Back to Campus: Groceries on a Budget

Hello readers! Now that most of us are either back on campus or have moved back in, I know that a lot of us are struggling with what to eat...especially on a limited budget. I have divided today's post into 3 segments and have approximated the prices to the nearest quarter dollar using my local HEB (I find Wal-Mart to a little bit pricier but it all adds up in the end). Also, the prices are for generic brands. Generic brands taste just the same as their name brand counterparts and are cheaper so don't be shy to have a pantry full of Great Value or Hill Country Fare products!
Before you begin, I suggest you read here first. I recently made a post about how to do healthy grocery shopping. Healthy Shopping in College.

$50
Breakfast

1. 2% Milk~$3
2. Almond milk (for when the milk goes bad and you don't have time to get groceries) ~$2
3. Eggs~$1.75
4. Oatmeal (not the packets but the ones that come in a canister) ~$1.75

Lunch/Dinner

Frozen chicken breast~$7
3 Cans of Tuna ~ $2.25
Frozen fish fillets $5- either tilapia or salmon if you're lucky!
Lean ground beef~$3
2 boxes of whole wheat pasta~$2
Pasta sauce~ $1.50
1 package of brown rice~.75
1 package of whole grain tortillas~ $1.50

Produce

1. 2 packages of frozen broccoli~ $1.50
2. 1 package of frozen corn~ $1.25
3. 1 package of  frozen spinach~$1.25
4. 1 onion~ .75
5. Jalapenos~ .50 
6. 2 green bell peppers~ $1.25
7. 3 fresh avocado~ $1.50
8. 1 lb of  red delicious fresh apples~ $1.50
9. Bananas~$1.50
10. 4 grapefruit~ $2

Snacks/Other

1. 1 tub of natural (unflavored) yogurt~ $2.50
2. 1 Package of Emerald 100 Cal almonds- $2.75
3. 1 gallon of water~ $1
4. Parmesan Cheese~ $2

Total- $49.25

What to Cook

- Chicken Fajitas

- Baked/Grilled Chicken

- Stuffed Bell Peppers

- Beef or chicken tacos

- Chicken, rice, and broccoli 

- Spanish Rice

- Grilled Chicken Parmesan

- Stuffed Avocados- all it requires is tuna salad and avocado! 

- Breakfast Tacos

- Spaghetti and sauce

- Vegetable medley with brown rice

- Broiled fish with a vegetable medley

- Beef Stir-Fry

$30
Breakfast- same as above except a half gallon of milk
Lunch/Dinner-

1. Fresh chicken breast ~$3
2. Ground Turkey or lean beef~ $3
3. 4 cans of beans~ $3
4. 1 package of brown rice ~.75

Produce

1. 2 packages of frozen broccoli ~ $1.50
2. 1 bag of frozen tropical medley fruit ~$1.50
3. Jalapeno ~.50
4. 2 grapefruits ~1.00
5. 2 Avocados~ $1.00
6. 2 Cucumbers~ $1.50

Snacks- sames as above but omit the cheese

Total- $30.50

What to Cook- 

- Grilled or Baked Chicken

- Spicy Bean Chili and Rice

- Chicken and rice

- Spicy Spinach 

- Turkey Meatballs

- Thanksgiving Meatloaf

- Turkey and rice with veggies

- Turkey or beef chili

$15 

1. About 1/2 pound of a salmon fillet (which I cut up into 3 serving sizes) $5
2. Ready Brown Rice- 1.75
3. 4 bananas ~$1.25
4. 2 avocados $1
5. 1 cucumber ~ .75
6. 3 Texas grapefruit $1.50
7. 1 lb of fresh green beans ~ $1.50
8. 1 pantry container of almond milk~ $2

Total- $14.75

$5

1. 1 pouch of ready to eat tuna ~$1.50
2. Small navel oranges- 3/$1.00
3. 1 gallon of water ~ 1.00
4. 1 bag of baby carrots~ $1.50

While this is a general list, feel free to replace any of these items with what suits your taste and budget! If you don't like spinach, try zucchini or eggplant; if blueberries happen to be on sale that week then get them instead of grapefruit! Always remember to make this list suit you and your taste, the last thing I would want is for you to waste your money and get tired of eating healthy foods because they are boring! 

-Eating Clean in College