Being an upperclassman comes with a lot of perks, including the luxury of moving in to the apartments, Campus Town or off-campus houses, and no longer having to rely on Eick for all of our meals. While most of us are so excited to finally have a kitchen, we have to face a challenge most of us haven’t faced before: shopping for our own food.
While everyone has gone food shopping before, it’s different when you have to fill a completely empty kitchen that you share with others. Making a list of everything you could possibly need to cook for yourself is difficult, and can get pretty expensive. Before going shopping, a good tip would be to discuss with your house-mates what items you want to share and split the cost of, and what items each person should get individually.
To get you started, we’ve created a list of the essentials that everyone should have when filling a new kitchen at college. These grocery items can be used to make so many different recipes, so you’ll always have something good to eat!
Vegetables: Lettuce, broccoli, carrots, spinach, onions
Fruit: Strawberries, bananas, apples, grapes, tomatoes, limes and lemons
Dairy: Milk, butter, cheese, yogurt
Meat: Deli meats, chicken breast, ground beef, breakfast meats (bacon, sausage, ham)
Grains: Bread, bagels, rice, pasta, granola, oatmeal, cereal
Flavoring: Sauces (BBQ, buffalo), condiments (ketchup, mustard, ranch and salad dressings), spices (cinnamon, red pepper flakes, garlic)
Staple ingredients: Eggs, olive and vegetable oil, peanut butter, jelly, sugar, flour, baking soda, honey, mayo, bread crumbs
Snacks: Fruit and peanut butter, cereal bars, frozen grapes, smoothies, carrots and hummus, pretzels
Easy dinner: Microwave noodles, instant mashed potatoes/microwaved baked potato, frozen dinners, frozen chicken tenders, pasta and pesto sauce
Good luck and happy shopping!