Most student debt borrowers understand how saving money must be an essential part of any effort to pay off student loans early. And this website has already discussed a number of methods that can be used to eliminate costs so that additional money can be devoted to paying down student debt. From my own experiences, saving money on food is one major way that student debt borrowers can reach their financial goals. Although you obviously can’t eliminate food expenses altogether, by keeping a few things in mind, you can minimize the amount of money you spend on groceries and eating out.
This website has already discussed how I saved money by cooking many of my own meals during my student debt repayment saga. Of course, I would buy take-out food if this freed up time that could be devoted to my side-hustles, but I cooked many of my own meals in order to save cash.
As a student, and later as a young professional, I also perfected the art of saving money on food by attending free food events. Attending free food events can be a great way to reduce food expenses, and can also help individuals meet new people and have unique experiences.
I first started saving money on food by attending free food events when I was an undergraduate. As many college students are abundantly aware, there are a ton of free food events on most college campuses. At the university I attended, many clubs, religious associations, and other groups had free food events on a regular basis that offered meals in exchange for hearing a speaker or attending a meeting.
At my college, students were awarded a set number of dining points each semester that were supposed to be used at dining halls. However, dining points could be used in the campus convenience store as well. Since this store included many useful items like laundry detergent, toiletries, and the like, any dining points I saved by not eating at dining halls could be used to purchase a number of necessary items.
As a college student, I was elected to a position on the student government’s finance board, the body that approved spending by clubs on campus. In this capacity, I was the first person to know about free food events on campus, since I was one of seven people that had to decide if clubs would receive funding to hold such gatherings. Each week, during our weekly finance board meetings, I would write down which groups were hosting free food events, and I tried my best to attend each of these gatherings. As a result of these efforts, I was able to attend three or four free food events a week as a college student, and this allowed me to save dining points that I could use to purchase items that I needed.
I was so good at compiling a list of free food events that I later participated in an email listserv that was dedicated to publicizing all of the free food gatherings on campus! Most of these events only had pizza or sometimes sandwiches, but some of the gatherings had more substantive meals that were probably a lot more nutritious. Attending these events not only allowed me to score free food, but also enabled me to meet new people and enjoy experiences that I probably would not have had in college if I did not attend these gatherings. Indeed, I heard some of the best speakers I encountered as a college student, and met some of my best friends, because I was attending events to eat free food!
In law school, I employed the same strategies I used in college while saving money on food. As a law student, I did not have a meal plan, so any money I saved on food was money that I could directly use on living expenses. Although my law school was smaller than the college I attended, there were still tons of free food events around campus. Indeed, I distinctly remember attending five unique free food events in one day as a law student. In addition, many of the free food events in law school had alcohol, which was probably both a blessing and a curse! In any case, saving cash on food as a law student allowed me to borrow less money for living expenses, and helped me minimize my student debt burden.
After graduating from law school, I still employed some of the strategies I used as a student to save money on food. At least once a week during my student debt repayment saga, I went to a free food event close to where I lived. Of course, it is a lot harder to find free food events after graduating from school, but I was usually able to score free food by attending religious and political events in my community. Attending free food events as a young professional was not only helpful in saving money, but also enabled me to meet new people, which is sometimes more difficult after graduating from school.
All told, there are many ways you can save money on food. Cooking your own meals is one strategy, but attending free food events is another way that you can save money on meals. Although you may think I’m suggesting that people be moochers (or schnorrers as my grandma would say!), many event sponsors are usually just happy to have additional people attend their gatherings. In any case, saving money on food by attending free food events can definitely help you meet your financial goals.