College students are notorious for having bad eating habits. Midnight fast food runs, ice cream for dinner, the “freshman fifteen,” every stereotype has some backing behind it. All of these just serve as reminders however, as to why it is such a good idea to cook at home, and cook good food. Here then, are a few tips to help you to get by without piling on the pounds or making yourself sick – all on a student budget.
Tip 1 – Stay Penny-Wise
You will find that you suddenly have a lot of expenses that you didn’t have before college – food is one of these, and food can get expensive. When you first move in, make sure that you check out all of the nearest grocery stores, find out which ones have the best deals, and what you need to buy. Plan your shopping list out before you go to the store, so that you do not go and buy everything in sight. But remember to give yourself a good budget. It is not worth sacrificing food to pay for less essential things. Make sure that each week you are not starving yourself. Also remember that you can be smart about what you meet. It may be easy to stock up on ten-cent noodles, but that is not something you will want to eat every day of your college life! There are tons of ways to buy nice food and still keep it cheap – keep an eye on the deals for produce at your local store.
Tip 2 – Learn Some Recipes
If you have only cooked a little bit before, if at all, it can be tough to go to college wanting all of the same delicious meals you enjoyed at home. Remember that you are not going to be able to go into college cooking full-on three course dinners of extravagant and complicated meals. Start by learning one meal at a time. Pick something simple like spaghetti or chili and perfect it. Then you can build from there. Once you master one meal, move on to the next; this way you can build up a solid list of staples that you can pick from each meal time. You can find plenty of cookbooks designed specifically for students or first-time cooks, as well as plenty of simple recipes online, so take a look around and start cooking!
Tip 3 – Share!
Cooking is only fun if you have someone to share it with. If you can work it out with your roommates, then it can be a good system if you take turns to cook dinner for everyone. This can help you not waste food, and also to save yourself the cost of paying for dinner for every night. This doesn’t work for every group of roommates, as you may have different schedules or diets, but if it works for you, then it can be a great way to get to know each other.
Cooking at college doesn’t have to be stressful, and with these tips, it can become a fun and rewarding experience. So stay away from that microwave, put away the credit card, and cook something for yourself this time.
About the Author
Rachel is a writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. My Colleges and Careers can help you find the best online colleges, so you don't have to worry about moving out to learn how to cook!
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