College student grocery budget

[Savinup06]

Hey im trying to financially "right" myself but the one area i never seem to track is groceries because its not as routine as my other expenses. I am a single college student living alone but I do live in the city so groceries are much more expensive than the suburbs. I go to a culinary school so cooking at home alot is not an issue, but what it all boils down to (no pun intended;-) ) is finding the time. Any help from anyone that can be passed on to a college student is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Give cooking advice to a culinary student? You've got to be kidding!

My own college kid does large batch cooking of various "peasant foods" to save both time and money.

[leggzz66]

Id try to find a bent can store in your area to save money. Great can good deals/pastas/cereals. Or even look in the back of your local shops for thier bent can bins. You can usually tell whats in the can just by the shape of it. you could never mistake a cambpells can, vegs or fruit. I buy alot of always save products, saves money! Best choice costs more then always save. For example, quick mac/cheese box is 4 for a dollar at our store, down the road it is 29 a box, walmart is 33 a box, so always look for a better deal. Our dollar tree has progresso cans for 1.00. Great choices too. The cheapest quickest food is ramen noodles. You can scramble an egg or open a can of your fave veggies, or mixed vegs, put a couple tablespoons of it in the noodles as it boils, add egg at the end. I always add a tab of margarine also, it takes the twang out of the seasoning for me, if i dont use it, i get heartburn later.lol. I watched on hgtv, a man saved in college for his first home living basically on ramens. Its only a dime at most places for a pack. Look for the ads for those at 10 for a dollar. 7 for a dollar is still good too, thats lunch for a week on a buck.

[whitestripe]

have a 'cook' day once a week, fortnight or month, and make several dishes in large amounts, and freeze them in individual serves. i regularly make:
spaghetti (bolognese for BF, vegetarian for me)
mexican beans (to use in tacos, nachos, enchiladas)
silverbeet,fetta & spinach pie (cut into single portions - serve with salad)
quiche (serve with salad or veges)
pumpkin soup, roast tomato & basil soup, minestroni soup (store soups in ziplock bags )
curries (red, green, yellow, massaman, tikka masala, korma etc)

it only takes me a couple of hours if you're organised, and saves a lot of time, not to mention money that you might have spent on takeaway if you didnt have something ready to eat in the freezer.

[Rabbit]

Thx White Stripe especially for the vegi ideas, any more suggestions on vegitarian dishes?

[charlieh]

Veggie Ideas

A great lentil soup can be pretty cheap, bulky and filling, and great for winter. Mix in some onions, a nice tomato sauce from canned tomatoes, a bag or two of lentils, then a bunch of pasta - you could make it in bulk and freeze a ton of it for two months if you want. Cheap, easy, filling.
My friend and I were known to make "tortilla pizza's" pretty often. WE would take fresh garlic and tomatoes with salt and pepper (heated quickly in a pan with olive oil), then a decent mozzarella, put that in a pan on a flour tortilla that has been flash warmed on both sides, and then cook for a few minutes and voila - super cheap pizza. Feel free to add onions and mushrooms.
Good luck - stay healthy.

[jadet]

Boxes of ramen and frozen pizza!

[andrewkr80]

Rice, pasta, potatoes. Try to only buy meat when it is on sale or buy one get one. Canned tuna and chicken are also options.