Many of us don’t give a second thought to how much money we spend on lunch everyday—we just type in our number or scan our card and go sit down to eat. However, not paying attention to what you spend on lunch can get expensive quickly, and many students soon realize they need to be conscious of how much money they are spending. It is not uncommon to be on a budget, especially when food in the cafeteria can get expensive. Here is how you can eat lunch well without spending a lot.

Let’s start with snacks, the first thing many people buy from the cafeteria each day. Goldfish and animal crackers are the most economical snack, costing you only $0.50. If you’re willing to spend a dollar on your snack food, you can buy a small bag of chips, such as Lays. Granola bars and trail mix are good fillers that are also only a buck. If you’re looking for a healthier option, buy fruit cups and carrot bags (with ranch) for $0.75. Snacks overall are pretty inexpensive.

Moving on to lunch or meal items, shopping with a budget gets a little more tricky. The entrees may be tasty, but they cost a lot— four dollars. Also, the salad bar cost three dollars, so if you’re on a budget I would not recommend buying salads or entrees often. Sandwiches are a better choice. Tuna, PB & J, and egg salad sandwiches are all $2.00. To only spend a dollar on your meal item, buy a bagel, hot dog, or a burrito.

If you really want to save money on drinks, bring a water bottle and fill it up with one of the school’s many water dispensers. However, if you are craving something else, the least expensive choice to make is milk for $0.50. There is also soy milk for only a dollar. If you don’t want milk, Snapple, Sanpellegrino, and Bai5 drinks sell for $1.50.

For a whole day, if you have a budget of four dollars, you could get an entree and drink water that you brought from home. You could also get a sandwich and and a drink or some chips. Spending less than five dollars a day for lunch is actually fairly easy and you have many options, giving you the power to mix it up each day. When you are really pressed for cash, just buy a bagel and some trail mix. That costs you less than two dollars and is a well balanced lunch. But, if you want to spend absolutely nothing, the solution is quite simple: bring a lunch from home.

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Have any other good ideas for getting the most bang for your buck in the cafeteria? Let us know in the comments below!