Food Expenses

Trying to find ways to save money? Feed Your Savings! Whip up budget-friendly meals by meal planning, buying in bulk, and opting for store brands. Embrace leftovers, explore local markets for deals, and consider cooking at home as a cost-effective and delicious way to trim your food expenses! It’s easy to think “I’m a college student – I don’t have time to cook anything” and ignore that $15 delivery fee to go with your $15 sandwich but with some planning (and sometimes just finding a cheaper alternative for takeout) students can save significant amounts of money by examining food buying habits.

Let’s look at an example familiar to most BUMC students:

  • Cost of 1 Ham Sandwich at Chequers: $7.50
  • Turkey/Avocado Sandwich at Daily Table: $2.99
  • Bulk buying sandwich ingredients from Whole Foods:
    • Loaf of bread (16 slices): $3.99
    • 1-pound sliced ham: $5.99
    • Mustard: $1.99
    • Package of cheese: $3.99
    • 6 ham sandwiches: $15.96 ($2.66)

Obviously you do not need to eat the same thing every day (but kudos to those of you like to), but some careful planning can do wonders for saving money when it comes to your lunch choices.

Meal Prep

One of the best ways to save money is meal prepping. Pick one free night or a Sunday afternoon to whip a batch or two of your favorite food for the week. We love a slow cooker which you can often find for $30-$40 that makes meal prep a breeze. There are a bunch of great resources for meal prepping and saving money cooking, but we like these as they do a great job of breaking down your costs:

BU Students also get access to Sargent Choice Nutrition Center through Sargent College which offers nutritional services, resources, and free workhops.

Food Insecurity

No one should go hungry and cost-cutting on food is not going to solve everyone’s money issues. There are a myriad of resources available to Boston University students who face food insecurity. We encourage you to visit the Student Wellbeing Food Resources page to find University-sponsored and local food pantries, food funding, BU Terrier Meal Share options, and more.