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100 Brilliant Blog Posts for Foodies on a College Budget

June 30th, 2010

College students aren’t always given enough credit when it comes to their palates and food choices. But young foodies love experimenting with new cuisines and even trying out their own recipes, too. Here are 100 brilliant blog posts to indulge your love of food without compromising your college budget.

Food Shopping

If you’re a foodie, you probably want to experiment with buying your own food instead of relying on the stuff your cafeteria serves up. Follow these bloggers’ tips to take advantage of fresh groceries and farmer’s market finds without giving up on your budget.

1. Grocery shopping on a budget: Learn how to make a smart list and stick to it here.
2. A Grocery List of Fridge Foods: This post ideas for lots of great "fridge foods" to put on your shopping list.
3. Thirty Great Food Finds: This post guides college students through every part of the grocery store and can help you pick and choose smart options.
4. How to Save on Your Grocery Bill as a College Student: This blogger recommends only going once per week, and only buying items on sale.
5. 15 Ways to Save on Food Shopping: Tips here include "Shop late" and "don’t buy bottled water."
6. Eat Well, Spend Less: Summer In-Season Produce: During warmer months, look for the foods listed here for premium, fresh groceries at a smaller price.
7. 10 Ways to Save Money on Food Shopping: Get tips on planning ahead and realize that "healthy food is cheaper food" after reading this post.
8. Localvore – Eat Local Foods and Save Money: This blogger compares the price of fresh blueberries with frozen blueberries.
9. 27 Ways to Save Money on Food: The Frugal Law Student recommends designing specific menus for the week, buying a rice cooker, and buying in bulk whenever possible.
10. The Savvy Shopper’s Guide to the Farmers’ Market: Buy arriving late for the best deals and cultivating relationships with farmers, you can still enjoy your farmer’s market trips without overspending.
11. 32 Ways to Save on Groceries without Starving: Learn which items to buy in bulk and why you should use cash for groceries.
12. The Clean 15: Foods You Don’t Have to Buy Organic: Even if you’re a real foodie, you don’t have to buy all organic food: here are 15 foods that don’t have as many pesticides and cost less.
13. Buying coffee beans: Learn how to pick out good quality coffee beans so that you can brew your own coffee.
14. Saving money on "real" food: Get an introduction to saving money on unprocessed food here, then check out the posts for saving on produce, grains and meat.

Growing Your Own Food

Even if you live in a dorm, you can try container gardening and growing vegetables in window boxes.

15. Window Box Gardens: What to Grow and What Not to Grow: Try for lettuce, radishes and tomatoes, but don’t even bother attempting to grow cucumbers, melons or beans in a window box.
16. 3 Great Ways to Increase the Amount of Vegetables You Can Grow on a Balcony: Learn how to maximize even small spaces for growing vegetables.
17. Best Fruit for the Small Garden: If you can find a tiny plot to garden in, start with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, as they’ll grow best.
18. The College Community Garden: the New Hot Spot: This post highlights a new trend on college campuses: students getting their own empty lots and converting them into community gardens.
19. Gardening tips that save money: If you’re serious about gardening but don’t want to overspend, follow all the tips on this blog for fertilizing, sharing seeds, and finding supplies.
20. Tips for Growing Edibles on Windy Balconies: If you live in a high-rise apartment or dorm building, you can learn how to protect your vegetable plants with these tips.
21. Can urban college students grow all their own food?: Learn about George Washington University students who are growing their own food in a plot near their dorm.
22. 7 Reasons Why You Should Grow Your Own Food: From reducing stress to ensuring food safety, here are sensible and trendy reasons to grow your own food.
23. The Benefits of Growing Your Own Food: Find out how much you’ll save on groceries by growing your own food.
24. Garden Guide to Container Gardening on a Budget: Find out which tools you can improvise and which you need to buy from this post.

Eating Out

Enjoy fine restaurants and ethnic hot spots by following the advice of these bloggers.

