Eating in College - Without Going Broke

College is a bigger expense than just the tuition. On top of paying for each class, books, housing, you’ll need to eat. If you want to eat more than Ramen & Totino’s next year, you need to have a plan.

First, decide how and who is paying for your meal plan.

Once you’re in school, you may find that working 40+ hours a week while also carrying a full-time class load is too much. Because of this, I typically work a full-time job during the summer and only work ten to twenty hours a week during the semester.  This isn’t the case for everyone. My sister, for example, prefers to have a more consistent schedule. She works twenty to thirty hours a week year-round, so she always has a solid income. Deciding on when and how you’ll work is fully personal preference, but it’s something that needs a lot of thought put into it to make sure that your plan is sustainable.

Choose the right meal plan for you

Most universities start first year students with an unlimited meal plan, which can be pricey depending on the school. Fortunately, a lot of schools let you change your meal plan during the first few weeks for no extra charge. My advice, keep the unlimited plan for the first week or so and see how many times it gets used then determine if you’ll be able to use it often enough to make it worth the expense.

Pick up a good side-hustle

Our parents wouldn’t likely think of this one, because a side-hustle wasn’t as much of a thing back in their day. Today, you can sign up to Grub Hub or Door Dash with minimal effort and can sign up to make a quick $10-$20 at any given time so you can grab dinner with your friends. Interested in other side-hustles? We wrote a blog about that during our Raise the Roof campaign last year.

Budget, Budget, Budget (and stick to it)

Keeping track of your income & spending is the #1 way to avoid being broke.  Just taking a few hours before you start your semester to plan how money will be spent will make it much easier to keep money in the bank. If budgeting is a tough topic here is an article written by a college student with some great advice.

While paying for college and everything that comes with it can be difficult, it is possible. The more money you have in the bank during college, the easier it will be when you graduate. There’s a lot more that can be done during college to save a bit of money, but these simple tips will help you on your way toward financial independence.