Sophomore Rebecca Mion cooks stir fry chicken in her home. Chicken is versatile, inexpensive and freezer-friendly. Chicken can be used or added to nearly any dish, and cooked in a variety of ways. (Becca Tabor | THE BEACON)
By Amanda Munro Staff Writer munroa15@up.edu
Class. Studying. Homework. Extra-curriculars. Social life. The average college student juggles so many different activities that cooking their own food tends to fall low on the priority list, especially when eating out or at The Commons is readily accessible.
However, it is possible to cook cheap, easy, and wholesome meals in college. That's right; you don't have to resort to ramen noodles.
For many students, saving money on food is a top priority. The best way to do so is to stop eating out, period. Cooking your own meals at home is both a cheaper and healthier alternative.
How to Shop
Plan ahead. Make a meal plan for the week, decide what ingredients you need, and shop for those ingredients. Only buy what's on your list. Wandering the aisles of a grocery store without a plan often results in impulse buys and wasted food. Also, never shop hungry; it's a recipe for impulse purchases.
Take advantage of coupons and sales. There are tons of websites (like Hip2Save.com) that list all the coupons at your grocery store of choice, which can mean huge savings. Also, most stores rotate on a six-week basis, meaning certain groceries are cheapest at certain times of the month.
Buy in bulk whenever you can. Staples like rice, beans, nuts and other items you can scoop into a bag and pay by the pound are almost always cheaper. If you split this cost with roommates, that means extra savings.
Shop less. The less you go to the store, the less you buy. Find creative ways to put together your unused food until the cabinet and fridge is empty before going shopping again.
Buy generic. Generic brands like Sam's Club, Safeway and Fred Meyer brands are always cheaper than brand-name groceries and often have the same ingredients.
Stores like Costco sell food in large quantities for cheaper. Get a membership with your house (or use a friend's membership) and stock up on essentials with your roommates. You can split the groceries later.
Buy fruits and vegetables in season, as they are always cheaper than produce that has to be shipped from warmer climates. Buy the cheapest vegetable available. Not sure how to cook it? Look up a recipe and try something new.
Go to more than one store to compare prices on different items. It's extra work, but it's worth the savings.
What to Eat
Every meal should consist of three parts: your staple, your produce and your source of protein. Staples like brown rice, multigrain pasta and corn tortillas are all fairly cheap and nutritious. Potatoes are a miracle food; they are nutritious, delicious and you can cook them any way you can think up.
If your favorite staple is bread, you may want to consider investing in a bread-maker. They are inexpensive and easy to use, and you make up the cost of the machine by spending about fifty cents per loaf on ingredients as opposed to four dollars on a loaf from the store. Plus, it's fun to experiment with it.
Quinoa is also a miracle staple. It's pricier than rice, but a cup of dry quinoa is enough to feed two people. It's also a perfect protein. Raw oats are another staple that you can use in anything; try adding nuts, fruit, and seasonings to oatmeal to give it a new twist.
The protein no college student should live without is beans. Buy them dried in bulk. They're cheap, they're filling, you can make them a hundred different ways, and they're a great source of vegetarian protein. Eggs are also a cheap and tasty source of protein that you can use in breakfast, lunch and dinner. Canned tuna is great as well.
Switch to water instead of other beverages. Drinking tap water is better for you, and buying juice or soda from the store can add a lot of unnecessary dollars to your grocery bill.
Snack on in-season fruit and nuts in bulk during the day. These are healthy, inexpensive and energizing options that will reduce the craving to eat out.
How to Cook
Cook with canola oil. It's the healthiest oil on the market and it's cheaper than olive oil. Another alternative is coconut oil; it has all kinds of health benefits, tastes great and costs about five dollars for a jar that will last you a month. (Fun fact: you can also put it on your skin and hair for a great moisturizer.)
Cook big meals and save leftovers for lunch the next day. Leftovers are a lifesaver because you won't have to cook your own lunch. Beans, rice, quinoa and other staples are great to cook in large quantities and save in the fridge because they're easy to heat up and use in other dishes later, saving you time.
Generally, pre-made and pre-packaged items will be more expensive. Try and think what you could easily do yourself without having to pay extra for someone else to do it for you. For example, pasta sauce. Buy a cheap can of tomato sauce and add garlic, rosemary, oregano and anything else you want to try.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Cooking is fun, and this is your best opportunity to try new things and perfect recipes. Look up simple recipes online, or just throw something in a pan and see what happens. Have fun with it; it's not as intimidating or difficult as you might think.
Entertain Me: Justin Timberlake's "20/20 Experience"
I've loved him since '98's "Tearing up my Heart," and I love him still in his "Suit and Tie."
With the March 13 release of his first studio album in 9 years, "The 20/20 Experience" reminds us all of Justin Timberlake's talent and undoubted sex appeal, but also that any superstar can put out a couple of really lame tracks.
JT's new album is fun and peppy, with addicting songs like the opening track, "Pusher Love Girl." Granted, I can't tell you what exactly a "Pusher Love Girl" is, but the orchestral opening seconds of the song transitions into the catchy pop Timberlake is known for, and I'm hooked.
On songs like "That Girl," Timberlake shows his musical growth with smooth crooning and a big band feel. At four minutes and 48 seconds, the track is one of the album's shorter songs, making it more appealing than "Strawberry Bubblegum," an eight-minute track I can only stand for about the first 15 seconds.
Timberlake really got whacky with this one. The song opens with a Barry White-esque voice calling out to a lovely lady and dedicating the song to her. But with a title like "Strawberry Bubblegum," I can't help but picture some 15-year-old girl with a cheek full of Bubblicious about to pop a face-sized bubble into her pigtails. This visual manifestation with Barry White growling in the background significantly creeps me out. The groove to the song is good, but the imagery is not.
Timberlake's "Spaceship Coupe," is also a bit cosmic, and not quite good enough to make me hear him out. He's smooth, singing "Hop into my spaceship coupe/there's only room for two/ me and you/ and with the top down cruise around and make love on the moon." Sweet, but I'm not buying it. I'm also bored. But JT brings it back with "Mirrors," one of the better tracks on the album. The lyrics are adorable, and I picture Timberlake singing to his wife, the beautiful Jessica Biel, while secretly wishing I was her (secret's out). The beat is inventive and catchy, a track sure to be a radio hit in due time.
Though JT might have missed the mark on a few songs, "The 20/20 Experience" is a solid album with unique and entertaining tracks worth checking out.
- Laura Frazier
