Saving Money While Eating Well – Guest Post

This is a guest post from The Studenomist of Studenomics, a personal finance blog aimed at helping you survive your twenties while still enjoying life. If you enjoy this article then please consider subscribing to the feed.

There are many areas in our lives where we would all love to spend less money. When it comes to twenty somethings the most common money saving areas are usually college (tuition, textbooks, scholarships) and housing (real estate investment, comparing unit options). Today we will shift away from those two areas and take a look at how you can save money on your food bill:

Fundamentals of Saving Money On Food

Buy your own groceries instead of eating out. This is a no brainer and I will leave it at that before I get jumped on for stating the obvious.

Don’t eat after 7pm. It really depends on what time you go to sleep but it’s important that you don’t eat a few hours before your bed time. The main reason is that your body has no chance of processing all of the excess calories. Not only does the energy from the food not get utilized properly but you also spend unnecessary money. A few small snacks are alright as long as you don’t overdo it.

Have a full breakfast every day. If you don’t start your day off with a proper breakfast then you will be starving by lunch time. You will certainly eat more than enough food to compensate for the lack of breakfast. A solid breakfast is really affordable and simple to make. All you need is a carton of eggs, loaf of bread, and some milk. For less than $5 a day you can have an affordable breakfast that gets your day started the right way.

Tactical Tips For Saving Money on Food

Carbs in the morning, protein in the evening. This is not scientific by any means but if you want to save money and eat well then this is the way to do it. In the morning through to lunch time is when you should eat your carbohydrates (other wise known as energy food). Around the evening time you should limit yourself to lean proteins that are good for your body and low in cost. I would recommend something like a protein shake or yes even the classic canned goods (tuna, salmon, sardines).

Never go grocery shopping when hungry. You should always strive to buy your groceries when you have a decent amount of food in your stomach. If you go shopping for food when your stomach is howling and growling like a werewolf then you will end up buying everything in sight. One time last semester I was so hungry that I left the grocery store with a sandwich and a large bag of Doritos.

Shop when you’re alert. Late at night when you’re drained from your studies or from working all day is the next worst time to go shopping for food. You are more susceptible to fall for classic marketing tricks or you may get lazy and buy what is the most convenient at the time.

Eat small meals every few hours. Instead of stuffing your face a few times a day it’s important that you try to have a light meal every few hours. Your wallet and your body will thank you.

Drink water. Most of the time you are simply just dehydrated and your body needs water. People will often mistake this feeling for hunger. When it comes to late night studying all that you usually need is a bottle of water and a handful of almonds.

Now I want to hear how you guys have saved some money on food!

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