What’s the most important meal of the day? Trick question, it’s all of them.
I don’t know about you, but I love food more than I should, but my wallet hates me for it. If you’re a student who doesn’t have a car, it cost money to not only eat out or buy groceries, but it also costs money to get to those locations. As a college student, I know that eating out and buying groceries can come at a lengthy price, so here are some ways to food on a budget around UCF.
1. Knights Helping Knights Pantry
This hidden gem is located right on campus in Ferrell Commons and connected to All Knight Study, so there’s no need to worry about a delivery fee. I heard about this place from my mentor the first week of college when I didn’t have food to eat or anywhere to keep the food I wanted to buy, cold. Knight’s Pantry is kinda like your local food bank in the aspect of everything in the pantry comes from donations. Anyone with a UCF ID can come in and utilize the resources they provide. Once a day you can walk in and are able to pick out five dry food items or four dry and one cold. The food items they have range from produce donated by the arboretum here on campus to peanut butter to small juice boxes. Not only can you get food from knights pantry, but you can also get school supplies, toiletries that include pads and tampons, a roll of toilet paper, and shaving cream, clothes and shoes, cups, accessories, and even professional clothes and suits you can rent out if you have a job interview coming up.
2. Tuesday Grocery Shuttle to Publix
Need groceries, but you don’t have a car? Have no fear because the Tuesday Grocery Shuttle is here. UCF has a lot of amenities and this shuttle to Publix is just one of the few. There’s more than one stop, so there’s no need to try and walk across campus to find a stop near you. The shuttle stops at five locations: Libra parking lot, Nike/Neptune, Lake Claire, Towers, and of course, Publix. Starting at 10 am, the shuttle runs every 45 minutes, and the shuttle stops running at 8 pm. This is the perfect opportunity to utilize those reusable grocery bags your parents gave you. Trust me, groceries are a pain to carry. If you don’t have the UCF Mobile app, use the link http://m.ucf.edu/shuttles/routes, so you won’t miss the trip to grocery town.
3. Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt
Located right across campus in Plaza University is Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt. This is a delicacy for any day, but on Tuesdays, something special happens at 8 pm. After you get you get off the grocery shuttle, you have until 12 am to head over to this place to indulge in a $5 cup deal. Your average person loves to put toppings in their frozen yogurt, but these heavy things can make your expected $4 fro-yo to an $8 froyo. Although it might be worth it, Tuesdays allow you to fill your cup with as much froyo as your heart desires and include some of your favorite toppings from sprinkles to brownies without having to worry about the price. Treat yo’self to a well-deserved munch to end your day.
4. Bar Louie’s $5 Burger Night
By the end of this article, Tuesday is going to be your favorite day of the week. For only $5, you can take shuttle route 14 from UCF to Plaza University where all your burger cravings become a reality. You can even turn this day into a dinner night out with your friends, your significant others, or yourself. Once you’re done chowing down on your favorite burger, you can walk less than two minutes to Menchie’s after 8 pm to get some frozen yogurt.
5. Spoleto: My Italian Kitchen
If you ask anyone, they will tell you that my love for pasta is greater than anything else. Spoleto embodies not only my love for pasta but my love for discounts as well. One of my good friends, Grace, introduced me to this beauty and my life hasn’t been the same since. As a UCF student, you’re able to partake in Spoleto’s student discount. For $7, $7.46 really once the tax is included, you’re able to build your own pasta with three toppings added, soda, bread, and all the cheese you want grated on the top. Spoleto is also a budget-friendly date idea, so why not eat amazing food with some great company? Also, make sure to get pesto over oil when they ask which one you want. Thank me later.
I understand that while in college, the last thing anyone wants to worry about is what they’re going to eat for the week. I’ve equipped you with some of my favorite places you can save money and ball on a budget.