14 Jun 2021

I hear what you’re thinking, “What is Bianca going on about? Tuna and rice is disgusting”.

But listen, changing up the flavours is a gamechanger. I will only ever eat John West; you will not catch me dead with another brand. You’ve got chilli at the top tier, lemon & cracked pepper and onion & tomato in the middle and springwater at the bottom. I mean, if you’re afraid of a bit of flavour, maybe springwater is your go-to. But anyway…

 

Maybe you just hate canned fish altogether and that’s perfectly fine too. Think of something cheap - chicken breast and salad, but make it fancy. Get some dressing. Cheap meals never have to be boring.

The overall goal here is to prepare cheap meals while you’re saving and getting ready to jet set on your next big overseas adventure. Not too sure when that is yet but we do know it’s going to be a gooden.

If you’re used to buying your lunch everyday, I feel ya there. Whether it’s at the canteen, your fav bakery before getting on the train, a sneaky cheese toastie and iced coffee combo before your lecture or a full boxed meal after class, they all add up and you generally get to the end of your pay cycle thinking, where did all my money go? Who’s the culprit that spent all my money? Yeah, you, ya big silly.

Think about it. You’re spending on average $18.52 on lunches, snacks and beverages each day during your work week. Don't lie to yourself - your morning coffee, lunch, afternoon snack all add up. That doesn’t even include catching up with your friends or family - that is purely just to fuel yourself through the working day. That’s $92.60 a week. Over a 48-week working year, that’s $4,444.80. That’s like a whole three-week trip in Bali, including flights. Adds up, doesn’t it?

Or, you could stock up on some tuna when they’re on special (gotta love the $1.15 specials), buy a massive bag of rice to set you up for the month, pop it on a rice cooker in advance, chuck some vege in the microwave or steamer, a bit of salt and pepper and you’re good to go. Not too sure of the overall pricing but I can guarantee it’ll be a whole lot easier on your weekly spending, I can tell ya that much. It doesn’t take much effort at all either, so it’s not like you’ll be wasting your Sunday arvos meal prepping for hours on end! Oh boy, am I excited to share some broke uni student recipes with you.

I used to be someone that looked forward to buying my lunch. The spontaneity of it, the idea of not eating the same thing every day, the happiness that it brought me was super unhealthy and is always short-lived.

And if you teach yourself that your home brought food will be a boring meal, then it’ll be a boring meal. You won’t feel fulfilled and it may just ruin your day. So get the heck out of that mindset! Tuna and rice, chicken and salad, spam and egg, spag bol, chicken soup, noodles (but not the 2-minute kind) - they’re all nutritious, comfort food and are all extremely cheap. Work smarter, not harder with your meals, remember that you’re saving heeeaaaps on your expenses while doing so and saving up towards your trip of a lifetime!