Healthy savings

Have you ever thought about how much money you spend on food?

For those of us still with meal plans through Residential Programs and Services, we are allotted a certain amount of I-Bucks for both semesters to be used at various places on campus — dining halls, convenience stores and a cute little cafe in Ballantine Hall.

Right now I’m on the smallest plan, only using 500 I-Bucks per semester. Happily enough, I still have half of my points.

While I don’t have any reason to be worried about running out of points, I am becoming ever more aware of how much I spend on food each day. Every drink, every bag of chips, the sandwiches — they all add up.

On top of that, I go grocery shopping quite a bit. If I’m having a bad day, I’ll walk all the way from 10th Street and Woodlawn Avenue to Willkie Quad just to get groceries. I guess there’s something soothing about looking at frozen foods.

I also go grocery shopping at actual stores such as Kroger. Since I know so many people off campus who let me use their kitchens, I buy ingredients to cook. It’s part of growing up and being an adult.

I wish I had more money for better quality ingredients, but hey, you do what you can.
Additionally, we all go out to eat or order in from time to time. Having a bad study session? Order Baked or Pizza X. Remember the delivery charge they add on, as well as tips.        

And don’t forget about eating out with friends or family for dinner, breakfast or whatever reason makes your heart happy.

These things all add up so quickly. And in this economy we really need to be careful of what we spend money on and how much is spent.
Here are some easy to remember tips that we might know but tend to forget.

Limit eating out

This doesn’t just apply to the nice restaurants. If Jimmy John’s is a regular dinner for you, that’s your decision, and it’s totally fine. But keep in mind how much a meal from a restaurant costs.

This goes for daily coffees as well. Starbucks is really expensive, especially for college students who don’t necessarily have good-paying jobs. Cut back on the daily coffees, or at least get a size down.

If you really want to cut costs, just buy your own coffee maker and thermos. It’s not fancy, but it gives you the same caffeine kick you crave.

Split meals

This has pretty much become a ritual for my guy and I to help save costs as well as avoid taking home leftovers we won’t eat. But it’s definitely not just for dates.

Don’t you remember the fond days of freshman year, splitting an order of pizza or cookies at midnight during finals week? Those were some of my finer memories from that year.

So you can make friends and memories while saving cash and getting your “noms” on.
 
Look for deals at grocery stores

It’s not nerdy, it’s smart. Go ahead and get those discount member cards from the stores. It makes sense to sign up if you shop at a certain store frequently enough.

Also, actually take a look at the newspaper pullouts with the sales of the week. If you cook at all, look at what’s on sale. It’ll help give you an idea of how to work with your budget and also what to make for dinner.

Cut back on snacking

I know one of my problems is craving snacks throughout the day. So I’ll wander around a deli or convenience store, looking for something small, and walk out with three or four different snacks in anticipation of cravings later on in the day. But I don’t need to snack. I get my daily nutrients just fine.

And when you do get snack foods, try avoiding the junk foods. They won’t fill you up the way you want and that will leave you snacking on something else.

Buy healthy snacks, such as carrot sticks or trail mix, which will cost just as much if not less than all the junk food you buy and consume. Happy savings!