If anyone knows about stretching a dollar, it’s university students.  If there’s a bargain on food, clothes, entertainment or alcohol – chances are these seasoned penny-pinchers, used to living on a shoestring, can point you in the right direction.

Whilst I wouldn’t recommend adopting this as a long term diet, here are some ideas that might get you through til pay day.

1. Two Minute Noodles – truly the uni student’s friend.   Eat plain with just the seasoning provided or with a few of your favourite stir-fry veges thrown in, they fit all the uni student’s criteria:  cheap, quick, filling and tasty.

2. Pasta Surprise – boil up whatever pasta you can find in the cupboard, drain and put back in saucepan.  Add a dash of sweet chilli sauce (or a taco salsa sauce, or whatever sauce you like/have) and a handful of grated cheese.  Put back on the burner, stirring constantly until the cheese is melted through and eat.  Mmmm-mmmm, love that sticky cheesy goodness!

3. Two Can Stew – 1 can of tuna, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, mix with some noodles and you’ll have dinner for days!

4. Chilli Con Carne – there’s stacks of simple recipes around for this one, with cheap and super tasty ingredients.  Cook up a batch on pay day and freeze in meal-size portions, ready for those “on the bones of your bum” days.   Or if you’re feeling rich, grab a bag of corn chips and some sour cream!

5. Vege bake – boil and mash potatoes and pumpkin (you can also add whatever veges you’ve got left in the fridge – though if you’re a uni student that’s possibly not many), put in a baking dish, cover with grated cheese and grill or back til melted.

Of course, if all else fails – do what all good uni students do – go home to Mum and Dad for a decent feed.