Cheap Cheap Cheap Eats
What empties your wallet faster than a pickpocket and can make you fat? Eating out on a regular basis.Making your own meals can be fast and easy, and with the right amount of planning, it can also make you healthier and keep you focused on the important things in life, like homework. Try these recipes for lunch or dinner to save your wallet, waist and mind.
Ay, Tortilla!
Probably the most versatile food in the West, tortillas have endless possibilities. Pack in some refried beans and cheese to create a burrito, and heat it up later in the U-Mart microwave. Or: Spread a layer of cream cheese on the tortilla, sprinkle in some diced cucumber, cheese, avocado and a spoonful or two of cooked rice, and you're golden. It gets better: Squeeze some honey on the tortilla, wrap it up so the honey can't escape and microwave before eating -- protein and energy-providing carbs in no time!
Last One In's a Tasty Egg
Protein helps you live longer. Not really, but it will give you the energy to get through organic chemistry and three physics labs. Pack a protein-punch in your lunch with hard-boiled eggs. Eat them plain, with a little bit of salt, or you can slice and dice a couple and serve up an egg-sandwich -- perhaps with lunchmeat, some cheese and lettuce, or just plain if you like it like that.
Squash, You're It
It sounds gross, but you don't know what you're missing until you've had squash. Take an acorn squash and halve it. Dig out the seeds (just like with pumpkins at Halloween). Bake the halves cut-side down at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until you can stick a fork into the rind easily. Take the squash out of the oven to cool. Cook a half cup of wild rice and sautee some chopped carrots and bell peppers in a pan. When the rice is done, mix it in with the veggies and turn over your squash halves. Line the rounded part of the squash with cheese and mound in some of the rice mixture. Cover the top with cheese and stick this back into the oven until the cheese melts. You can do the same thing with a bell pepper, perhaps adding tomato sauce and ground beef. Trust me, it's easier than it sounds -- and it can be cooked in the dorms!
7 Days on $25
Planning and budgeting are key to feeding yourself when money is tight or you're saving up for something, like next semester's textbooks. Here are a few tips to get you through a week on $25.
Plan a menu to keep you focused in the grocery store and relieve stress next week. Think of foods that share the same ingredients, so you don't have to buy many things. If you stockpile dry goods like pasta and rice, it gets easier to add extra things to the menu on top of the staples you already have.
Day 1: Tacos
Day 2: Pasta
Day 3: Quesadilla
Day 4: Stuffed bell peppers
Day 5: Mac & cheese
Day 6: Black beans & rice
Day 7: Veggie burrito
Write out your grocery list, including how much you think everything will cost. A good rule of thumb is to round everything to the nearest dollar, including tax. Calculating to spend more money than you actually will keeps you from overspending and will give you a happy surprise when you the cashier hands your change back.
Tortillas: $3
Sour cream: $2
Tomatoes: $1
Bell pepper: $2
Pasta: $1
Tomato sauce: $1/two cans
Tomato paste: $1
Block o' cheese: $3
Rice: $3
Black beans: $2
Carrots: $1
Ground beef: $5
Total: $25
Shop around and read the ads. Sure, gas is expensive, but you'll make up for it by spending less on groceries.