10 Cheap Food Items That Every College Student Should Consume

June 8th, 2007 • Related • Filed Under • by admin

Each and every August and January for the last three years, I’ve had the privilege of writing checks well into four figures to my college to pay for tuition, fees, books and more fees. I work full time, and still don’t have a huge ton of room to spare in my budget. I can only imagine what people going to expensive private schools are going through, but that’s just part of being in college. We’re supposed to be broke, and that forces us to get creative in our spending, especially when it comes to food. Here are 10 food food items that should be part of your life if you’re in college.

Taco Tuesday – Taco Johns has amazingly great deals on Tuesdays. I’ve known many students to go there on Tuesday, and get enough food for the rest of the week.

Cheap Fountain Pop – There’s a gas station chain here in Sioux Falls that sells pop for a penny an ounce. If you have some good sealable bottles that will keep the carbonation in, this is a great way to get your pop for next to nothing.

The Dollar Menu – All of the major fast food restaurants have lists of products for $1.00 now, take advantage of it. At most places you can get a soda, a sandwich and a side item for just $3.00. That’s a cheap way to go out to eat!

PBR – Not everyone drinks, but if you do Pabst Blue Ribbon is just about the cheapest beer you can find. Sure, it doesn’t taste great, but it’s beer, it’s not supposed to.

Ramen Noodles – You guessed it, every college student has a love-hate relationship with ramen noodles. We love the price, but hate eating them all the time! Consider spicing up ramen noodles by adding a bit of chicken, or perhaps some seasoning.

Peanut butter & Jelly - Most of us don’t have a ton of time to make a gourmet meal, so sometimes something easy has to suffice. Making them takes literally a minute to make, and they’re very inexpensive on a per-sandwich basis.

Pizza by the Slice – I’m sure all of the grease I’m eating will come back to haunt me someday, but who can resist cheap by the slice pizza? It’s great for study breaks, or whenever you’re too lazy to cook.

Banquet Dinners – You can pick up these frozen meals for $1.00 a piece at your favorite box store. They aren’t gourmet by any means, but they’re edible, easy to make, and rather inexpensive.

Oatmeal – Usually you can get a big thing of oat meal for not a lot of money at Wal-Mart or Cost Co. Throw a bit of milk or water in, add any flavoring you wish, and heat it up. It’ll fill you up until lunch, and not leave your wallet empty.

Mac & Cheese – Another American classic, most college students have at least learned to make this basic meal, and it’s just one step above a frozen dinner. The best part is that you can get it for almost nothing!