How To Grocery Shop on a Budget for College Students

The expenses of most college students can be pared back. Housing and utilities can be taken care of by living in a dorm, there are innumerable free entertainment options, and you likely won’t need a car if your college has a robust public transportation system.

A non-negotiable expense? Groceries.

But just because inflation and a looming recession mean you need to cut costs, you don’t have to be stuck with the ramen and cereal standbys. In fact, you can still have the gourmet meals you love and enjoy while grocery shopping on a budget.

There are many ways college students can start saving more on groceries and shopping successfully on a budget. Here are a few methods that will help you save today.

Online Shopping Is Your Friend

Amazon, Costco, and websites like Thrive Market offer great deals for nonperishable grocery items in bulk. If you have a favorite snack bar or pasta brand, you can get them cheaper when you buy in bulk online. And, since many sites offer frequent steals and deals, you can likely get them even cheaper if you’re willing to wait. 

Work a Side Hustle for Extra Income 

It’s becoming increasingly popular for students to work online side hustles as freelancers (in addition to normal schoolwork) so they can earn extra income on the side. The median hourly rate for freelancing, in general, is $20 an hour, so just a few hours of freelancing work a week can help build up enough money for a comfortable weekly grocery budget. 

Avoid Pre-made Anything

Everyone knows that eating out is a huge cash sink, but even pre-made meals like frozen ones are overpriced. You can easily make comparable (and healthier) meals by gathering the ingredients and cooking them yourself. You’ll also create more food so that you can bank on leftovers for a few extra days. That’s a way better value proposition than buying a frozen TV dinner. 

And don’t be tempted by the hot bar, either. Even if “quick service” options at grocery stores like bakeries, salad bars, delis, and bodegas seem like a good deal per meal, they still aren’t as fresh as a home-cooked meal and are likely less cost-effective.

Plan Ahead… and Have a Full Stomach

One of the easiest and fastest ways to have your grocery spending spiral is shopping without a plan. It’s tempting to grab a box of snacks here and there, but before you know it, you’ve doubled your budget.

It’s even worse if you go shopping when you’re hungry. That crushes your willpower to stick to a plan, and you often buy way more food than you need. That means you’re spending more, and frequently that excess of food goes bad and to waste.

Use Only Cash

Even though it isn’t grocery specific, you should consider only bringing a set amount of cash with you when shopping. This will force you to stick to a planned budget and prevent you from using credit cards. 

Many students will turn to credit cards to help build their credit scores, but the problem is many won’t discipline themselves to pay off their cards in full each month––resulting in more debt and interest charges. But there are other ways to build credit besides credit cards and other ways to pay for groceries and your overall shopping needs that don’t involve going into debt. 

Find the Deals

Coupons and weekly deals are always considerations, but frugal college students know how to find hidden deals. Typically, visiting the grocery store early on a Monday morning will provide you with deep discounts on meat and other perishables. These products aren’t bad – they just need to make room for incoming shipments.

You’ll need to make sure to cook or freeze it right away, but snagging discount meat on a cyclical schedule is a great way to reduce the significant inflation that meat products are seeing.

Conclusion

You don’t have to live like a pauper to eat well on a budget in college. By strategically shopping online, at your local grocery store, and hunting for discounts, you can eat well while saving money. And, if all else fails, you can always go home for a weekend of your parents’ cooking or raid a friend’s pantry!

About the Author | Magnus Eriksen is a copywriter and an eCommerce SEO specialist with a degree in Marketing and Brand Management. Before embarking on his copywriting career, he was a content writer for digital marketing agencies such as Synlighet AS and Omega Media, where he mastered on-page and technical SEO. 

By Magnus Eriksen
Magnus Eriksen