The only thing worse than the amount of drinks you bought for your friends at the bars after a late night out, is the amount of food you bought at the grocery store after you went for the first time by yourself. "How can half a cart full of groceries possibly add up to $186?" you ask yourself. Shortly after leaving the grocery store, you realize you managed to buy enough food for a family of five. Inevitably, your fresh food goes bad, your freezer is so full you forget what you put in the back a month ago, and you actually don't know how to cook. At all.
For my fellow college peers spending the summer in their college towns, these 15 bits of advice are for you.
1. Give yourself a budget before going to the grocery store.
2. Make a list of groceries you need and stick to it.
3. Don't grocery shop when you are hungry.
4. Don't grocery shop with a friend.
5. Avoid talking on the phone at the grocery store.
6. Go grocery shopping when you don't have a lot of time to spend at the store.
7. Fresh fruits and vegetables expire quickly. Buy both in small quantities until you get an idea of how much of them you will eat.
8. The freezer is your friend; don't forget what you put in it.
9. Cooking is easy. Don't waste food due to laziness.
10. Don't skip meals. It doesn't help you save food, it only makes you hungrier for the next meal and snack more throughout the day.
11. Buy soup for the days when you're broke and out of food. Trust me, those days happen, and you'll thank yourself for being prepared when they do.
12. Routinely check your fridge and pantry for expired food.
13. Buy plain foods that you can easily alter the taste of by using a different dressing, condiment, or sauce. These are foods like chicken, pasta, and rice.
14. When you have time to cook, cook in bulk and save the leftovers so that you don't have to spend 45 minutes to an hour preparing meals every day. You don't like leftovers? Then I hope you have a lot of free time and like to cook.
15. Keep the kitchen tidy. Nothing makes good food seem unappetizing like spilled milk, a horrible smell, and mold.
