How to Find Cheap Food in College

...Groceries are one of the first things to go out the window. Amazingly, I survived to my college graduation without starving, and I'd like to share some tricks with you on cutting down on my food budget. You can eat cheap, healthy food in college. I can't promise that you'll eat every meal for free, but these are some tips I learned to cut down on my grocery budget.

College campuses are rife with free food, so take advantage of this as much as possible. Department open houses, club meetings, evening lectures... Many of these events come with refreshment tables, or serve pizza. Keep your eyes peeled for flyers.

Feel guilty going to the event if you're not interested in the content? Don't be. The people leading these events are trying to lure you there with free food. It's understood why you're there. Get your meal in, and act appropriately interested in what they have to say. You are certainly free to leave. But you never know- You may stumble across a club you're genuinely interested in, or learn something new, so consider this a 2-in-1.

Bakeries often sell their old goods for cheap. I knew a place in my college town that sold day old bagels for 25 cents a pop. Day old was close enough to fresh for me, and if I was feeling fussy, I could always toast it. Coming at at 300-400 calories, bagels are pretty filling. 25 cents for a meal? Not too shabby!

Some bakeries and stores sell bags of bread ends for cheap. If the bakery does not make it apparent, ask the clerk if they might sell off some of their older goods for a lower price. Bakeries can be a great source for cheap, reasonably healthy food when you're in college.

There's plenty of ways to stock your kitchen with cheap, healthy food while you're in college. The trick is knowing what to buy when you walk into the store so you don't overspend. Here's an example of things I used to buy when grocery shopping:

1) Eggs- Not too expensive, great source of protein. You can cook them up several different ways.

2) Peanut butter- Lots of calories for not so much cash. Get the all-natural, no-preservatives kind if you want to be healthy about it. You can add it to a ton of things to fill out a meal.

3) Oatmeal- All steamed up, oatmeal is a warm and filling meal. 2 lb. oatmeal drums amount to a lot of food for only a few bucks.

4) Frozen vegetables- Much cheaper than the fresh kind with close-to-the-same nutritional value.

5) Sweet potatoes- Uber cheap. Warmed up, they make a great snack or part of a meal.

6) Whole wheat pasta- Not as ridiculously cheap as Ramen noodles, but you can get about a pound for a dollar, and it's a million times healthier. You'll save in the long run on medical bills. Whole what pasta is one of my all-time-favorites cheap and healthy food staples.

7) Canned beans- Beans are cheap and healthy food with a long shelf life. Add beans to anything, or mash them up and season them for a filling sandwich spread.

Those are a few of the cheap and healthy foods I'd stock up on to keep in my kitchen in college. With a good collection of spices, I managed to eat pretty well on a college budget. I'd gotten so good, my average weekly grocery budget was down to about $25 by the time I graduated!

Well, hopefully that's not the only reason for your friendship, but if can certainly be nice to be treated to lunch at the dining hall. Meal plans require students to purchase a certain number of dining points, and a lot of students usually have a ton left over at the end of the semester. The students will either have to spend the points, or they'll go to waste. So, they might as well bring a friend to lunch, and there's no reason you can't be that friend.

I had several friends who were on the meal plan when I lived in an apartment, and they would sometimes offer to buy me lunch on their points. It wasn't as though they could use the points for anything else, and I got a free meal.

This definitely helped my eat more cheaply in college, and I'm super-grateful to my friends. When I was on meal plan, there were people I did this for, so you can do the same, and consider it payed-forward.

I'll admit- I never actually used this method to find free food in college. I have several friends who did. It all depends on your sensibilities, and how risky or adventurous you're feeling.

Many grocery stores, cafes, and restaurants simply throw out perfectly good food. Or at least a lot of it is still good, it's just not fresh enough to sell. Be careful and avoid diving for perishables. And remember, you are taking a risk. My friends had some pretty great finds, including a bag o 100 bagels and donuts they were able to freeze. It lasted them months. If you're feeling adventurous, and in the mood for reducing waste, kill two birds with one stone and give dumpster diving a try.

A lot of goods will be wrapped up in plastic bags, so don't worry about cleanliness in the dumpster. However, if it's not wrapped up, don't touch it- it's definitely not within the five second rule.

Best of luck in your cheap college eating endeavors. Be healthy and safe!