Tagged: Shaw’s
Holiday shopping on a college student’s budget
By Heather Goldin, Staff Writer
@HeatherGoldin
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Kind of hard to believe with the stress of finishing up class and studying for finals. And on top of finals season, there’s the stress of holiday shopping for friends and family. Whether it’s a white elephant gift exchange with friends, a gift for your roomie or shopping for your family at home for when you finally get to see them after the semester ends, the amount of people you get gifts for adds up
It’s gift giving season / PHOTO VIA kidfocus.com
along with the price. How are we supposed to afford buying gifts when we spend all of our money on coffee and comfort food? Fear not, there are options.
The closest supermarket:
Think Shaw’s or an equivalent. What is your friend’s favorite candy? Make a study snack pack for your roommate. One year I got a hot chocolate mug that came complete with hot chocolate. Needless to say, I was stoked. Your fellow college students understand what it means to be a broke college student. Try having a gift exchange with a low budget set so one feels obligated to spend a large sum of money. Note: This might not work for bringing home in your suitcase because most food is perishable, obviously.
Goodwill:
Good for more than funny costumes and ugly sweater holiday parties, thrift shops of any sort are sure to have the perfect present at a low price. The key to Goodwill is shopping when there are good donations. It can be hit or miss, but when you do find a great gift for your sibling you can be sure no one else will get them the same thing. Check out Goodwill’s website for the location nearest you! Just remember that one man’s trash is a college student’s potential gift idea.
Dollar Tree:
It’s in the name; the dollar store is a college student’s best friend when it comes to the shopping season. Obviously you get what you pay for, so you probably won’t find high quality gifts here. However, think about the dollar store as the finishing touch to your gift. Wrapping paper, bows, the whole nine yards. You might even find a cute key chain or stickers to make your gift even better. Everyone loves stickers.
Handmade the old-fashioned way:
This one is for your dear parents. They of all people should understand the financial situation you are currently in. It is certainly a great gift just to have you home for the holiday season, so why complain? It’s the thought that counts, so give mom and dad a heartfelt card made with love. Put a little humor into it and draw a picture of what you wish you could afford to buy them this holiday season.
‘Tis the season for gift giving and finishing off the semester strong!
Check out what people had to say about about shopping on a budget on Storify.
Veg Out: Beyond the burger
By Katie Doyle, Food Editor
@katmaryd
After spending hours in the kitchen this break whipping up elaborate vegan dinners, I think I’m about cooked-out, so to speak. While I certainly can’t beat a week’s worth of homemade meals, it can be an exhaustive routine to maintain in college, especially when shopping on a budget and cooking in a cramped apartment.
Of course, as finals approach, I’ll be short on time, too. This makes nightly cooking even more of a hassle. For vegetarians, and vegans especially, putting together a quick-and-easy meal isn’t as mindless as it might be for an omnivore.
While boxed meals aren’t always the ideal option, frozen veggie burgers can be a reliable alternative. As the most obvious alternative to the ominvores’s hamburger, veggie burgers tend to be the first meat-free burgers that new vegetarians turn to when looking for an easy meal.
But veggie burgers can get boring after a while. However, herbivores who are pressed on resources can hold out hope. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a gourmet chef to find a great veggie burger that will take just a few minutes to heat up, but taste like you spent all evening cooking it.
A trip to Trader Joe’s or Shaw’s will reveal all sorts of delectable meat-free burger ideas that might have previously escaped your eye. Here are some types of burgers to look out for next time you hit up the grocery store:
Black Bean Burgers
MorningStar’s Spicy Black Bean Burger / IMAGE VIA morningstarfarms.com
Black bean burgers are top on my list of favorite meat-free burgers, and have been for a while. They are zesty, with a flavorful Southwestern flair that beats any other meat substitute. Add a dollop of guacamole for a dinner that is absolutely delicious and surprisingly very healthy.
Although multiple brands make black bean burgers, I’m a fan of MorningStar, which you can find at almost any grocery store.
“Chicken” Patties
These go by many names in the grocery store—Chik’n patties, soy chicken cutlets, vegetarian chicken patties—but flavor tends to be pretty consistent, quite in line with the cliché, “It tastes like chicken.” Although I’m sure you’ve heard that line before, albeit in a different context, these imitation burgers actually do taste just like chicken. There’s a lot you can do with them, from the complex (vegetarian chicken parmesan) to the simple (just add a wheat bun and ketchup), and because of that, they will always have a place in my freezer.
Texas Burger
Amy’s Kitchen, a company that sells natural and organic meat-free products, makes a great barbecue-style Texas burger. It has rich flavor, with a pinch of Southwestern spice. The texture is spot-on, too: not too “meaty,” but definitely heartier than the average veggie burger. I would recommend this to anyone willing to experiment with different types of meatless burgers!
A prepared MorningStar Griller / IMAGE VIA allmeat.com
“Hamburger” Burger
MorningStar sells what they call Grillers. Let me warn you, though: if you aren’t down for an authentic hamburger taste, stay away. Although I’ve only tried the MorningStar variety, I found the burger to taste, well, very meaty. It wasn’t my thing. But if you’re looking for an imitation hamburger sans the meat, you’ll find yourself very pleased.
“Turkey” Burgers
Same thing goes for vegetarian turkey burgers: they taste like turkey. Personally, I don’t like the turkey flavor, but beyond that, the texture of the burger didn’t seem quite right to me—a bit too chewy. Then again, I’ve only had real turkey once or twice in my life, years ago, so maybe I just don’t know what to expect. However, just like with the vegetarian hamburger, if you like the taste of the real meat, you’ll probably like the imitation turkey burger, too.
A prepared California Veggie Burger / IMAGE VIA drpraegers.com
California Veggie Burgers
Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burgers have a following that sometimes strikes me as cult-like. People tend to love them, or they totaly hate them. I’m somewhere in the middle. The burgers are super-packed with veggies, but, I thought all the flavors must have got lost in translation somehow because I wasn’t a big fan of the taste.
Although those are the staples, I’ve recently even seen falafel burgers, mushroom burgers and Asian-style burgers in the frozen food aisles. MorningStar even makes a pizza burger with tomato and basil. As companies get more creative, though, more and more types of meat-free burgers keep popping up, so keep your eye open for all of them.
