{"id":861,"date":"2023-01-10T12:00:20","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T18:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/?p=861"},"modified":"2022-12-13T13:53:28","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T19:53:28","slug":"how-to-eat-healthy-in-college-on-the-cheap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.tntech.edu\/graduate\/2023\/01\/10\/how-to-eat-healthy-in-college-on-the-cheap\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Eat Healthy in College (on the Cheap!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

What if you could get good, tasty, healthy, AND cheap food for your dorm room? This personal trainer and nutrition specialist explains how.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a college student, you probably have barely enough money to buy ramen, much less fancy salads, salmon, and other healthy foods.<\/p>\n

However, even though healthy food has a reputation for being expensive, it doesn\u2019t have to be that way\u2014even for college students. If you want to stock up on good-for-you foods to keep in your dorm room, use these tips. You\u2019ll get what you need and save cash at the same time.<\/p>\n

Learn the sales cycle at your local grocery store<\/h2>\n

All stores have a cycle for their sale and clearance items, and if they\u2019re near your campus, they might be especially sensitive to cost-conscious college students.<\/p>\n

Maybe you\u2019ve seen their weekly sales flyers, which promote the deals for that week. If you can\u2019t get these flyers in person, the grocery store might even share them on social media. At any rate,\u00a0the key here is knowing when those promo cycles end, because that\u2019s usually when surplus items go on sale.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some grocery stores even offer\u00a0double<\/em>\u00a0discounts on the day the old sales end and new ones begin. This may not sound like the cheapest technique, but\u00a0AOL\u2019s finance blog<\/a>\u00a0says this can save you as much as 50% off your grocery bill. All you have to do is plan your grocery trip ahead of time.<\/p>\n

Buy simple foods and prepare them yourself if you can<\/h2>\n

Prepping your own meals is an easy way to cut costs and eat healthier in college. You might be surprised by how much healthy food you can keep in your dorm and even how much meal prep you can do if you have mini-fridge and\/or microwave. And if you live in an off-campus apartment or an on-campus suite with a full kitchen? Well, the world is your oyster! (Except not really because oysters are crazy expensive.)<\/p>\n

For example, pre-bagged salads are convenient, but you pay more for that convenience. To save on cash, grab a head of lettuce ($1\u2013$2), along with carrots (less than $2 for a whole bunch), a cucumber ($1), and maybe a few more veggies of your choice (spend up to $5). Chop everything up at home and store in an airtight container in your fridge for an easy-to-grab base for lunch and dinner salads.<\/p>\n

You can likely get at least five small salads out of that, which ends up costing less than $2 per salad. You can even bring some to the cafeteria and eat it as a side with an entree they\u2019re serving.<\/p>\n

But salad math is just the beginning. Other great cheap but healthy food choices for college students include:<\/p>\n