How to cook when you don't have a lot to spend.
Today was one of the glorious days when I could sleep in. I don’t work
until 6pm tonight, so I didn't even set an alarm. By the time I woke, at about
1030, my roommate had already left for school, and I was alone - and
hungry.
Now, both of us are living life on the cheap these days. In Halifax, students are plenty, and jobs are scarce. Right now, I have a pretty okay job working part-time retail, which is really all I can ask at this point. So many of my friends are unemployed that I feel almost fortunate for the 16 hours a week I can pull down these days. And anyway, that's enough to pay the rent for now. However, with living on the cheap, we've had a few issues when it comes to the fine dining we're used to. Right now, most of the foods that we have are white. High starch, high sugar, bleached. This includes white bread, white pasta, a box of cereal just loaded with garbage, and a box of Bisquick. We also have the staples of peanut butter and Nutella. Oh, and 15 pounds of potatoes. The fridge is a little better. We have milk, eggs, and even a few vegetables! It's not a whole lot of choice in terms of what is healthy and good.
My advice for those of us who are living on the student poverty diet of Mr. Noodles and kale is that good food is not always necessarily expensive. While the majority of our food is plain, white, and devoid of nutrients, we have been able to splurge a little on some specialty items due to the magic of coupons.
One of the things that we do have the luxury of currently is 500 TV channels. B. used to work for a cable company and got us a promo deal so we could have two free months of cable, then cancel, and not pay a thing. Our favorite channel is TLC. I know it's terrible, terrible stuff. Anywho, we're into the Extreme Couponers. This gave me an idea! Why were we not using coupons! It seems so stupid looking back and realizing that we weren't.
We definitely are not extreme couponers, bringing our totals at the register from $2000 to $20, but in the past week we enjoyed two free litres of juice, and a free package of yogurt, as well as an additional $30 in savings on foods we were going to buy anyway. I'm doing most of the couponing, and I'm just starting out, so it isn't as drastic as I'm sure many people are, but it's definitely helping out a lot.
That being said, here are my five tips that I use to cut costs (some are a little obvious).
1. Buy generic if you won't be able to tell the difference.
I can't tell the difference between generic pasta and name brand. I can tell the difference with name brand Nutella and hazelnut spread though. You have to decide what's worth the cost, and what isn't. For me, name brand cheese, nutella, and peanut butter are important. Everything else, I'm willing to skimp on.
2. Use coupons, but only for things you're going to be anyway.
If you already are going to buy juice, and have a $1 off coupon, then use it. If you weren’t going to buy juice, then why do it? When I search for coupons on the internet, I skip over those that aren’t for things that I want anyway, and aren’t for free things, because if it’s free, I’ll take it and try it either way!
3. Buying bulk isn't always smart.
When we all first got apartments, some of my friends got a Costco membership, and bought 40 pounds of bacon only to realize that they had nowhere to store it. Buying bulk can be cheaper, but only if you can use the product before it spoils, and have somewhere to store it.
4. Plan ahead!
Know what you want to get in advance of going to the store. Take a written list, and stick to it. I also like to have a dollar budget when we go to the store, and we must come in under budget every time. Keep track of every dollar. I like to use a spreadsheet.
5. Student Discounts!
At both the Sobeys and Atlantic Superstore, Tuesday is 10% off day for students, and we definitely take advantage of that! See if there are any local deals where you live :)
Happy shopping!
Now, both of us are living life on the cheap these days. In Halifax, students are plenty, and jobs are scarce. Right now, I have a pretty okay job working part-time retail, which is really all I can ask at this point. So many of my friends are unemployed that I feel almost fortunate for the 16 hours a week I can pull down these days. And anyway, that's enough to pay the rent for now. However, with living on the cheap, we've had a few issues when it comes to the fine dining we're used to. Right now, most of the foods that we have are white. High starch, high sugar, bleached. This includes white bread, white pasta, a box of cereal just loaded with garbage, and a box of Bisquick. We also have the staples of peanut butter and Nutella. Oh, and 15 pounds of potatoes. The fridge is a little better. We have milk, eggs, and even a few vegetables! It's not a whole lot of choice in terms of what is healthy and good.
My advice for those of us who are living on the student poverty diet of Mr. Noodles and kale is that good food is not always necessarily expensive. While the majority of our food is plain, white, and devoid of nutrients, we have been able to splurge a little on some specialty items due to the magic of coupons.
One of the things that we do have the luxury of currently is 500 TV channels. B. used to work for a cable company and got us a promo deal so we could have two free months of cable, then cancel, and not pay a thing. Our favorite channel is TLC. I know it's terrible, terrible stuff. Anywho, we're into the Extreme Couponers. This gave me an idea! Why were we not using coupons! It seems so stupid looking back and realizing that we weren't.
We definitely are not extreme couponers, bringing our totals at the register from $2000 to $20, but in the past week we enjoyed two free litres of juice, and a free package of yogurt, as well as an additional $30 in savings on foods we were going to buy anyway. I'm doing most of the couponing, and I'm just starting out, so it isn't as drastic as I'm sure many people are, but it's definitely helping out a lot.
That being said, here are my five tips that I use to cut costs (some are a little obvious).
1. Buy generic if you won't be able to tell the difference.
I can't tell the difference between generic pasta and name brand. I can tell the difference with name brand Nutella and hazelnut spread though. You have to decide what's worth the cost, and what isn't. For me, name brand cheese, nutella, and peanut butter are important. Everything else, I'm willing to skimp on.
2. Use coupons, but only for things you're going to be anyway.
If you already are going to buy juice, and have a $1 off coupon, then use it. If you weren’t going to buy juice, then why do it? When I search for coupons on the internet, I skip over those that aren’t for things that I want anyway, and aren’t for free things, because if it’s free, I’ll take it and try it either way!
3. Buying bulk isn't always smart.
When we all first got apartments, some of my friends got a Costco membership, and bought 40 pounds of bacon only to realize that they had nowhere to store it. Buying bulk can be cheaper, but only if you can use the product before it spoils, and have somewhere to store it.
4. Plan ahead!
Know what you want to get in advance of going to the store. Take a written list, and stick to it. I also like to have a dollar budget when we go to the store, and we must come in under budget every time. Keep track of every dollar. I like to use a spreadsheet.
5. Student Discounts!
At both the Sobeys and Atlantic Superstore, Tuesday is 10% off day for students, and we definitely take advantage of that! See if there are any local deals where you live :)
Happy shopping!