[Scott_Tarlow]

So, I was fortunate enough to win a research grant to stay at my school over the summer and work on a pretty cool project, and they provide housing, electricity, and internet! Unfortunately, the cafeteria isn't open, and there is only a local market near by, not much in the way of fast food or anything, so i need to figure out what I am eating this summer. I want to budget myself to 100 bucks a week for all 3 meals, and i can go over, but i would like to save most of my stipend for other things. I was wondering, what cheap things can I eat? I will purchase maybe a 3.2 cubic foot mini fridge, and soda is a requirement because i need caffeine and chances are I will be working significantly more than 40 hours a week. My professor said he would give me some fruits and veggi's from his farm share.

Beans?
Ramen?
Kraft?
Hamburger Helper?

Any other suggestions?
I guess this is what grad school will be like.

 

[appophylite]

My four staples as an undergrad:

1. Any major variation of pasta: Lasagna, penne, spaghetti, etc - they can be mixed up day to day by just adding something different every once in a while: different sauce, meatballs, ground beef, meatballs, different veggies - unlimited scope for combos.
2. Ramen: does this one really need any explanation? Also open to a wide range of combos: eat it plain with stock soup, boil in water and then fry it in a pan with a whole bunch of veggies, meats or eggs in different combos, etc.
3. Cereal: may be different for other people, but as an undergrad, I found that cereal was an excellent filler for whenever I was feeling slightly peckish.
4. Free food wherever it is: it's a college campus; there is always bound to be free food somewhere.

I had a roommate and between him and me, we shared the food bill, always looked for good deals on food, and both typically had a the same tastes in food (I didn't eat seafood and he didn't eat beef), and we managed to keep our monthly bill well under $300/month on food and generally ate rather well and healthy.

 

[nycdoi]

soy bars/meal bars for all three meals.

 

[Happy Camper]

Hot pork rinds. Good filler that keeps off calories.

Get a water filter and try to drink more.

If you want caffeine, go to coffee. Much less sugar.

What ever food groups you choose, keep it as unprocessed as possible. Convenience foods will put the weight on.

Fruit, multigrains and nuts will keep so snacks are pretty healthy.

Or you could go Doritos, Hostess, GM, Totino's, Swanson, etc....

 

[subtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott_Tarlow /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ramen? Kraft? Hamburger Helper? Any other suggestions? I guess this is what grad school will be like.

Forget all that garbage.

If you haven't already invested in a good rice cooker do so. Then stock up on bulk organic brown rice, dry beans, pasta, and oatmeal. If you have access to fruit and veggies from the farm share then buy bulk lettuce and spinach and make salads with that. Stock up on cheap glass jar pasta sauces and bulk olive oil. Make good sauces with the olive oil by sauteing onions, garlic, tomatoes, etc. as a base and then add in about a third to half of a jar sauce and cook it down.

You have so many options available for eating well for $100-200 a month. There's really no need to intake Kraft products and Ramen noodles which are essentially just pure trans fat. Why bother eating that junk when you could eat well. If you're going to be in the kitchen anyhow preparing boxed processed garbage, you may as well spend an extra few minutes in there and make something that will taste far better and be vastly more healthy.

 

[Pepsi]

100 bucks a week is far sufficient for home cooked meals. My number one source of food is rice, it's very versatile for you can practically mix anything with it. Keeps you full longer and is actually healthy for you. I'm of asian heritage so this is our number one ingredient in fixing meals.

 

[DanielCox]

Buy the basics - pasta, meat vegetables and combine.

 

[azncookiecutter]

$100 is way more than I ever need per week. Stock up on rice and bread and pasta, usually the cheapest options to get your carbs. Fresh food is the way to go, so get/buy fresh veggies, meat, and fruit, they go a long way in saving money. 1 tip on meats: be on the lookout for close-expiring meat at supermarkets, they usually have them at 30-50% off, and are good for putting into the freezer or cooking them the day of.

 

[sachu]

Oats with raisins, almonds and walnuts for breakfast

Fruits, Wheat tortillas, brown rice dishes, u can make your own quesadillas or get cook some chicken up with light gravy with some rice and beans..make about 30-40 burritos at one go and store in the freezer.

Oh and learning to cook would go a long way in keeping your diet healthy and the costs low.

 

[feh1325]

eggs are a very underrated source of protein

 

[skudmunky]

Pop tarts are an incredibly cheap, easy breakfast. Get a BJ's or Costco membership and you can get a box of 24 packs for like 7 bucks.

For 100 bucks a week you could eat 2 fastfood meals a day, it's definitely plenty of money.

 

[JxK]

People mentioned rice already. To that I'll add cous cous. It is incredibly simple to make, and fast. Just pour some into a bowl, and add boiling water until it sits about 1/2 an inch over the cous cous. Add a touch of butter/oil, cover, let sit 5 minutes and you have a great accompaniment to any meal.

Like rice, you can add sauces, vegetables and proteins with ease. And unlike rice you don't even have to bother planning ahead in order to make it.

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I doubt there will be any free food besides the farm share because there will be less than 100 people on my campus this summer; there are less than 1400 students during the school year anyway.

Would u guys invest in a fridge even if there is a community fridge? I am scared people will take my food/ i'll be able to cook a lot more and save left overs easier I think. I doubt there will be any free food.

My Aunt is giving me a steamer, so i figure I could make hot dogs and rice in it.

I have basically budgeted myself to 2000 for 8 weeks, including food and appliances to store/cook the food. There will be a stove, microwave, and community fridge(I dont think I want to use it).

I figured 100 for food per week= 800. 100-200 for a fridge( I wanna get one worth keeping/ has a freezer), which leaves the rest pretty much open since all i have to do is pay for the detergent for my laundry( they provide the washer and dryer). Maybe I can buy some new headphones~~ =)

 

[smrtby123]

That is a lot of money per week for groceries. When I was living in my old apt, I was spending $75 every two weeks for food and I was eating really well. Learn how to actually use all kinds of vegetables because they are cheap and so tasty. All the weird ones, brussel sprouts, radishes, bok choy, etc.

Start learning now, because even though I am not a gourmet chef, I can hold my own. It makes my grocery bills a lot cheaper because processed stuff is actually expensive compared to cooking a good meal. It keeps you very healthy and it is something that will make the rest of your life that much better.

 

[rawrster]

How many people share this fridge? If it's like an apartment where you share between 4-5 people or so it shouldn't be too bad.

Also $100 a week is plenty. I cooked my last couple years of school and I doubt I ever went over $400 a month on food unless I went out to eat a lot which it does not seem like you will be doing. Using rice like others have said is a good starts. If you have BJ's, Sam's Club, Costco or any other kind of wholesale food place like that would be a good way to save some money in the long run since you buy in bulk. I typically had a lot of cereal, pasta or chicken meals and they were pretty affordable. Also you could look up recipes to help you learn more varieties of things to cook and if you don't know how to cook this could be a good way to learn. No better way of learning than having to cook for yourself.