College Happenings

Sick of eating mac and cheese, ramen noodles or what have you? We know students often eat poorly either due to lack of time or lack of funds. Also, many of us while in college spend a lot of our time eating alone, or if with others, then take out or cafeteria food. Even if you live off-campus and cook for yourself, single people know how often food spoils. Meals during college are hardly like eating mom’s home cooking.

Well, if you live somewhere where there’s a fridge, stove and a set of pots and pans, there’s a solution for some of you, if you’re willing to put in a bit of effort:

1. Collect a few college mates that are in this situation and pool your funds for foodstuffs.
2. Designate a different cook each night for a shared meal.
3. If there aren’t enough takers, maybe there’s an opportunity for you: personal chef. Each participant puts in $X per day towards the budget, and you collect the groceries once a week and make the shared meals. You get to keep the extra money. Charge a bit extra for delivery if someone lives in another dwelling. They help with dishes and prep.
4. If there’s a Farmers’ Market in town, check it out. You can often get deals at the end of the day, as some vendors will reduce their prices, to not have to store items again. Even if you go early, you’ll often find that your grocery bill goes down. What’s more, you’ll find some nice local produce, depending on the season.
5. I find that some Oriental grocery stores have certain food items far cheaper than in chainstore supermarkets.
6. Bulk quantities of meat and other items are often cheaper per unit because of reduced packaging. Single person quantities are more expensive, and sometimes spoil. As long as there are a few people participating,
7. Certain types of items such as lasagne, meatloaf, cabbage rolls freeze quite well. [Tip: meatloaf is moister if you use grated zucchini, squeezed of excess moisture. This actually works for homemade burgers and even carrot or chocolate cake.]

Overall, you enjoy healthier meals for a reasonable price, in the company of college mates who are hopefully not your enemies. Who knows, cooking might even become your next hobby.

Need help cooking? Here’s a helpful guide: 5 Tips for Dorm Room Cooking