New semester, new wallet. Here are some tips on how to keep an eye on your spending this year:
Cost Saving on Food:
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Pay attention to the white and the orange prices on the tags when you buy groceries. The white one shows you how much the item itself is, and the orange one shows you how much the thing is per pound/per quart/per gallon/per dozen/etc. This way you can more easily determine if something is actually cheaper in the long run. For example, a brand name product might sell something for $5 per half quart and the store brand might sell it for $7.25 for 1 quart. The orange sticker might show you that the brand name product would sell for $10 for 1 quart. So, if you would use the product a lot (and it won’t expire before you will use it again), it’s a lot cheaper to buy store-brand in the long run
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Related to the orange stickers, store brand is almost always cheaper (usually without much loss in quality, but not always)
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Target tends to be cheaper than Star Market, but Target is stocked more for college kids (it mostly just has basics) while Star Market has more specific things (for example Target doesn’t sell my favorite ice cream but Star Market does). Try Target first, then try Star.
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Go to Haymarket for cheap AF produce (at least when it’s warm outside), though they spoil quickly.
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Star Market sells half dozen packs of eggs, Target does not.
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Bartol always has poached chicken at dinner, and I always wondered what the deal with that was. It’s not very popular, so take some to go and use it in recipes (especially on the weekends), though be warned it is not very tender or flavorful plain.
Food Restrictions
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Butter can be replaced often times with coconut oil (or other oils), it just doesn’t turn golden brown the way butter does so that doesn’t indicate ‘doneness’
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When going vegan, go for naturally vegan foods more than vegan varieties of non vegan foods (it is much more cost effective)
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Target sells store brand half gallon containers of lactose-free milk, Star Market only sells Lactaid (which is a lot more expensive)
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Pinterest and Google have tons of food substitution ideas, just use your judgment on whether you think it will work or not
More Food Cost Saving Ideas
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Buy cooking supplies like pots, pans, spatulas, and pizza cutters from Marshall’s, not Target. It’s a lot cheaper. Also, check Marshalls, then Target, then Bed Bath & Beyond (or Staples) for school and home supplies
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Primark has flip flops that work well in showers longer than Target or Marshall’s do, and a lot cheaper than Bed Bath & Beyond ($1 for 2 pairs instead of $20 for 1)
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Primark is also lit, so check it out! Though the street it is on can feel sketchy at night
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The stores always stock for seasons early, and often sell off everything early. Especially Target. So buy what you need early (they are especially spars for back to school)
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Target is often disappointing when you are looking for something specific, that’s ok. It’s probably somewhere (there’s Marshalls and T.J. Maxx’s everywhere)
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Marshalls’ and T.J. Maxx locations off the top of my head:
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Marshall’s on Brookline near residence campus
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TJM at the Hynes Convention Center stop on Newbury
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TJM close to Copley
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Both TJM AND Marshall’s by Primark, on Winter Street off of the common.
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Bed Bath and Beyond now has a new beauty section with tons of good soaps, shampoos, conditioners, creams, lotions, hair care products, etc. The prices are comparable to target, so try there too! Brands include Burt’s Bees, Dr. Bronners, and different natural products.
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Not entirely cost saving, but hair-saving (at least for me). Simmons has hard water, which can leave your hair (especially long, fine hair) weighed down, lacking body, and just kind of gross. Vinegar mixed with water works ok, but Dr. Bronner’s rinse has been game changing. I found it at BB&B, and now my hair feels as light and free as it does when I wash it at home. Just follow the instructions, it’s very concentrated with lemon juice as its first ingredient so it can cause irritation (especially on things like paper cuts) but it works well!