After two years of meal plan, I’ve finally moved into an apartment with my very own kitchen. I already love the freedom I have to cook and the knowledge of every single ingredient that I’m putting into my body. Although I’ll miss the ease of having my food prepared for me, cooking is incredibly healthier — with the right groceries that is. The only barrier that many college students face with healthy eating is money. They see the price tags on the fresh produce and bolt towards the ramen noodles. If you’re one of those people, I want to enlighten you on ways to grocery shop that are good for your wallet and healthy as well.

First of all, I always break up my grocery shopping into two stores. I buy generic items such as cereal, milk, eggs, etc at Kroger. Then, I buy the rest at Trader Joes. TJ’s, as my roommates and I like to call it, has great deals on produce, lots of easy pre-made lunches and frozen meals, and snacks without excessive unhealthy additives.

Let’s start with Kroger. If you sign up for a Kroger plus card, which is completely free, you get tons of sales and coupons applied to your purchase. So, while you’re shopping, you can look for the big yellow stickers and know you’re getting a good deal.

When it comes to dairy, I’m a big fan of almond milk. It tastes great in cereal and coffee, and it lasts much longer than cow milk. One carton will last me a solid two weeks. I also recommend getting a tub of low fat vanilla yogurt from that section as well as a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese. The yogurt can be eaten plain or used in a smoothies, and the possibilities are seriously endless when you have shredded cheese; quesadillas, omelettes - you name it.

From the produce section of Kroger, getting lettuce, spinach, apples, bananas, and berries are all a better bang for your buck. However, I get the rest of my fruits and veggies from TJ’s, including cucumber, carrots, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and anything else that’s less than a dollar per pound. It’s important to note that prices for all of these things vary weekly, so the store with better prices for a particular fruit or veggie may vary too! Of all the things I listed, spinach is the KEY ingredient to keep in your fridge. I put it on anything and everything — it’s packed with vitamins and a bag of baby spinach lasts me over a week.

I’ve noticed that meat is pretty evenly priced at both stores. So, to make your groceries last longer, your best bet is to buy a bunch of frozen meat. Personally, I’ll cook a bunch of frozen chicken at the beginning of the week, and then have it grilled and ready to go in my fridge. But this trick works for fish, beef, all of that as well. I’ll also keep turkey burgers in my freezer, because just one is a whole meal right there! Make sure to buy cold cuts while you’re at it, because sandwiches are a quick and easy lunch during the week.

For non-perishables, my biggest piece of advice is 100% whole wheat bread thins. They’re only 100 calories, and can be used in tons of different ways. I use them for sandwiches, turkey burgers, I’ll even toast them and put cream cheese on top if I’m trying to satisfy that craving for a bagel. A bag of them lasts me two weeks easily. Also, my favorite snack that I highly recommend: chips and salsa. A big bag of blue corn tortilla chips and a can of salsa will last you a long time, and it’s a lot cheaper than going to a Mexican restaurant every week (even though I love doing that with a passion). I get those things at Kroger usually, but when it comes to frozen meals, TJ’s is the way to go. They have a huge selection and, again, use less additives in their food. I didn’t know frozen meals could be so delicious, but I’ve tried random options from asian dumplings to italian lasagna and I’m very impressed.

Another thing to get at TJ’s instead of Kroger is wine. I mean, I can’t, because I’m not 21, but word on the street *cough, cough* is they have “3 buck chuck” that hits the spot.

Without providing my whole entire grocery list, I hope you’ve learned some tips and tricks to food shop for good health and a less empty wallet. It’s all about buying certain things in bulk, certain things frozen, and other things at the store that sells it cheapest. I’m still trying to learn new recipes and try new foods, but these are the basics that keep my kitchen full for about two weeks.