Having my own kitchen in my dorm is a blessing. There is no way I could live off of just cafeteria food and going out. I would spend way too much money and be out of my meal plan before the semester ended. Therefore, grocery shopping is the way to go, especially when Trader Joe’s is three blocks away. Trader Joe’s is the best grocery store for college students for a lot of reasons as long as you know how to navigate it. If you do not want to wait in a line around the store and keep your grocery bill below 50 dollars, listen up!
1. Never Go To Trader Joes From Thursday to Sunday
Thursday through Sunday are the days everyone is going grocery shopping. Sadly, a busy Trader Joe’s does not just mean an incredibly long line, it also means no food. If you are looking for a quick salt and pepper chip fix, go to CVS. Most likely there will be nothing on the shelves by the time you get to the store. Monday through Wednesday however, there might still be a slightly long line, but you avoid the carts bumping into each other and things missing from your list of food.
2. Skip the Produce
If you are looking for vibrant vegetables to make a salad or stir fry, I would say skip Trader Joe’s. It is good for an onion or avocado, but their produce is the not so cheap not so great part of the store. I could not even find cilantro the other day. To make your shopping experience faster and cheaper go to the produce stand outside if you have some cash or a new card friendly grocery store.
3. Love the Freezers!
Frozen food! One amazing reason to go to Trader Joe’s. Everyone knows this, but I have to point it out. The Indian Chana Masala and the frozen naan bread saves me. I make some rice and heat up the naan in my toaster oven. Steam up some broccoli. It takes like 10 minutes and is basically a homemade meal. Each of those items is like two dollars. We love the frozen section. I try to make my cart like half frozen food and half regular ingredients for things because in my mind that means I am being healthy but to each their own.
4. Dairy
I get all my dairy products here. It is cheap and good quality. I had no idea how expensive cheese was until I got to college. I do not know if that was just a me thing or if everyone was shocked, but I love some extra sharp cheddar. When I looked at how much extra sharp cheddar cheese cost at West Side Market I was like I will never eat this ever again. It is cheap enough at Trader Joe’s that I can swing it every once in a while.
Trader Joe’s ice cream is so good. I feel like their ice cream is the most underrated part of this grocery store. They have a double chocolate coconut-based ice cream that is one of the best alternative milk ice creams I have ever had. Also, their raspberry and mango cream bars really hit the spot.
Having to spend money on food constantly was one of the biggest wake up calls to adulthood. I had to think about what I wanted to make and how much food I should get to make sure that I am not wasteful. Nothing is worse than having two perfectly ripe avocados and then having to sacrifice one because you do not eat them fast enough. Grocery shopping is definitely a learning curve. I might just be preaching to the choir. I am sure a lot of people are going to read this and learn nothing, but these are all things I learned this year. I never had to think about where to get produce before living on my own. The last tip I have is to never get more food than you can carry!