Romaine on a Ramen budget

College is known as the time to earn small paychecks, live in the moment and learn from your mistakes. The trick, however, is this: knowing how to make the most of your small paychecks, living in the moment while remembering how it affects your future, and learning quickly from your mistakes.

For me, learning from my mistakes in college has all too often been a result of falling prey to my Enemy No. 1: drunk food. However, there’s a big difference between indulging in unhealthy foods like burritos and pizza every once in a while and making it a daily habit.

Unhealthy eating seems to be a common trend for college students, especially because of our low bank accounts. It is no secret that junk food costs less than fresh produce and full, balanced meals. But when you weigh in the extra fat, salt and sugar, and take out all the vitamins and nutrients, the real cost of your typical college food is your health.

Not many people realize that you actually can eat healthily on a college budget. There are so many simple steps you can take to save money on nutritious food.

First, get yourself a member’s reward card from any local grocery or convenience stores. Kroger, my local grocery store, has great promotions you can learn about online, as well as a member’s rewards card, which earns you extra savings, coupons and gas perks.

Another money-saving tip college students often overlook is coupons. Now, you may be thinking coupons are for moms or those crazy people on “Extreme Couponing,” but using coupons can end up saving you a decent amount of money. The only thing you have to be careful about is not buying unnecessary products just because you can save money on them.

Now that you’ve saved a little extra money, you can use it to buy healthy, fresh food rather than the Ramen or microwave pizza that haunts every college student’s kitchen.

Although fruits and vegetables are not quite as cheap as most junk food, they aren’t as expensive as one may think, and there are certainly ways to buy produce at a cheaper price.

As mentioned in my previous blog post, “Seasons eatings,” one tip is to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. A great way to do this is by shopping at nearby farmers markets.

Visiting your local farmers market can also save you money on fresh food. Not only can you buy freshly (and seasonally) grown fruits and vegetables, but there are also usually other healthy foods for sale. Homemade jams, breads, sauces, granola and spices are all common finds at farmer’s markets. Since these foods aren’t made with preservatives found in many grocery store items, they are typically healthier as well.

However, if you are shopping at your grocery or convenience store, stick to buying generic store brands. The products are never noticeably different from name brand foods and are significantly cheaper in price. Anything from milk to peanut butter can be bought from the generic brand at a much lower cost.

Eating healthy can be a struggle for everyone, especially when you’re living on a college budget. But the eating habits you establish now are going to affect you both today and in the future. College may be a time for making mistakes, but your health doesn’t have to be one of them.