up yourself to make re-fried beans. Learn to make a good omelette. Potatoes are cheap and filling and you can make endless dishes with them (soup, mashed, baked, twice baked, hash browns, fried, etc.) Call your parents and ask for recipes to foods you enjoyed growing up. Look on the internet for recipes and check multiple sites for the easiest version with the most basic ingredients.  It's amazing how much cheaper it can be to make your own meals than to buy premade ones.

Buy Fewer Drinks

Fifth, drink water. You'd be amazed how easy it is to spend money on drinks.  Items like juice, soda, and especially alcohol can quickly double your shopping bill.

Be realistic

Last of all, treat yourself occasionally. If you've been really good and stayed within budget for a few weeks, go ahead and buy yourself that one or two more expensive items that you've really been craving.  It's important to live within your budget, but it's also important to be happy and enjoy life.  Learn to balance out your luxury items that you want with the basics that you need.

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