Our parents just gave us 10 dollars and we already spent it on Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks, or whatever our hearts were desiring during the time. We loved every moment of it, until we realized that we have to go back to the cafe next time or eat ramen because now we’re all out of money. We’re starving college students trying to eat healthy, trying to make health changes to our lives, yet we get stuck with the cafe food or ramen? How in the world are we supposed to eat healthy when we don’t have that much money? We’re broke!
According to Abigail Hess from cnbc, “one of the biggest issues for students is affording healthy food, with 46 percent of community college students and 40 percent of four-year college students reporting an inability to pay for balanced meals.” We’re college students, we struggle. But hopefully by the end of this blog post we have more knowledge on how to eat healthy on a budget. We’re just five steps away from learning some ways on how:
- SAVE, SAVE, SAVE. Whenever that job money comes in or the money from a parent or guardian comes in, SAVE. This way, you can have enough money in savings if you want to go out somewhere healthy with friends or buy some healthy groceries/snacks. Also, this will actually make you think about what you’re spending your money on and if it’s beneficial to your health or funds.
2. Find healthy options in the cafe. Not only does the cafe have healthy options but also most cafe’s have nutritionists and nutrition facts with most of the foods. Next time instead of going for that soda at the soda machine, maybe sub it for water.
Also, the more you get filled up on healthy foods in the cafe such as yogurt, fruits, eggs, oatmeal, etc. the less tempting it’ll be to want to go out and buy some Bojangles or McDonald’s. The cafe has many healthy options that will not only save your health but also your wallet.
3. Less Junk Food. With less junk food comes more money for groceries, and less frequent feelings of hunger 30 minutes later. Junk food is known as “filler foods” and only sustains the stomach for a short amount of time. Also, most junk food isn’t too healthy, hence the name “junk” food.
If you are craving a snack and don’t want a large meal, just grab some crackers or some type of fruit. The good part about this is, the cafe has both of these things. This way you won’t be feeling as bad after eating it and your wallet won’t be stripped to pieces.
4. Student discounts/Coupons. Many different grocery stores offer student discounts such as Sprouts, Kroger, or Harris Teeter. This way, not only can you shop and look for good meals to prep, but also get a discount along with it. Aside from student discounts, coupons can definitely come in handy for college students. With coupons, you could end up spending $10 less than you would before. The only problem is finding time to look for them and finding items you actually need.
5. Cheap Restaurants. Look for those cheap restaurants and deals. It can be hard to find good, healthy restaurants at a cheap price, but it’s possible. Just some searching has to be done. For example, there’s a restaurant called A Place at the Table where if you don’t have enough money to pay, you pay what you can or pay it forward by doing some volunteer work in the restaurant after you’re done eating. This way, not only can you find some healthy options, but also do some volunteer work too.
If you’re looking for a place that’s quick and “to-go” there’s the classic Subway with the $5 foot-long deal. Who doesn’t love a good, healthy $5 foot-long? Bottom line is, there are restaurants out there that serve at a good price but have healthy options as well.
Overall, there are ways to eat healthy on a budget in college with having to spend little to no money. So try to find those healthy options that work for you and push yourself to discover more new healthy options. Even though it’s a change and it may seem weird at first, remember, when there’s a will there’s a way. Let’s save those penny’s while eating healthy along the way.
Healthy Uni 