Teaching College Students To Buy For Cheap and Eat For Less
They've left the proverbial nest and are testing their wings, but during this economy crisis, your college bound child may need your help now more than ever. With financial markets collapsing all around, it is only natural that college students will need more guidance with regard to how to manage their finances during these tough times. While having a few bucks in their pocket for fun stuff will always be a necessity, these young adults will most likely need lots of support when it comes to food! Here's how a parent can buy for cheap all the food that they need to feed their hungry college kids:
Set a real budget. Help your college kid to realize that money really doesn't grow on trees. Don't move too much on that budget or else they will have unrealistic expectations for how they are going to get their stuff. If you have a budget, then you have a basic spending plan in place. Make the budget small at first or else you could end up buying too much too soon.
Go with them on shopping expeditions. Saving on gas is just as important as saving on groceries. So, during this economy crisis, teach your college student to do both. Help them to learn to buy for cheap so that they won't spend frivolously on unnecessary stuff. Also, give them the chance to compare the brand names with the generics. Let them work out their decisions on their own, but just help them to stay within their budget!
Teach them how to save with coupons. For most people on a tight budget, coupons provide an extra source of "financing". If you present the coupons in a cool way so that your college student can see these little clips of paper as being as valuable as cash, then, they will most likely be willing to use them. They could also teach their friends and start a coupon swap with them so that they everybody gets the coupons for the foods that they want to buy for cheap.
Enjoy cheap eats with frugal recipes. Everyone has a favorite frugal recipe that doesn't require a lot or expensive ingredients. Tell your college students to get on the internet and find some basic, frugal recipes that they can learn and use. If they learn to buy for cheap the things that they need to make these great frugal recipes, they will probably appreciate these cheap eats even more.
Encourage your college freshman not to gain that "freshman 15"! Eating heavy and expensive meals is one of the easiest ways to gain that extra weight. If your college student eats more cheaply and spends less on eating heavy meals when they out, they may be able to avoid some of that freshman 15. Otherwise, that extra weight could haunt them well after they graduate!
Teach your college student to find and enjoy those student discounts that seem to pop up everywhere. All types of eateries and attractions offer student pricing. These help college students to not only buy for cheap, but to really work their budget so that they have money to do other cool stuff, too.
When students learn to buy for cheap and live like a frugal fashionista, they will reap the financial benefits of their thrifty ways…and so will their budget conscious parents! Teaching College Students To Buy For Cheap and Eat For Less