A College Student's Guide to Cheap Eating

Are you a college student? Living off the money you saved during the summer, working a minimum wage part-time job, or stuck begging your parents to add some cash to your student debit card? Let's face it: we don't have time to cook and ordering take-out every night isn't helping our checking accounts. If you're smart about what you buy and remember a few tricks along the way, it's easy to stay ahead when it comes to your food money.

1) First off: invest in some tupperware! Maybe your dining hall has unreasonable short hours on the weekend or your meal plan balance is low. Maybe you simply don't have time to run over before your morning class. Whatever the case, wrapping up an extra sandwich, filling a bag of your favorite cereal or filling a container with that night's lasagna can save you a lot of money on unnecessary snack foods and late night take-out dinners.

2) Despite the tupperware trick, not everyone is allowed to take food out of their dining hall, and almost all of us are going to need something on hand for those late-night paper-writing sessions the night before our due dates. So, what can you whip up quickly that won't cost a lot? There are tons of options. 12-packs of Ramen noodles only cost about $3, and boxes of macaroni & cheese aren't far behind. It might not be something you want to eat every day, but it's quick, cheap, and easy to keep on hand.

3) As long as we're on the topic of cheap and unhealthy food, here's a tip for when you're stocking up on those potato chips and cookies: go to the dollar store. Sure it's not brand name ice cream or candy, but you'll find plenty of chips, crackers and other snacks that are all made from the same ingredients, minus the well-known name attached to it. You'll find it for a fraction of the price and walk away fully stocked with snackfood for under $10, easily.

4) Did someone say FREE FOOD? That's right: pizza, soda, chips, and everything else that's part of a regular college student's diet are always available at movie nights, club meetings, and so on. I'm willing to bet there's at least one free food event on campus every night, with the occasional fully catered event thrown in sometimes. Take advantage of this! There are usually plenty of leftovers, and event sponsors love to get rid of it at the end of the night. You can easily walk away with an entire pie and enough soda to wash it all down for no money whatsoever.

5) When all else fails and you're craving a burger and fries, most fast food restaurants have a dollar menu. Don't get fooled into paying twice the price for a special promotional burger or liter of soda. Go for those 99 cent fries and walk away without looking back!

There you have it: five easy tips to keep your stomach and wallet BOTH full. Good luck and happy munching!