Let’s get real. When you’re a college student, the thought of spending time and money grocery shopping, cooking and doing dishes isn’t super appealing, especially when McDonald’s and frozen dinners exist. I felt the same way until I decided to try cooking for myself to see if it was worth it, and it definitely is. Cooking has actually saved me so much time and money, not to mention how much healthier it is. While I could go on and on, there are four main reasons why cooking is worth it.
1. Cooking saves you money in the long run.
When I first looked at different recipes online, I was terrified. It seemed like every single one called for a million different ingredients, and I didn’t have any of them. How was I supposed to afford this on a college student’s budget? After a little more planning, I realized that aside from a couple varying things, most of the ingredients were the same for each recipe. That means I could buy things like meat, rice, pasta, seasonings and sauces in bulk and change the way I cooked it or the side I served with it to create a completely different meal. One bag of frozen chicken, less than ten dollars, can be made into things like fried chicken, baked chicken and rice, chicken alfredo and so much more. Planning out meals with ingredients that can be bought in bulk will have you grocery shopping once a week or less, as opposed to stopping by Taco Bell every night. The savings will show up before you know it.
2. It is way healthier than other options.
When you think about the restaurants in Martin, it’s pretty much impossible to come up with a healthy option. Honestly, with basically only fast food and Mexican restaurants, cooking for yourself is one of the only ways to stay healthy. Even if the food you cook at home isn’t all low-calorie, low-carb, low-fat and low-flavor, it still is healthier than the greasy, deep-fried stuff you can get at a fast food place. Even just buying fresh fruits and vegetables to snack on instead of waffle fries from the food court can make a huge difference in your diet.
3. It will save you time.
A great habit to start with cooking is meal prepping. Grabbing a container of food from the fridge and heating it up is much quicker than driving to a drive-thru or making the trip to the cafeteria. Use the weekend to go grocery shopping and cook a big meal with enough servings to last the whole week. A lot of people say they’re hesitant to do this because they think it has to be a really fancy, in-depth meal. Not true! You could do something as simple as cooking a big pot of spaghetti noodles and portioning out the sauce. While a big part of meal prepping is that it’s meant to be healthy, the time it saves is just as beneficial to college kids, especially with finals getting closer. Just make sure whatever you cook will still be good by the end of the week, or you’ll wind up throwing half of it away!
4. It can be done anywhere.
Well, mostly anywhere. It’s understandable that not everyone may have the equipment necessary for cooking a full meal, especially for those living on-campus. With that being said, don’t be afraid to experiment! I didn’t have an oven my freshman year, so my roommates and I learned how to use a slow cooker to make food. I had a friend who had nothing to cook with but a microwave, and she figured out how to make things in it that I would never have imagined. If you want to cook, don’t let the fear of not having the right appliances stop you. Also, you never know who might be willing to let you borrow their oven, especially if you offer to share!
Cooking is definitely something that is not for everybody. If you prefer to eat out for every meal, that’s great, too. But if you’re interested in cooking and just scared, don’t let that stop you from attempting it. Chances are, you’ll probably surprise yourself with how simple it can be. Or at least you’ll end up with some pretty hilarious cooking fails for your Snapchat story!
Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-frying-pan-with-spaghetti-sauce-near-…