How to Grocery Shop in College

A fool proof guide to shopping for food while pinching pennies in college :)

Grocery shopping in college can be tricky. For most students, they are learning to shop on their own for the first time and can barely find what they are looking for. They don't know how to shop for deals and often don't know how to shop for universal meals. However, there are three easy steps that college students can follow to make sure that they are making the most of their shopping experience.

Step 1: Make a Plan

One of the key elements to shopping like a pro as a college student is making a plan. And contrary to popular belief, planning doesn't take much time at all! In fact, it takes me less than five minutes to make a plan before I leave for the grocery store. You can plan all at once, meaning making a list of what you need and what you want to cook, right before you go to the store or you can do little by little throughout the week. I keep a running list on my phone of things I need to pick up from the grocery store that I update in real time. Meaning: when I run out of shredded cheese I will add it to my list in that moment. Additionally, I also write down what meals I'm craving and then write out their ingredients before leaving for the store. This process takes a minimal amount of time and has helped me so much in my college career.

Step 2: Buy Universal Ingredients

While this step might seem self-explanatory, I felt that it was an essential step in this tutorial about shopping for college students. Buying universal ingredients is truly a game changer and can help you save both time and money in the long run. Who wouldn't want that? For example, if you know that you want to cook tacos at some point in the week, buy taco seasoning and plain ingredients instead of specific meat, beans, rice, etc. that can only be used for a latin inspired meal. Always buy a vegetable that is universal for any meal that can be used as a quick side. Keep potatoes on hand since they can go with anything. You get the idea.

Step 3: Check for Deals

Lastly, but certainly not leastly, make sure you shop deals when you are grocery shopping. This is one of the best pieces of advice that I ever received as a college student and its one that I pass on the most. However, shopping deals also means being flexible with your shopping list. Don't be afraid to change your plans! Sometimes I go to the store with the intention to buy hamburger and then I see that salmon is on sale. Rather than spending my money on both because I don't want to miss out on cheap fish, I will adjust my plan in the moment to save money.

Grocery shopping in college does not have to be scary! As college students, we are often intimidated by adulting, shopping for ourselves being one of the top five scariest things about being an adult. But if you follow these steps, you will come to learn that it's not scary at all.