The price of most food items has increased dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic, and many college students are now finding it difficult to afford groceries.
According to the Department of Agriculture, food prices are set to go up 5.8% in 2023, and the average college student will spend $670 on food per month while the average student makes nearly $2,000 a month.
Students aren’t making nearly enough to be able to afford school and to be able to feed themselves. The question becomes what options students must choose from in order to be able to survive.
Florida State senior Nadya Rosario said it has become a matter of tough choices.
“Having a higher grocery bill has caused me to have a tighter budget in other eras in my life,” Rosario said.
The FSU senior said she’s changed how she shops now due to inflation versus how she shopped before the pandemic.
“I feel like the increased prices popped up out of no nowhere. I would say within the last year I noticed that my normal number of groceries have doubled in price,” Rosario said.
In this stage of her life, Rosario said she is more focused on clean eating as opposed to when she was a freshman when she would eat unhealthy cheap meals such as ramen noodles.
Food programs such as SNAP provide college students from ages 18 to 49 with a maximum of $281 a month. Due to COVID-19, SNAP has recently given households an extra $95 monthly.
Many college campuses also have food pantries, where students can get the food they need at no cost. Florida A&M University has a food pantry in the Center for Access and Student Success building.
Although it is not exclusively for students, Tallahassee also contains food banks where students can get free food. Second Harvest of the Big Bend serves over 16 counties with about 14 million pounds of food.
Tallahassee is home to inexpensive grocery stores for those who shop for themselves. Stores such as Aidi’s are able to provide cheaper groceries because they do not carry many named brand products. Aldi’s focuses on delivering its own store-branded products.
Another cheaper option for purchasing groceries is Trader Joe’s. Like Aldi, Trader Joe’s also specializes in their own branded products rather than carrying many named brand products.
Many supermarket apps provide deals on food where students may see savings of up to half off on some of the products. Some of the apps may also provide cash-back simply by using the app.
Rosario advises new college students to take their time and compare prices at different grocery stores. Go in with a list and don’t stay away from it, she says.
The prices of food are expected to continue to rise throughout next year. As the prices increase, it is essential to research and stay informed to see what options are available to students so that they can provide for themselves at a reasonable cost.