Shopping on a budget can be tough. If you’re like the average college student, you probably need to watch your spending habits or else end up embarrassed in the checkout line when your card doesn’t go through. To prevent such occurrences, there are a few things you can do. Create a budget with a solid spending allowance and stick to it. How? Her Campus has come up with a shopping list of just the essentials for your trips to the store. This will help you avoid buying anything you don’t really need, aka something outside of your budget.
Health and Beauty
· Shampoo
· Conditioner
· Bar of Soap
***Body wash is so much more expensive and you use it up so much faster. If you’re really trying to save, switch to bars of soap.
· Toothpaste
· Floss
· Contact solution (if necessary)
· Face wash
· Deodorant
· Make-up
****Just the essentials ladies. While its really fun to have a thousand lip-glosses and eye shadows, you probably only uses one combination of products on a daily basis. Restock on that only.
· Tampons
Things To Omit
o Shaving cream: use your body soap or even conditoner instead! Its much cheaper and one less thing to buy
o Chapstick: You definitely already have some somewhere. And if you really can’t find it, Neosporin is a good substitute.
o Mouthwash: unless you use on a daily basis and consider it a necessity, it’s a waste. Just brush your teeth.
Food
· Breakfast – buy a box of cereal and milk that will last you the week.
· Lunch – depending on what you like, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and jelly will work for at least a week of lunches. If you don’t mind the repetition, get something you can eat everyday because it’s cheaper to buy in bulk.
· Dinner – same thing for dinners. Buy something that makes a lot of food, like lasagna, and eat it for several days. Only buy food you know you are going to use and eat. Also, don’t plan to cook a recipe that has a lot of ingredients you don’t already have. You’ll save buy not having to buy as many ingredients
· Snacks
o Popcorn- a great healthy snack! And a box of 10 bags cost as much as a bag of chips.
o Energy bar/cereal bar- these are good to have if you are on the run and don’t have time for a meal. Buy a bulk pack to save money.
· If you are on a meal plan, be really careful not to buy food you don’t need. Plan to eat all the meals you are allotted for the week, otherwise you’ll be spending extra cash when you have a meal at the dining halls that’s already paid for!
Home Goods
· Toilet paper
· Paper towels
· Windex
****As they say in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” this works for everything. All your cleaning needs can be taken care of with Windex, or the cheaper generic substitute.
· Laundry detergent
****The powder generic is the best on the market. It’s so much cheaper and cleans your clothes just as well.
Though this list won’t suit everyone, the most important thing to remember is to only buy what you need. Also remember when shopping that buying generic rather than brand names can save you a few dollars. There are always deals and coupons to take advantage of as well, just be sure they are for necessities.
Photo Credits
media.crest.com – cleaningchemfree.com – simplyrecipes.com – wakeupworld.com