College Consumer: Eating if You’re Out of Meal Swipes
It’s every college student’s worst nightmare: running out of meal swipes. Now that we’re finishing up Winter Term you might be in this situation. If you have found yourself scavenging for food around your dorm room or apartment, no need to fear. You can still eat even if you’re out of meal swipes and meal dollars with these quick tips.
First, buy in bulk. It tends to be cheaper and will last longer. If you have a BJ’s or Costco membership, grab some friends and buy food that you all can share. If you don’t have a BJ’s or Costco membership, see if you can borrow a friends membership or split the cost at the checkout and then divide the food you buy.
Make sure you shop wisely when you go to the store. Get foods that will last for a while and that will fill you up. Try buying a package of 40 Bagel Bites or a 12 pack of Easy Mac. Items like these cost less than eight dollars at Walmart and can easily be made in both a dorm room or apartment.
Before you leave for the store, be sure to download the “Retail Me Not” application to your smartphone. The application can be downloaded for free in the App Store and has deals and coupons from more than 50,000 retailers.
The “Retail Me Not” application will use your location to pull up local deals and coupons from retailers near you.
Another way to eat if you’re out of swipes and meal dollars is to get creative. There are many meals you can make in your oven or microwave using just a few simple ingredients.
While heating up pizza in the microwave isn’t ideal, if you heat up your slice of pizza next to a microwavable glass of water then this will keep the crust of your pizza from get chewy.
For other unique microwave tips and recipes try doing a search on Pinterest.
With these tips, you’ll be able to make it through Winter Term even without a single meal swipe left.
