Bulk black beans, rice and a little bit of tapatio.
Onions, garlic and potatoes are relatively cheap and last awhile and can be made/added into basically anything.
Bread, cheese, butter and for you meat eaters, meat, can be stolen from the dining hall. (it's not really stealing if you're paying $1,600 or so for food for 10 weeks)
When ordering out, consider "How long will this last in my fridge for?" and "Will this make a tasty leftover breakfast/snack/lunch/dinner/dessert/whateverimhungry meal?"
If your friends happen to despise leftovers, take their leftover food to go as well.
Our dining hall lets us take out a piece of fruit at the end of each meal. No reason you can't make that fruit plural...
Smoothies with taken dining hall fruit.
Make your own almond milk! It's way cheaper than buying any other milk product and you can make small quantities at a time to ensure that your money is being spent on something that gets eaten and not thrown away.
Have a group spaghetti dinner. With a jar of tomato sauce and pasta, this can literally cost about $4 to feed somewhere between 4-6 people.
If you can, try to buy ingredients in bulk, you'll save money.
No shame in eating Top Ramen a few nights a week.
Cereal. Not just to be eaten with milk anymore.
Oatmeal is cheap and lasts a long time, both steel cut and rolled oats. (I always splurge for brown sugar and raisins...however, I bought a small box of brown sugar and have used it almost solely as an oatmeal topper and it has lasted me a quarter and a half)
Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and is relatively cheap and lasts a long time.
Raw carrots curb your appetite! (Not that I'm implying one should starve him/herself...)
Plus, carrots are cheap and can be added to pasta, black beans, rice, smoothies etc...
And...if you don't buy the tiny one or prepeeled carrots, they last longer.
Check around your community to see if there are any community gardens you could join to cut down the cost of tasty veggies and fruits!
Make group meals and split the cost...you'll be surprised what you can save! (and how good it can be especially after eating top ramen for a few days straight)
If it smells good, chances are, it is good.
Have tums readily available.
Grow your own herbs...and be crafty about this! Rosemary and lavender can be propagated from cuttings and basil, mint and oregano can be easily transplanted. I'm *not* implying that you should walk around your campus and look around for these herbs growing out of pots and take a little from them to start your own herb garden.
If you really want, buy a few packs of seeds and see if there are people near you who would maybe want to trade a few chamomile seeds for thyme seeds and such. Save money and meet new friends!
Sometimes colleges have guest speakers and offer a free meal. FREE MEAL.
When mom asks what you want in a possible care package...make that answer FOOD.
Polenta= dirt cheap and versatile.
If you can't steal food from the dining hall, consider buying bread, butter, cheese and whatever else with someone else and splitting the goods to save a little and ensure that your pricy foods don't expire before you can eat them.
Popcorn (not the crappy kind in boxes that you microwave) is a good filler snack. It's basically air and fluff. Add some tapatio or extra virgin (yes, extra virgin) olive oil and salt or nooch on top for a tasty treat.
And, remember, it is ok to splurge on a good cheese or extra virgin olive oil, or, whatever pricy food items you feel you can't live without. (mine are good cheese and extra virgin olive oil case you didn't catch that...)
