I’ve always had a serious love of cooking and preparing my own meals. At Saint Mike’s, that’s a pretty difficult thing to do as an underclassmen because all housing is on campus and all underclassmen housing is sans kitchen. That being said, now that I’m an upperclassman and living in the wonderful Res Hall 4, I’ve been getting pretty fancy with the spices, but this comes at a cost. The past few weeks I’ve been going to Trader Joe’s for my groceries and have come to the conclusion that it is REALLY easy to live off of about $30 a week for food.
Word of advice before going shopping: Always make a list and do your best to stick to it. This goes for anyone on a budget, not just broke college kids.
Also, DISCLAIMER: I am a born again vegetarian (lol), therefore I do not eat meat or poultry (duh)
Here is my receipt for this past week’s worth of groceries
Sources of Protein (since everyone including my mother worries that vegetarians/vegans alike don’t get enough of this):
-
19 ounces of Tofu: $1.69
-
Spicy Hummus: $1.99
-
Greek Yogurt: $0.99 ea
Sources of Fiber/Carbohydrates
-
Bananas: $0.19 ea
-
Romaine Hearts: $2.49/bag
-
Chopped Kale: $2.29/bag
-
Corn on the Cob: $0.29 ea
-
Pink Lady Apples: $0.79 ea
-
Green Bell Pepper: $0.89 ea
-
Red Bell Pepper: $0.99 ea
-
Baby Carrots: $1.99/bag
-
Roma Tomatoes: $0.29 ea
-
Gold Potatoes: $2.29/ 3lb. Bag
-
Hass Avocados: $5.49/ 4-count bag——HAY big spender ;)
Of course this grocery list on it’s own looks measly, but things such as bread, eggs, black beans, canned soup, rice, quinoa, and various spices and oils aren’t things I need to purchase every week. This is just primarily what I need to buy on a weekly basis. Hopefully this inspires you to eat a bit healthier, and to shop a bit smarter.
Photo Sources:
-
Taken by contributor