A College Student’s Guide to Shopping For Groceries on a Budget
Although many four-year colleges will guarantee on-campus housing for the first two years of school, the vast majority of students choose to live in an off-campus apartment or a house. As a result, many students opt not to purchase a meal plan and instead, rely on their own culinary skills and grocery shopping for food. Given that so many students are already in debt from having to pay for college, it can be a challenge to balance a healthy and quality diet with smart shopping and saving money. Anyone looking for a college in Longmont is encouraged to considered the programs offered at IBMC. As a leading Longmont, CO college, we pride ourselves on delivering excellent education to each of our students with programs in fields like legal, business and healthcare.
Have a Budget and a List
Prior to even stepping foot in the grocery store, it is important to have an idea of how much one wishes to spend. For students who truly struggle with the temptations of shopping, consider removing any credit or debit cards from their wallet and only going with a set amount of cash. As a result, if a person wants to buy something they haven’t budgeted for they’ll have to make a difficult decision about what not to buy. In addition, by making a list it’ll be easier to stay on track and not buy anything that is not truly a necessity.
Don’t Shop on an Empty Stomach
The best time to go shopping is after eating a meal because a person will not be tempted to impulse buy. Going between classes or during lunchtime is never a good idea, because one will be tempted to purchase a costly pre-made sandwich that could be prepared for next to nothing at home.
Use Coupons
Anyone who has seen the TLC show Extreme Couponing knows how far some people are willing to go to save money on groceries. While no one is encouraging a person to recycle used popcorn bags or have a stockpile, browsing through the Sunday flyers for deals is a great way to save money.
Spend on Organic Produce
If there is one area to spend more money it is on fresh fruits and vegetables. Labeled as the “Dirty Dozen,” items like apples, pears, celery and tomatoes should always be purchased organic to ensure that they have not been treated with pesticides.
