College life often seems to be too busy for things like cooking dinner and meal planning. But a portion of your rent each month is meant to cover the cost of the kitchen—shouldn’t you be getting good use out of it? Plus, by using your kitchen just a few nights a week, you can save money for things that really matter (anybody else already saving for spring break?)—and who doesn’t want that?
Getting Started
Maybe you haven’t cooked before. That’s totally fine. Just as it is with anything else, starting to use your kitchen does not have to be an all or nothing process. You wouldn’t start a new fitness plan and model your workouts off of the Rock’s, right? Similarly, don’t dive into the kitchen head first—take some time to get comfortable with cooking for yourself.
First of all, think about the kinds of things you can reasonably expect to make in your apartment. I like to stick to crock pot dinners and things I can pan-fry, but take a look at your skill set and think about what will work for you. If you need some inspiration, there are tons of easy recipes on Pinterest, and you can even search recipes designed for the budget savvy.
Getting Supplies
Next, think about what you have available at your apartment. Do you or your roommates have the necessary pots and pans? If you don’t, it might be a good idea to plan a weekend trip to IKEA. Do not attempt to do this without a list—otherwise it can be so tempting to spend hundreds of dollars on kitchen supplies you don’t need.
Meal Planning
Additionally, you probably need to do some meal planning. Relax, this doesn’t have to involve fifteen perfectly sized glass containers of vegetables you diced three days in advance. If you’re just getting started, try to set aside one or two days a week for cooking a meal. Make sure the days you want to use the kitchen work with your roommates’ schedules and your own. You wouldn’t want to use the kitchen the same night your roommate was cooking dinner for her and her boyfriend, and similarly you don’t want depend on cooking dinner if you won’t be coming home until 9:00 PM.
With meal planning comes grocery shopping. Again, it’s best to attempt this with a list. When you make your list, try to guestimate what these ingredients will cost. If you need to buy $30 of groceries for one recipe, maybe it’s not a good idea to try this recipe just yet. Make a budget and try to stick to it. Remember, this is supposed to save you money, not cost more than having a meal plan or eating at the restaurants on campus.
Cooking
Chances are the last thing you want to do after a long day of classes, work, and clubs is spend an hour making dinner.
Personally, I won’t cook anything that requires more than 30 minutes of prep time. This is why you need a crock pot. You can just dump your ingredients in before you go to class in the morning, and have a perfectly cooked dinner by the time you come home at night. Mini crock pots are available at grocery stores, or at Amazon, and a small one will cost you right about $25 (check out this one with adorable polka dots) Another crock pot perk—the recipes don’t even have to be designed for crock pot. My mom’s recipe for chilli beans (something that usually takes her an hour plus in the kitchen on the stove top) can be prepared in the crock pot in about 10 minutes and is ready by the time I come home from class at night.
If you happen to have a little bit of extra time in the evening, you can make an easy pasta dinner within thirty minutes. Again, Pinterest is a great recipe source for dinners like these. Usually, I just cook any meat first, start a simple sauce with canned tomato sauce and half and half, and then boil my pasta. Spices and mix-ins (frozen peas, bacon, spinach, etc) vary from recipe to recipe, but regardless this usually makes a tasty dinner. This recipe is a personal favorite of mine, but there are hundreds of recipes online to match any cooking preference.
Cooking in your apartment can seem intimidating, but if you start slow you’ll be a pro in no time!