<p>Exactly. If you know how to shop- and that’s really the important thing- you can get by on a lot less $ than a lot of people would think possible. </p>
<p>My biggest expense is in some impulse purchases (Powerade, mostly). Most weeks I can stick to a budget of $50 pretty easily. Once in a while I go over (typically any week after a break is a bit higher), but I do relatively well with $50 a week.</p>
<p>^^^
I commend you on being so frugal; But I just don’t see how you can do it….
Luckily, as a marathon runner and long distance biker, I burn many calories and in addition to eating my healthy meals, I always fuel myself on a lot of junk food which can become costly.</p>
<p>I cook indian food which uses pretty much the same spices. So I don’t need a lot of ingredients for a tasty meal and spices last a long time. Also don’t eat too much meat. Its the junk food which adds up quickly so I am very careful when picking snacks.</p>
<p>If you know what you are doing, it’s really not difficult. The hardest part of staying under $50 a week really is if you can’t get to anywhere but whatever lies on the bus routes, because then all you have is 1 Publix, which is often overpriced, and 1 Winn-Dixie, which is not that great of a place to shop. </p>
<p>If you have transportation, and can combine trips (Walmart is a bit of a drive, for instance), you can often make out like a bandit. Plus, Walmart (supposedly, I don’t really ever need to use it) price matches competitor’s prices, so if you have a better deal elsewhere and are going to Walmart anyway, you can make out even better sometimes.</p>
<p>I find Winn-Dixie expensive. I went there to pick up a few things and everything was at least 50¢-$1 more than walmart or Publix. Plus Publix always has BOGO Free. It’s buy 2 bottles for less than $3 or buying 1 ketchup bottle that’s a few cents cheaper than Publix. You have to keep an eye on the weekly flyers and look up online coupons. But flagship Publix stores have their prices a little higher than average so don’t go to the flagship stores.
I also highly recommend the Shopkick App. Seriously you can get $2-$20 target gift cards for collecting pts from scanning items or just simply walking into a store.</p>
<p>Daughter lives off campus…I send her $280.00/mo. and she never asks me for more. I think some months are much ‘leaner’ than some, but it’s a good life lesson…she just needs to budget. She loves to cook homemade meals, and eats a lot of fresh items. With three other sisters going off to college, one in the fall, she has to know that we can not keep funding 100%…there are plenty of job opportunities both on and off campus.</p>
<p>…the $280.00/month includes all living expenses…personal hygiene items, over the counter pharm., paper products…</p>
<p>^^^
I don’t beleive it…
$ 280 per month for all living expenses…
people in jailed are treated better and this is how you treat your own kid…
WOW-----</p>
<p>Honestly-
Even if one lives frugally-
Monthly Budget
Publix Food $ 250
Walgreens Personal items $ 50
Entertainment misc $ 50
mi school items $ 50
Going out meals $ 50
Limited clothes $ 50
Household items $ 50
Misc $ 50</p>
<p>MINIMUN REQUIRED FOR A STUDENT
LIVING AWAY FROM HOME $ 600
Not including rent nor transportation………</p>
<p>You don’t NEED more clothes then one already has. You do not NEED entertainment misc. You don’t NEED certain items. If a student expects extra spending money for “fun time” they can take that out of their OWN money and get a job. A parent should not feel guilty about not giving their child extra money for those things that are not necessary. It;s not up to you “ilovethe47” to tell a parent how they should spend the money on their child(ren).
$280 a month is more than enough to survive on for each month. Household and personal grooming items last for much more than one month. No one needs to buy shampoo or bleach every month, come on now don’t be ridiculous. Plus having a budget curbs the unnecessary spending of outside food when you can eat at home for way less.
Most college kids who come here don’t even get any help from their parents at all. Zip/nada/nothing…so many take out loans and have scholarships.
Not every parent can afford to shell out that kind of money, but at least ‘mdkskj’ is helping out her child and at the same time teaching her to budget her money. Mommy and daddy aren’t always going to be there and a parent should never feel obligated to shell out the cash to their kid(s) after the age of 18. Every household is different.</p>
<p>
I must be doing quite a bit of magic then, because my budget looks nothing like that. In fact, my entire budget (including cell phone, health insurance, food, etc) is only around $600, and that’s often quite a bit more than enough.</p>
<p>I get that you’re a UF student that’s ■■■■■■■■ the FSU boards, but really, either get a grip on reality or just stop posting. You aren’t helpful on these boards, so I don’t see why you continue to infect them.</p>
<p>When I lived in Smith Hall, I didn’t know we had a kitchen. So I opt to nuke all of my food, which for months, has been microwavable rice and buffalo wings. I think I spent 50-70 a week at Walmart. Luckily my roommate had a unlimited meal plan for spring, so I paid him 20 bucks a week for breakfast lunch a dinner.</p>
<p>I know this is a rather old thread now, but now that the semester is sort of drawing to a close, I wanted to give everyone a better idea of what a “typical” student’s grocery bill is at Publix. </p>
<p>1/14: $60
1/23: $58
1/29: $59
2/07: $50
2/19: $64
2/26: $56
3/03: $34
3/22: $42
3/29: $45</p>
<p>If my math is right, I’ve spent just under $475 at Publix this semester. Divided by my 9 trips, that’s just over $50. I am typically able to time trips in such a way that if I am going out of town or if a break is coming up, I don’t make a small trip for just a few items, which sort of throws everything askew a bit.
In fact, looking at my history at Publix, I’m kinda surprised by how much I’m spending. Some of the totals include items that are probably cheaper at a place like Walmart, but I pony up the difference just for convenience (things like air freshener, vitamins, and the like) of not having to go to Walmart. </p>
<p>So for those wondering, $50 a week would probably be “average” to plan for, although I have begun to notice especially this semester that prices are starting to creep up on a lot of items.</p>