Hey everyone!!
Like many college students out there I went into college fearing about how I was going to be able to make actual adequate meals with such a limited budget and don't even get me started on the amount of time it took! So I started to perfect my college recipes and meals and they are quick, easy, and most importantly DELICIOUS!
The first thing that I had to do that I realized that most college students did not know how to do was create an actual weekly food budget and STICK TO IT! So what I had to do was look over at how much money that I had received from my financial aid and see how much I had left after all college and living expenses aside :/
With this I figured my current situation that $50 a week was going to be enough and that included enough wiggle room to fit in my cravings of Dutch Bros and eating out every now and then with friends. Because no matter how much I love to cook, there is always that time where you are just exhausted from the day and want to do nothing than order pizza and watch Netflix haha!
Next after you make a budget, sit down for 30 minutes a week and plan out your meals. What I found out from my experience is that when I knew I already had a meal planned for dinner and it was something that I really wanted, it helped me stop spending my money going out and made me want to come home and make it already! This is really important that you plan meals that you actually want and crave so it helps you stick to your budget as well.
Every time I plan my meals I try to make sure that my ingredients will be able to be used in multiple meals and not just one, this way you make the most out of everything and this makes it the most cost effective way! For example; when I get chicken thighs I get a pack that I am able to use in 3 or more meals, so when I spend $6 on chicken thighs it applies to 3 meals meaning that it only costs $2 per meal! What a steal! You can't get that value out of your food in any restaurant no matter how hard you look. This is why I stress the importance of knowing how to cook to my friends!! You can save so much money and with my help and guidance you will genuinely enjoy cooking and not look at it as a chore anymore! So follow along with my blog where I will post continuous updates of how to cook, money saving tips, amateur chef tricks, and many more!
Have fun cooking and like always share your dishes with me with the hashtag #SCCooking :)