Let’s face it: students are broke. As a broke student, it can be challenging to eat well, study for exams, attend class and co-op interviews, sleep, join clubs and be social. Despite this, it is possible to eat well on a budget. Even better, it is possible to do it in an environmentally sustainable way! Below I share 5 easy, healthy and sustainable ways to eat well on a student budget.
1. The clearance aisle.
This is where plenty of perfectly edible food goes before being thrown out. It boggles my mind how so much food can go to waste…but I also know that Canadians waste 40 percent of the food they produce. By purchasing items in the clearance aisle, you are preventing good food from going to waste.
In the clearance aisle you’ll find all sorts of food: bread, boxed grains/pasta, sauces, and especially produce. Once produce like bananas or avocados get bruised or spotty, stores put them on the clearance shelves because they are no longer “acceptable” condition. However, looks can be deceiving: they are usually perfectly fine inside!
Before buying anything from the regular aisles, check your store’s clearance section. I sometimes get five avocados for one dollar, or day old store-made bread for two dollars. Items go to clearance when they are close to their “expiry.” For many foods, this does not mean the food is bad: it’s just not at its optimal freshness. Especially if you plan on eating the food ASAP, don’t let that discourage you from buying things like dry pasta or grains.
2. Discount days and incentives from stores.
Check out if your local grocery store has any special days for students (or seniors!). For instance, my local store offers ten percent off Mondays to Wednesdays; the local bulk store has discounts on Wednesdays. Sometimes being a part of a certain club (e.g. Animal Rights Society at UW) will get you benefits in local stores (like Zero Waste Bulk and other vegan-friendly stores).
Another way to save money that food stores and restaurants are adopting more is BYOC – bring your own container. This is a great way to reduce waste from the foods you buy. You can use mesh produce bags, glass jars and food containers to purchase foods both in grocery stores, coffee shops and in some restaurants. Many stores offer discounts like 25 cents off your order when you bring your own container. At the same time, you are reducing your waste from plastic bags, coffee cups, takeout containers and other single-use products! Every little bit of savings help, both for your wallet and the planet!
3. Shop locally.
One of the hardest things to shop for sustainably while on a budget is produce. Especially if a particular region is experiencing intense weather that impacts crops, the price of items grown in that region will skyrocket. Eating products from around the globe not only dissociates you from the food’s supply chain (i.e. do you know who picked that apple? When they picked it? How it got to you? Where it’s even from?) but it also makes you extremely vulnerable to fluctuating costs and supply.
Reduce your vulnerability and save money by shopping locally. The seller likely had a hand in producing your food. Learn your farmer’s name and their farming practices (e.g. is their farm organic?). Most municipalities have a farmer’s market bursting with fresh produce. They are cheaper than conventional stores because they cut down on supply chain costs: the food getting to you from the market was likely picked that day or the day before, while some “fresh” food in the grocery store is likely a week old, minimum.
Most local farmers grow what is in season. This reduces your personal carbon footprint from buying these foods versus those grown thousands of kilometres away. Seasonal produce are usually grown outside, too, reducing emissions and energy usage required by year-round greenhouses. By eating local, you lowering your costs while reducing your carbon footprint and encouraging local food sovereignty and security.
4. Eat more plant-based meals.
Having been a vegetarian for two and a half years, I know from personal experience that eating plant-based is more affordable than eating meat. That said, if you are not already eating mainly plant-based, I am not saying you have to go completely meat free. I understand that this is not (physically) sustainable for some, may conflict with culture and other personal reasons. However, you can definitely eat one or more plant-based meals each week, especially if you want to save money.
For instance, one cup of chickpeas, a great vegetarian protein source rich in fibre and other essential nutrients, is also a cheap source of nutrition. One pound of dried beans cost less than two dollars and can provide 15 grams of protein for every cooked cup. One pound of beef or chicken costs, on average, between three to seven dollars, more than double that of beans for just a few more grams of protein. Additionally, you can typically store grains longer than meat because these products come dried or canned.
The environmental benefits of eating plant-based are tremendous. Yes, there are some drawbacks (e.g. almonds in almond milk are a water-intensive crop) but overall plant-based diets are the most sustainable way to eat if you are on a budget. Choosing grains over meat reduces emissions, land use change and mitigates your contribution to animal injustice. In addition, plant-based proteins like grains, seeds and legumes are easier to store than fresh meat, reducing your risk of food spoilage and thus waste.
5. Meal prep > eating out.
You may think buying one sandwich or treat every day isn’t bad, but if you add up the costs of buying that item every day for, say, a month, that’s a lot of money (and waste from the packaging) you could have saved by making your own version. Even in one week, if you are buying a breakfast sandwich (english muffin, egg, cheese) every day of class for three dollars, that’s fifteen dollars every week and sixty dollars a month on breakfast sandwiches alone!
Try preparing a big pot of soup, ingredients for sandwiches or a batch of cookies at the beginning of the week to enjoy throughout the week. Having items on hand to quickly through together makes meal prep extremely easy; in the mornings I spend less than five minutes packing my lunch. If you don’t want the same thing every day, try having a bunch of food ready to go that you can mix and match each day. For instance, you can have pasta with two different sauces and proteins, frozen burritos you can pop into a toaster oven for quick heating, or fresh fruits and veggies. Meal prep doesn’t have to be boring!
Final thoughts
Eating well as a student is a challenge. Eating well while being sustainable with our food choices is another challenge, but both can be achieved simultaneously. Try one or all 5 easy, healthy and sustainable ways to eat well on a student budget. See how it impacts your diet, wallet and carbon footprint. Even try it for one week to compare the changes to your regular activities — you might be surprised by how much you waste (packaging, food and money)!
For more tips on eating well and sustainably, check out these posts:
- The truth about farmers markets
- How to eat sustainably in the winter
- 5 easy, healthy and sustainable ways to eat well on a student budget
- What’s the deal with almond milk?
I hope that these 5 easy, healthy and sustainable ways to eat well on a student budget have inspired you to make changes in your daily life. Have any more tips I didn’t touch on in this post? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time!