25. How to Save Money at Restaurants: Budgeting Tips for Dining Out: From happy hour to restaurant coupons, get tips on eating out here.
26. How to Save Money at Expensive Restaurants: You don’t have to give up expensive restaurants altogether: These tips help you dine out at nice places for a smarter price.
27. Belly up to the bar for some bargains: This post is specific to the Cape Fear area, but recommends happy hour appetizer specials for budget-friendly good food at nice restaurants.
28. Foodies on a Budget: 5 Tips to Get Luxury Dining for Less: Learn how to skip corkage fees at BYOB places and pick your own price at fancy restaurants.
29. Entertainment Book – How a $20 Investment Saved Me $195 in 1 Week: Find out how much those coupon books can save you on dining out.
30. How to Fine Dine on a Budget: Cuisines like Mexican, Indian and Vietnamese generally serve generous portions at sensible prices.
31. Check, Please: Ten Ways to Save Money Eating Out: Tips here include forgoing the booze and indulging in appetizers.
32. Top 10 Websites for Restaurant Addicts: This post will direct you to websites that feature specials, coupons and helpful searches for budget-friendly restaurants.
33. Five More Tips for Eating in Restaurants and Sticking to a Budget: Tips here include eat earlier, bring your own wine, and getting take-out.
34. How to Tip on Wine?: Find out how much you’re supposed to tip on wine, even after the ridiculous mark-up.
35. Restaurant Recession Specials Means Big Savings for Diners: Even if these exact specials aren’t still being offered, you can learn how to find recession specials at popular chains.
36. Best Chain Restaurant Survey Finds Good Eats at Any Budget: The bottom part of this post features tips for eating out at popular chain restaurants on a budget.
37. 7 Tips for Finding Restaurant Wine Value: Learn how to calculate wine value and make smarter choices here.
38. Eating Out Without Breaking Your Budget: Consider getting your foodie fix for lunch instead of dinner to save money.

Health and Nutrition

Foodies love good, nutritious, whole foods just as much as all the cheesy, fat-laden stuff, too. Here are tips for finding good quality, healthy food on a budget.

39. How College Students Can Eat Locally: This blog has creative tips for college students wanting to find organic, farmer’s market and locally grown food.
40. Healthy Food on an Unhealthy Budget: Get ideas for healthy recipes or cafeteria finds like nuts, beans, and vegetarian stir-fry.
41. How to Eat Healthy as a College Student: Learn about healthy snacks here.
42. Making Healthier Food Choices in the University Dining Hall: Get tips for identifying nutrient-dense foods vs. empty calorie-meals.
43. Healthy eating on a student budget: Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s blog suggests buying your own foods with healthy ingredients so that you can make meals on the weekend that last you the whole week.
44. Eating healthy on a budget: This post teaches you how to "save money and still have quality" foods.
45. How to Not Drink Your Calories at Starbucks: You can indulge your Starbucks guilty pleasure without using up all your calories when you follow these tips.
46. The 10 Cheapest, Healthiest Foods Money Can Buy: These foods are versatile, inexpensive and nutritious.
47. Food Money Matters: Why Healthy Eating Doesn’t Have to be Expensive: By reducing your meat intake, cooking for yourself, and taking advantage of sales, you’ll see that it’s easy to eat really well and still save money.
48. Commonsense healthy eating, with superfoods: This post encourages you to eat real food instead of processed, packaged food to get your nutrition easily.
49. Healthy and Cheap Food Choices: Make meals or snacks with these foods, including eggs, potatoes, nuts and bananas.

Community

Foodies know that you can’t have a truly great meal without the company of others. Here are posts about eating with friends, potluck dinners, and getting to know your neighborhood foodies.

50. Veggie Might: Potluck Tips to Save You Time and Moolah: Get tips for picking doable recipes and raiding your pantry.
51. $25 Dinner Party: 7 Tips for Budget Hosting: Discover how to throw a fun dinner party with real food and wine for cheap.
52. Summer picnics: Any food tastes better when it’s eaten at a picnic, and this post shares fresh ideas for packing and prepping.
53. Throw a Formal Dinner Party on a Budget: This post has budget-friendly tips for the decor, invitations, food, and wine.
54. The Perfect Potluck: Top Tips and Recipes: This post encourages you to ask the host for direction and prepare a transportation strategy.
55. Splitting an entree: frugal or cheap?: Find out how to split an entree without looking like a cheapo.
56. Is My Blog Burning?: Meet other foodies, share recipes, and learn about foodie meet-ups here.
57. Recipe Contests: Throw a recipe contest with friends as a way to supply enough food for a party.
58. Do Split Grocery Store Bills?: Split grocery bills with a roommate or when you’re planning a party.
59. Cheap Dinner-Party Recipes: Elegant Main Courses Under $3 per serving: Recipes here include whole roasted lemon-herb chicken on a bed of vegetables and poached salmon with piccata sauce.

Kitchen and Supplies

As an amateur foodie, you might think you need all the tools that the celebrity chefs use on TV to keep up, but it’s just not true. These bloggers sort out what works just as well.

