How can I lower my grocery bill as a college student?

Question

Right, so I just spent almost $70 on groceries (mostly for myself) at Publix (a local grocery store). Yikes. I'm going to provide a list of what I bought... let me know how I can save some money next time. I am expecting this to last 3 weeks to a month (of course some basics will last longer than that). I bought generic brands when available and cheaper (some name brands were on sale). Was this an alright trip? I work a lot and I'm a college student, so time is limited. I am not an experienced grocery shopper really... I hunt for bargains and sales... but I just moved into my new apartment and my roomates had some basics, but I had to start from scratch. I always check the "per oz" cost on the grocery store tag, but any other tips are greatly appreciated. Some easy ways to do more sale shopping would be great!

1 bag frozen Tortellini

Frozen Broccoli

Frozen Mushrooms

*1 Bag Banquet Chicken Nuggets

*1 Bag Chicken Tenders

(^They were buy one, get one free)

Cottage Cheese

6 Pack Bagels

Fresh Spinach

Salad Mix

Bag of Shredded Cheese

Baby Carrots

Feta Cheese

Seafood Spread

French Onion Dip

Coffee Creamer

Cream Cheese

Turkey Polish Sausage

Gallon of Green Tea

Gallon of Milk

Crackers

100 Snack Pack (Variety Box)

Box of Kettle Corn

Generic Brand Cheerios

Tortilla Chips

Jar of Pasta Sauce

Garlic Powder

Drinking water (the kind that goes in the fridge and has a spout)

Mini Rice Cakes

A Dozen Eggs

Answer 1

I'd say you did pretty well, but I'll put my two cents in:

Don't know what the tortillini cost but dried pasta is really inexpensive.

Salad mix - I find that heads of lettuce are cheaper and go further

Shredded cheese- buy a grater(@ a thrift store) and buy blocks of cheese

Baby carrots-I find that carrots are cheaper by the pound than in pkgs.

Buy tea bags and make your own tea

snack packs - is that chips? if so, buy big bags and baggies

Lastly- bottled water is usually cheaper by the gallon, and you could save the jugs and refill at many stores.

Oh yeah, I know it sounds nerdy, but have you thought of coupons? I save almost half of my bill using them.

Good luck- hope this helps

Answer 2

Just buy what you NEED, you shouldn't spend so much money on food you don't need.  

Answer 3

ok.... check back on my answr frequently cuz i am sure i will think of more ideas.....

instead of buying bagged foods such as shredded cheese, tortellini, baby, carrots, broccoli, jar sauce... try this

buy the generic block of chz and shred it yourself, you can buy one at the dollar store

buy a can of crushed tomatoes and doctor it yourself with garlic, onion, salt, pepper parsley

instead of buying green tea already made, try brewing your own,

instead of bagels, buy whole wheat or whole grain bread, it freezes well

buy whole carrots, and clean and cut them up,

buy fresh broccoli and steam it

instead of tortellini, buy pasta , boil it and add ricoota cheese to your homemade sauce... its yummy

ramen noodles

make a huge pot of chili or a soup on your day off, you can eat it everyday, so it cost you 20 bucks to make a pot of chili, you can eat it everyday or freeze it in containers enough for a meal at a time.....i made a pot of cabbage and beef soup....

wheat pasta was just on sale at publix, buy 1 get 1......  you can get used to it, lord knows i did....

instead of kettle korn, buy a bag of raw popcorn and pickup a cheap popcorn maker for 10 bucks and pop your own...

instead of your snack packs, buy a huge tub of sherbert and eat that when you get the munchies.....

buy publix brand crackers, they have thier version of almost all the cracker brands, the woven wheats are my fave, (the publix brand of triscuits)

if you have a fruit stand nearby you can get alot of your fresh produce super cheap that way.... i bought a case of tomatoes for 12 bucks, that 40 lbs of tomatoes.....

Answer 4

I was going to say to not buy processed and prepared foods, but it looks like you don't anyway.  All the more you can do is try to always buy the store brand and try to buy whatever is on special.  Let the specials dictate your menus.    

Answer 5

eat less  

Answer 6

hmm

sales and bargains are always better.

i think that if you buy a salad mix than you dont need to have cheese. the thing you want to try is not buy the salad mix because you can easily make a salad with the spinach you buy.  and try to reduce the number of cheeses.

you might want to visit some asian or a country specialised shop where you can buy a lot of nutriotous food at low cost and also try a different taste.

and instead of bagels try the whole wheat bread.

and also choose either the rice cakes or the crakcers.  

Answer 7

Cottage Cheese - you can make it by yourself

Salad Mix - by lettice and make it by yourself

Bag of Shredded Cheese - shreded cheese more pricy (buy cheese in bricks and shred by youself)

Gallon of Green Tea - make it by yourself and keep at the freege

Also - use coupons (try to shop at the stores accepting double coupons)

Answer 8

When I was a starving college student I found Ramon Noodles, and fresh veggies, Sandwiches, and fruit were the best way to save money.

Just cut all the veggies and fruit yourself and make meals out of them.

Answer 9

You already sound like you have some good strategies with keeping an eye out for sales and buying generic. You may also try clipping coupons or buying a membership to a wholesale warehouse like Costco or Sam's Club. You can get a friend or a group of friends to split the yearly fee (around $40 or so) and take them shopping with you. This way you and your friends buy in bulk which is much cheaper than retail in the long run.