With the rising cost of living, many students may find it challenging to afford food. This guide will give tips on where to shop, how to buy in bulk, and what products to avoid. In addition, there are a few local charities that offer assistance to those struggling to afford food.
Where to Shop
Costco: The best overall place to shop is Costco. Costco offers a wide selection of bulk goods at discounted prices. Their products are usually high quality and have the most competitive pricing. If Costco is too far from where you live, consider another warehouse store such as Sam’s Club (near Calhoun) or BJ’s. You are required to pay for a membership but the fee will quickly pay for itself.
Aldi: Another ideal place to shop is Aldi. The main benefit of Aldi is their low prices on smaller packaged goods. If the items at Costco are too large, Aldi offers similar deals for smaller sizes.
Trader Joe’s: At a glance, Trader Joe’s is an overpriced market that would quickly drain your food budget. While it is true that Trader Joe’s is too expensive for many basic goods like meat, eggs, and vegetables, they offer impressively low prices on specialty items that can break the monotony of budget food without breaking the bank. Trader Joe’s also sells seasonings for very cheap which can add a lot to cheaper foods.
Buy in Bulk
The best way to save money is to purchase everything you can in bulk sizes. This will drastically reduce food costs without needing to change anything else. You may have to eat similar foods throughout the week since your ingredients will be limited to just a few items. Many online resources have recipes and tips to make a small list of ingredients more interesting. Here are a few links to a few interesting forums and websites:
1. https://www.budgetbytes.com/
2. https://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/
3. https://www.reddit.com/r/MealPrepSunday/
Avoid Premade Food
Premade food usually comes at a highly inflated cost. While it is not as expensive as dining at a restaurant, pre-made food still comes with unnecessary costs for low-quality food. Pre-cut fruit is an excellent example of how unreasonable some pricing can be for pre-prepared food. It takes less than five minutes to cut most fruits and grocery stores charge excessive amounts of money for something so easy to do at home. If you are
going to buy pre-made food try limiting it to products like Costco’s rotisserie chicken which is a lot of food for only a few dollars. Avoid buying from small grocery stores like Publix since they tend to charge much more than larger stores like Costco or Sam’s Club. It is also best to make use of dried goods like rice and beans which can easily be made in a rice cooker or a pressure cooker.
Buy Less Snacks and Drinks
Snacks and drinks both usually contain no nutritional value and tend to cost a lot. Foods like chips, cereal bars (granola bars), and candy cost way too much for a food that will most likely make you hungrier than before you ate them. The same goes for sodas and other drinks. Here are a few substitutions to cut down your spending:
1. Hard-boiled eggs for something more nutritious
2. Homemade popcorn instead of chips (very cheap)
3. Fruit for something sweet (try roasting a banana with cinnamon)
4. Homemade hot and iced tea are cheap alternatives to bottled beverages
Food Pantries and Charities
If you struggle to afford food, consider looking into local food pantries and charities. Here are a few charities local to Huntsville:
Calhoun Cupboard: Calhoun Cupboard is Calhoun’s food assistance program. If you cannot afford food and hygiene products, consider filling out a request form. You can find these forms at this website.
Manna House: Manna House is a charity located near downtown Huntsville with a variety of services that support the community. Manna House runs a program called Stomp Out Hunger that distributes food on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. They also accept volunteers to help distribute food to those in need. You can find more information on their website.