60. Get Kitchen Gadgets at the Local Restaurant Supplies Store: Look for a restaurant supplies store to buy regular kitchen tools for less.
61. 4 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets: Marie Claire put together of inexpensive must-have gadgets for the kitchen.
62. 50 Best Cookbooks for the College Student in Your Life: Learn the basics of cooking and find cookbooks that have recipes you can make pretty much anywhere when you read this blog post.
63. Kitchen 101: Cooking Supplies: This post warns against starter kits and has tips for buying knives for less.
64. Five Must-Have Tools for Any Kitchen: From a small kitchen scale to an instant-read thermometer, these tools are all you really need.
65. Essential Tools: Do You Really Need Kitchen Shears?: The Kitchn blog weighs the pros and cons of kitchen shears.
66. A No-Frills Kitchen Still Cooks: The Minimalist blog explains why brand-name cookware isn’t a must.
67. Five Small Appliances You Can Live Without: Tools you don’t need include a toaster, food processor and electric can opener.
68. How to Upgrade Your Entire Kitchen With Just $300: Learn about quality, budget-friendly kitchen appliances here.
69. Worth It? Not Worth It?: This blog post from the LA Times finds out if various kitchenware is worth the cost or not.

Leftovers and Storing Food

Make the most of your restaurant experience or personal recipes by finding great ways to use them the following day, too.

70. Leftover Limbo!: Here are tips for using leftover meat.
71. Tricks and Tips for Using Leftovers: Learn how to give leftovers a makeover here.
72. Simple Planning Tips, Leftover Recipes and Frugal Ideas Can Save You Hundreds of Dollars Per Month: Learn how to plan meals with leftovers in mind.
73. How much pasta is just enough?: This post will actually save you from leftovers or wasting pasta.
74. Creative tips for leftovers: Get tips for using leftover rice, chips, pasta, baked potatoes, chicken broth and more.
75. Leftovers: Save money and stay healthy: Transfer leftovers from a restaurant into plastic containers to take to school the next day.
76. Meals Times Two: Two Tips for Using Leftovers: Get recipes for common leftovers here.
77. Meal Planning Around Budget Foods And Leftovers – Frugal Challenge: Challenge yourself to plan menus and incorporate leftovers for one week.
78. Keep Track of Food with a Leftovers List: Keep food from getting lost in your refrigerator by labeling leftovers and keeping a list of approximate servings.
79. Tastespotting: Leftovers: View scrumptious photos of amazing meals created from leftovers.

Beer and Wine

For beer and wine aficionados, these bloggers have come up with ways to drink well without blowing your budget.

80. Beer Calculator and 10 Ways to Save on Beer: Lots of tips for saving on beer are listed here, including buying in bulk.
81. How to Save Money on Beer with Kegs: If you really want to buy in bulk to save money, consider buying a keg.
82. 20 Good Value Wines Under $10: Prices may fluctuate, but here are 20 good wines around the $10 mark.
83. Drink Great Wine on a Budget: This infographic from MintLife highlights cheaper options to higher-priced favorites.
84. Wine trends for a tasty, budget-friendly new year: Find wines from Argentina and even France on a budget.
85. Boxed Wines: An Eco and Wallet Friendly Choice: Since boxed wines last longer and are cheaper anyway, you’ll save money.
86. You Don’t Need to Drink Less to Save Money on Beer: Find out how to brew your own beer to save money.
87. Inexpensive Sparkling Wines: Learn about budget-friendly champagne and sparkling wine here.
88. The Best of the Cheap Beer: The Accidental Hedonist rates the best of the really cheap beer here.
89. The Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Drink Craft Beer: You get more bang for your buck per craft beer, according to this post.
90. Fabulous beer, wine, coffee and chocolate on a budget: This blog post has tips for learning how to order like a pro and finding good deals and local events.

Travel

Good food is a necessary part of travel for foodies, but from your study abroad trips to spring break, your budget may not be as expansive as you like. Here are tips for saving money on vacation.

91. 53 tips for travel eats on a budget: Get tips for saving money at the airport, picking travel dates according to food festivals, and more.
92. How to Save Money on Food when Traveling: Tips here include "eat before you eat" and "eat a big breakfast."
93. Three Travel Tips: Ways to Save Money in Europe: The number one tip listed here is to eat seasonally, just like the locals do.
94. The cheapskate’s guide to saving money on cruise vacations: Save money on alcohol on a cruise after reading this post.

Miscellaneous

Check out these tips for eating like a true foodie while in college.

95. Fighting Food-Budget Killers: This post can help you sort out budget killers and occasional indulgences.
96. Saving Money: 50 Tips for College Students: You’ll find 10 great tips on saving money on food and drink here.
97. Tips for Cooking and Eating Well in College: College-aged food blogger Alexandra Harcharek is interviewed in this post and shares tips for cooking in residence halls.
98. Shape U: Eating Healthy in College?: Learn how to cook one-pan omelets and other simple recipes here.
99. The Starving College Student: If you’re fundamentally opposed to ramen, find better taste-for-value foods here.
100. 10 Tips for Eating Healthy on the Cheap: This post encourages you to quickly identify cheap, easy foods that should become staples, like oatmeal, beans and rice.

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