Budgeting

Food is one of the easiest places to overspend, especially for students and young adults. But with a little planning, you can eat healthier, cheaper, and with less stress. Here’s how to meal plan like a pro without blowing your budget.

🛒 Step 1: Plan Before You Shop

Check what you already have in the fridge/freezer

Write down 5–7 meals to make that week

Build a grocery list around those meals

🔁 Reuse ingredients: A bag of rice, eggs, or chicken can stretch across multiple meals.

🍲 Step 2: Budget-Friendly Meal Ideas

Oats + fruit (breakfast for $0.75)

Rice + beans + avocado ($1.25)

Pasta + frozen veggies + marinara ($1.50)

Quesadillas ($2.00 for 2 servings)

💡 Make extra: leftovers = fewer meals to cook = more savings.

📱 Tools That Help:

Mealime: Free app that generates grocery lists + simple recipes

Supercook: Tells you what you can make with what’s in your fridge

Flipp: Finds local grocery sales for your weekly list

🧠 Mindset Shift:

Meal planning isn’t about restriction — it’s about efficiency. It saves time, money, and energy so you can eat well and still afford the fun stuff.