Buying healthy and cheap food can be really difficult. Especially during college when you have very little time, and probably a very tiny refrigerator.

We’ve all heard of the terrible Freshman Fifteen, and while we try to avoid it, we just can’t figure out how to make it work with our space and schedules.  I fell into this trap, and ended up gaining a total of about 40 lbs during my 4 years of college.  Luckily,  I’ve managed to lose all of that weight in the past year.  It’s definitely best if you never let yourself get in a situation like that.  The good news?

It’s possible to eat healthy and still be frugal.

These foods are all pretty fast, cheap, and easy:

• Tuna – It has a lot of protein, it’s fairly cheap, and all you need is a can opener.  If you don’t like it by itself, try mixing in some mustard or a little salad dressing.
• Eggs – During college I discovered that you can make scrambled eggs in the microwave.  It’s very easy and very fast.  They’ll cook in about 1 min, just be careful not to cook them for too long!  Hard boiled eggs are also easy, and make for fast breakfasts.  Just make a bunch and keep them in your fridge.
• Vegetables – I prefer fresh vegetables, but if you don’t have space in your refrigerator you can always go with frozen or canned.  All are fairly inexpensive.
• Potatoes, Rice, and Bread –It’s a good idea to go for brown rice and whole grain breads when buying these things.  Otherwise a bag of potatoes is really cheap, and you can easily microwave it for a quick baked potato.  Just don’t forget to poke it with a fork or knife first or it could explode.
•  Oatmeal- If you like oatmeal, then you’re in luck.  A large tub of plain quick cooking oats is really cheap, and super easy to make.  Add some fruit for better flavor.
• Bananas and Oranges – Both of these fruits are fairly cheap, and you can easily just bring them to class with you.
• Dairy Products – While dairy products aren’t that cheap, they are good for you, and they are affordable in moderation.  I always keep skim milk on hand, and occasionally some yogurt.
• Cereal – Cereal can be fairly cheap, and is pretty healthy as long as you don’t get the really sugary stuff.

What else can you do to save?

• Stop drinking soda. Water is the healthiest and cheapest way to go. Buy yourself a water bottle that you can refill.
• Stop eating out.  Not only is it bad for your waistline, but for your wallet too.  When it comes to getting fast food or delivery, just say no!
  
• Learn to cook.  Once you get out of dorms and get more space, this will be a huge money saver!  Keep an eye out for some good healthy recipes from yours truly.
• Be an example.  Help reinforce good habits for your friends.  Don’t give in when they want to go spend money.  This brings up an important point…

Dealing with the peer pressure of spending is probably the most difficult thing to deal with in college.

My friends were always shopping.  If not that, then they were going out or ordering delivery.  This is a bad habit to get into.  Don’t let yourself fall into it.  I am definitely going to write on the peer pressures of spending for later.  I think it deserves an entire post!

So, back on topic now.  What do you do to eat healthy?  If you have a favorite recipe or idea for cheap and healthy meals, share it with us!

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Photo credit: Gullig

I have a confession to make.

I am an organizational freak with my finances.

I over-organize everything when it comes to money.  I have so many charts, budgets, graphs, and lists; you would not believe it. I spend entirely too much time thinking about money.  So what’s my point? Feeling organized helps me stay motivated.  Looking at the numbers helps to remind me of what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.  I really like making visuals that show my progress.  Seeing how far I’ve come already is a little self esteem booster, and helps me get motivated to make more money.

Here’s an example of one of my favorite Excel charts, created by yours truly.

Just click on the pic to download it!

 So, do you  like to keep your finances extremely organized, or can you do without all of the charts and graphs?  What helps keep you motivated financially?

Last month I felt paralyzed by my debt. I felt like I was getting nowhere.  I was worried and stressed out all the time.  I had over $20,000 of student loans entering repayment, and a monthly budget that was already stretched to the max.  After recalculating my budget and making a few cuts here and there I would be able to make all of my minimum payments, with a measly $50 extra to put towards my credit card debt.  Things were not looking good.

This happens to everyone at some point. The situation:  You’ve been paying off as much as you can towards your debt every month, and you feel like you should be making progress. Instead, you feel like you’re getting nowhere. Like me, you feel completely defeated by your debt.

This is probably the hardest part of getting out of debt. At some point, you’re just going to want to throw in the towel. That won’t make your debt go away, and it certainly won’t help. 

Here are some ideas:

Have a goal – Want to buy a home someday? Take a trip around the world? Whatever your goal is, keep it in mind.  I like to keep pictures of my goals near my desks at work and at home.  They are a good reminder that what you’re doing today is helping you reach your goal even faster!

Visualize – Think ahead- imagine yourself as being completely debt free! Calculate how much you’re paying towards your debt every month, and imagine being able to put all of that towards your goals each month!

Reward yourself – Now, when I say this I don’t mean to go and spend $200 on a trip to the spa. Treat yourself to something small, but something that you can take time to enjoy. Important Note: this tip only works for some people. I don’t do it because I don’t have the greatest self control when shopping. 

Switch to the Debt Snowball Method – If you’re not using this method already, it will work great for boosting your confidence! How does it work?

1. Order your debts from the lowest balance to the highest balance.

2. Pay the minimum on everything except for your debt with the lowest balance.

3. Pay as much as you can afford to pay towards that lowest balance debt, and before you know it you’re wiping out one debt after another!

