Living on a budget doesn’t mean you have to give up things you enjoy. Here are a few tips for affordable, yet comfortable living:
Plan your meals, outings and social events.
Student Discounts are often available at restaurants, movie theatres and various entertainment venues.
Make purchases when items are on sale.
Be mindful of electricity, food, heat, hot water.
Grocery shopping and meal planning
Developing an interest in food and cooking can actually keep your grocery budget down and greatly improve the quality of what you eat. Preparing food from scratch is much cheaper than buying processed foods from the frozen section or in boxes.
Plan your meals. Use your plan to develop your shopping list.
Invest in reusable containers like Tupperware for freezing and lunches.
Packing a lunch and snacks can save a bundle.
Buy no-name instead of name brands.
Don't shop on an empty stomach.
Get inspired by recipes. Find them on the internet or buy recipe books from used book stores. Share and exchange recipes with friends.
Variety is important. A boring meal plan makes it too easy to end up splurging.
Avoid convenience stores. You pay for the convenience.
Cleaning products aren't always necessary. Use vinegar and hot water instead of window cleaner. Baking soda has a number of household uses such as scrubbing pans, clearing drains or deodorizing.
Do you really need paper towels? Use ripped clothing or rags for cleaning.
Buying in bulk
Cereals or granola. Try to avoid highly priced boxed cereal.
Buy meat in family packs, then freeze in meal-size portions.
Buy a bag of popping corn instead of the pricier microwave variety. Use an air popper (you might find one at a yard sale) or pop it on the stove. Make extra and take in a bag for a snack.
Snacks. Nuts or other bulk items make great snacks.
Spices are very expensive when bought in containers. Cheaper in bulk.
Yumyum.com - Cooking a good tasting meal the easy way.
Make smart choices at home
Small choices can equal big savings:
Television. Do you really need cable? If you also have high speed internet you can watch excerpts of many shows for free.
Buy Used. Get to know the used marketplace, like Value Village, Frenchy's or go to garage sales.
Call long distance during the discount times or get a calling card. If you don't know when the cheap times are, or if you're using a cell, you're probably paying much more than you have to.
Social activities
You don't have to sit at home. Find creative ways to be sociable for little or no money.
Get physical. Go for walks, hikes, tobagganing or biking. Camping if you want to get out of town.
Free events in town or on campus, such as lectures or movies.
Renting a movie with a bunch of friends is a lot cheaper than actually going to the movies.
Dinner parties. Have a potluck or invite a group of friends over to make sushi or tacos.
Brew your own beer. It's fun, challenging and cheap.
Order too much at a restaurant? Take it home in a doggy bag for tomorrow's lunch.
Save on textbooks
Take advantage of the Book Exchange run by the Dalhousie Student Union.
