Eating on a Budget
Food can eat up a large part of your monthly budget and at times you might feel like you have to go the ramen route to make ends meet. There are ways to stretch your dollar and still eat food that is satisfying and provides the nutrients your body and mind need!
Plan Ahead
Don’t let your mood dictate your groceries for the week- take the time to plan your meals for the week and write a list based on that. Try to make use of ingredients in several different meals. You can also try meal prepping or batch cooking so that nothing goes to waste, having a meal ready also curbs the desire to order in on busy days.
Take Advantage of Student Discount Days
Some grocery stores or restaurants have dedicated discount days- if you can make it work with your schedule plan your shopping on those days.
Thunder Bay
Bulk Barn: Bulk Barn offers a 10% discount on Wednesdays with a valid student ID (source).
Metro Grandview mall: Get 10 percent off your groceries every Tuesday with your student card.
Orillia
Bulk Barn: Bulk Barn offers a 10% discount on Wednesdays with a valid student ID (source).
Grocery Store Loyalty Programs
If you hit up the same grocery store week after week, take advantage of any loyalty or points programs they have. These programs are almost always free and allow you to accumulate points that can be redeemed for discounts. Some programs also offer personalized coupons and discounts to loyalty members.
Apps
As always, there is an app for everything- including grocery discounts- these are ones we recommend.
Flipp- Flipp takes the weekly flyers crammed in your mailbox and puts them on your phone or tablet in a clean, searchable app. While you can search for a specific flyer and browse flyers as you would if they were sent to your house, the best capability of Flipp is being able to search for a product, such as milk, to see all the flyers that have it listed and for what price.
Checkout51- Checkout 51 gives you money back on certain products after you purchase them. Some items will give you 0.25$, while others could give you a few dollars back. The app shows you what products you can get money back on that week so you know what deals you can get ahead of time. After you purchase items on the list you photograph and upload your receipt via the app. The receipt gets checked and once approved (usually within 48 hours) the money you earned gets added to your account. Once you hit $20 a cheque is mailed out to you.
Caddle- The Caddle app is similar to Checkout 51, but unlike Checkout 51, Caddle is currently only available in Canada. Caddle publishes cashback offers every Thursday and this runs for a week. To claim an offer, purchase the item (usually at any store), scan, and upload the receipt for processing. You can claim multiple offers on one receipt. When your cashback balance reaches $20 or more, it is easy to cash out and receive a check in the mail.
Student Discount Cards
The requirements for student discounts vary- some only need to see your Lakehead ID but others require a specific membership program. Some cost money to sign up so read through their partnerships to see if it is worthwhile.
Food isn't the only thing that can get expensive and a lot of companies offer student discount, check out a complete list of Student Deals at https://dealhack.ca/blog/canadian-student-discounts
