Living off campus has so many perks: no more dining hall food and scheduled hours, freedom from RAs and roommates, but then there’s also the downside: living alone, having bills to pay and cooking for yourself. So much adulting.
Bills can get really expensive and you can’t really control the price of some of them. A weekly expense I have is from grocery shopping. Budgeting for groceries is a daunting task and cooking is much more affordable than eating out. I have to plan ahead about what to make and buy ingredients that will last me at least a week, which is more complicated than it needs to be. Extreme couponing is always an option, but it can be very time consuming. Luckily, one day I saw a TV commercial for this amazing app, Flipp, that allows me to see the circulars of any store and I can think about what to make by seeing what’s on sale – an amazing way to save money! My roommates have even downloaded the app when they saw how little I spent on my groceries. Other ways to save money while making purchases is to use your credit card that allows you to get cash back. If you don’t have one, look into getting one.
There are many grocery stores by UD: ACME, Food Lion, ShopRite to name a few. My roommates and I go to the ShopRite in the Four Season Plaza. Although it is a bit further than other grocery stores in the area, ShopRite seems to be the most inexpensive, have the most selection, and this location’s ShopRite is the prettiest grocery store that I have seen.
Hopefully you can find a shopping app and a credit card that will help your years living alone be less stressful!