Grocery shopping while living off campus can be a rough and stressful event. Trying to feed yourself on a very low budget while also keeping things as healthy as possible seems next to impossible.
However I have a few tips to (hopefully) save the day.
1. Keep in mind a weekly budget - mine's $25.
Although I don't walk around Kroger with my calculator out, I do have a sense for what $25 looks like as opposed to $50.
2. Get your produce first.
Stock up on all your fresh veggies and fruits as soon as you walk through the sliding doors. Don't go straight to ice cream, spend your money on the best parts first.
3. Only count on actually making yourself three full meals a week.
You're busy, and the chances of you deciding to train for The Next Food Network Star everyday are not very likely.
4. Don't buy it if you are trying to justify it.
You don't need it.
Grocery shopping isn't hard, and it shouldn't drain your wallet on a weekly basis. Get what you need and nothing more, or you'll find yourself poor and with an abundance of food you'll never actually eat. Think small, and I promise it will pay off in a very big way.
Sarah Vaughn is a junior studying education at Ohio University. What do you do to help shop healthy? Tweet your answers to Sarah using her Twitter handle @_suraaahhh.