How does this method work? While it won’t necessarily save you the most money on interest, it will definitely give you the boost of confidence that you need! Seeing results faster really gets you pumped about paying off your debts, and keeps you going strong on your road to financial freedom!

Here is some more info about Dave Ramsey’s Debt Snowball Method.

Do Something Extreme to Boost Your Payments- This one is tough to implement, but will definitely have some big results.  That nice new car you got last year: do you really need it?  How about satellite TV?  Your gym membership?  I’m not telling you to get rid of everything, but some things just aren’t necessary.  You have to step back from your situation and ask yourself if you’re truly living within your means.

I realized that my plan was just not working for me. While I was spending less than I make, it was way too close for comfort.   So of course, being the silly person that I am, I chose to do something extreme.

Here’s what I’ve done in the last month to get ahead:

1.  The BF and I postponed our trip to Cali  (I was bummed, but I knew that we would end up spending more than we had saved up.)

2.  I found someone to move into my bedroom, and I will move into BF’s bedroom  (I’m fairly sure we won’t end up killing each other, and it will save each of us $115 per month)

3.  I had a rummage sale  (This was definitely a great choice.  We got rid of a lot of our junk we didn’t want anymore, and made a few hundred bucks!)

4. I canceled my membership to the YMCA (I got a good deal through work, but when I can run outside for free it just didn’t make sense to keep paying for the membership.)

And finally,

5.  I SOLD MY CAR  (My precious Honda Civic is gone.  Yes, I cried a little after I sold it, but there will be others.  The worst part was that the guy who bought it was planning on driving it to California.  Dammit!  I was supposed to be the one driving my car to California!  Boo.)

So now I regularly ride the bus for $28 per month, and use my BF’s old junker car to get around when I need to.  I didn’t get to take my nice 2 week vacation to sunny California, but I will survive.

Doing that stuff was difficult, but now I can say that it was totally worth it.  I can easily make all of my monthly payments, and now I have a lot more extra money to put towards my debt!  I paid off my auto loan, and two of my highest interest credit cards since these changes.  I’m on a roll

 I’d like to hear your stories.  What have you done to boost your debt payments?  Was it something extreme?  Let’s hear it!

10. Don’t waste money on long-distance calls- Before you leave for college, shop around for a cheap cell phone plan that covers all long distance calls, or get on a family plan. Or, if you’re looking for something even cheaper, you can use an online site like Skype, instead of a cell phone! You can also consider using a free instant messaging service to keep in contact with people.

9. Find free events near your college or university- There’s a lot going on, you just might not be looking for it! Most campuses have movie nights, concerts, game nights, etc. These events are usually free, and you may even win free prizes for going.

8. Pack your lunch- This can save you quite a bit of money in the long run. If you’re going to be on a meal plan, which one you choose is just as important. It may take a semester or so to find out how often you take advantage of the cafeteria, so you should remember to find out how many meals you used, and how many you had left, so you can possibly adjust to a cheaper plan for the next semester.

7. Don’t go bar-hopping- Buying drinks out at a bar or restaurant is ridiculously expensive. If you must go out, either drink when you get back or before you go out (this is obvious, but always have a designated driver). If you’re at the liquor store, go with friends and split the cost of the alcohol, or just buy something cheap.

6. Apply, apply, apply- For scholarships and grants, I mean. Believe me, in 4 years you will be so happy that you did. Don’t worry; if you’re already in school it’s not too late! Ask your financial aid office or a professor in your department about scholarship opportunities, or do some research of your own. Fastweb is a great place to search for scholarship opportunities. Remember, every little bit helps!

5. Don’t (over) use credit cards- The only time it’s okay to use a credit card is when you’re paying off the balance in full every month. I would suggest keeping a credit card only for minor purchases, just to build your credit. Use it once or twice a month to buy your groceries, then pay it off.

Also, if you have a credit card, never use them at the ATM. The interest rates for “cash advances” on credit cards are outrageous; usually between 20% to 25%. What’s even worse, if you have a balance on your credit card to pay off, they can save that cash advance so it’s the last amount that gets paid off, so they are charging you the highest interest rate on the cash advance amount for as long as they possibly can.

4. Open an online savings account- They get much better interest rates than regular savings accounts. Most of the highest interest rates can be found at online banks such as Emigrant Direct, E*Trade or ING Direct. Another good thing about these sites is that they have no account minimum, so you can start your account with as much money as you have, even if it’s only $25 or so.

3. Do NOT use your college bookstore- EVER! I cannot emphasize this enough. College bookstores will charge you an arm and a leg for a book that you could easily find somewhere else for much less. There are so many places where you can easily find your required texts for much cheaper. Some of these sites include:

Amazon

Half.com

eBay.com

Facebook Marketplace

And once you’re done with the class, resell any books you don’t want to keep using these same sites! Odds are you will make more money back then just selling them back to your bookstore at the end of the semester.

2. Go without a car- This is another important one. It will save you (or mom and dad) the cost of insurance, parking costs, and any payments you have left on the vehicle. It will also save you the hassle of oil changes and general maintenance.

Need to go to the grocery store? Walk, take the bus, or hitch a ride with a friend.

1. Avoid impulse buys- This is the one thing that really put me under during my freshman year. My $1000 in savings for “food and necessities” was wiped out before the year was over. Just remember: If you don’t need it, don’t buy it!

Photo credit: Jeff Keen