I've talked about this a few times, but never in much detail. With a soy allergy, eating on campus is an absolute NIGHTMARE. Most of the food that's safe for me to eat is not calorie dense, meaning I basically starved the entirety of freshman year before I really got the hang of the art of dorm room cooking. I spend $200-300 a semester on food outside of my meal plan, with the bulk of the cost coming from almond milk being bought basically weekly.
My secrets: Aldi, Neighborhood Walmart, Publix deals, and ibotta.
Aldi
God's gift to broke college students. Seriously. I got my succulent (his name is George), as well as all of my bread and most of my almond milk from here. I don't go here for the bulk of my shopping, but I also do not overlook it, especially when I know what's safe for me to eat and what's cheaper here. Its proximity to campus is also fantastic.
Neighborhood Walmart
If you think People of Walmart is rough, y'all ain't ever been to a Neighborhood Walmart. As trashy as it can be, it's SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper and involves less traffic on the drive, even though distance wise, the regular Walmart isn't much farther away. I get my gas, my canned goods, my fruits and veggies, pretty much everything, unless my fiancé's mama decides to buy me the fancy Target stuff (which does happen on occasion). I've gotten some really good deals on produce here for surprisingly better quality that what I've found at regular Walmart. The canned goods can be hit or miss. If they look funky, off I go to regular Walmart. I will do a lot of things, but using busted canned or boxed goods is not one of them.
Publix Deals
Apparently an unused fact among the Southern population: Publix deals will be honored even if you don't buy the quantity, unless otherwise stated. So if it's a buy one, get one free, you get one item half off. It's how I've been able to get good looking mangos for $1 even though technically it's buy 5 for $5. I also only buy my meat from here because I genuinely only trust Publix. It's low key a problem at this point.
Ibotta
If you don't know about ibotta, I want to know how little time you spend on the internet. My mom and I have both been using it since I've been in high school. It's a rebate program, where if you've added deals to your account, the money gets credited to your account. The stuff I tend to buy usually isn't on ibotta, but the 10-50 cents off any item, as well as the any brand cashback are LIFESAVERS. I've gotten $1 back on any brand of vitamins, pads, cereal, and almond milk before. Just make sure you're buying it from the right store who currently has that deal!
You can use my code neqxjej to get started earning and to start with a bonus.
I meal prep as well. I typically cook a meal a week and save the leftovers, which gives me between 3 and 5 dinners, not including the rice and pasta I eat, as well as frozen meals (I try to save these for lunch), and the ever popular breakfast for dinner. If you want my meal prep ideas, everything on my food board is either soy free or can easily be made that way. The college section you'll find here. It's primarily slow cooker meals, but others use a griddle, microwave, blender, or just simply a fridge.
For those of you going into college or are in college and have food allergies, don't worry, it IS possible to eat healthy, even if you feel like it's impossible on a shoestring budget.
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