Don't Let Food Costs Take Over Your Life!

As a former commuter I know how hard it is to save money while keeping yourself fed. It can sometimes feel like conflicting goals- especially on those days when you find yourself on campus from 8:30am-10:00pm (that's like 4 meals, at around $5-$10 each). Food doesn't have to cost you a fortune (and frankly it can't... we're students!). Below are some tips for saving money on food:

1. MEAL PREP
Meal prepping has become the "go-to" way of eating healthy (while saving money) in our "always on the go" society.

It's so true it hurts

Best way to go about meal prepping is dedicating a bit of your Sunday to cook, and pack food for the whole week. Leave it in the fridge and then when you're "on the go" just grab your lunch without having to thinking twice about the future state of your stomach.

My mind (and stomach) is at ease just looking at this picture. 

2. DEALS

Did you know Falafel Hut has coupons in every edition of the Excaliber? You can get 10% off on Vegan meals in any Aramark cafeteria! Cuccineta has 50% off on pizzas after 7:30pm, Berries and Bloom does a sandwich of the day deal every day, and Mac Sushi has an end of day sale! There are deals out there, we just gotta find them. Before splurging $10 on a full blown meal, become familiar with deals on campus, that way you can make the best decision for your wallet according to the time of day. The money you'll save will sure add up!

3. BUDGET
It's a gross word, I know, but It's a great way to save money. Coming onto campus every day with a debit card/credit card can be dangerous, and it can be extremely easy to lose control of your spending. A coffee here, a lunch there, and then another coffee with a chocolate bar here... before you know it you're spending $50-100 every week!

My solution: withdraw X (I usually do around $20) amount of money on a Monday and make that cash your limit for the week. It's much easier to keep track of your spending this way, and it's also a good reminder to spend money on things you actually need.


That concludes my main tips for saving money on food (as a commuter)! Remember: bringing food from home is always a bullet proof way of saving money, and eating healthy. Do you have any tips or tricks you use when it comes to saving money on food? Share below!

Until Next Time, I'll be Yorking Around,

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Trains, Planes, and Automobiles!

Well, maybe scratch the planes- don't think any of us are getting to York on a daily bases by plane (but shout-out to those who are taking a plane to get to York to be able to study here!). Trains and automobiles on the other hand along with bikes, wheels and legs will be most definitely used as a means of getting to York University on a daily bases for classes, meetings, and events!

I've had my fair share of commuting over my 3 years here at York since I'm from Bolton. Not sure many people know where that is, but its about a 45 min drive away from York (and there are actually almost no busses that go through Bolton). Therefore, I naturally found it fitting to talk about commuting to York AND how to avoid falling into the dreaded commuter trap!

Trains: 
We got trains coming near York everyday (sounds pretty old-fashioned, I know)! It's the Go train that serves students, and faculty form Barrie, Oshawa, Newmarket, and the list goes on! This train does not go directly to York University (it stopes nearby), so because of this York offers a free shuttle that will take people from the GO Train Station to York, or from York to the GO Train Station!

Automobiles: 

                          

That's right. I ride dirty when I get to school (explains my speeding tickets). But enough about me, back to you! If your going to be driving almost every day, it would be worth it to get a parking permit from York! The prices vary depending on the location of your parking spot, but for more information you want to check out the parking website.

There is also day parking available for those who will be driving only once a while. It once again depends on where you will be parking, but for more information on that, check out the daily rate parking website. 


Busses:
We have students that come from all sorts of towns and cities, meaning we get THOUSANDS of busses that come through York everyday! Crazy right? For those taking busses, I wanna save you a little bit of money (cause I'm nice like that) by letting you know that GO and TTC offer discounted post-secondary monthly passes!
Discounted metro passes fo GO: http://www.yorku.ca/trnsprt/go-studentcard.htm
Discounted metro passes for TTC: http://www.yorku.ca/trnsprt/ttc-metropass.htm

Shuttle Services:

York offers more free shuttle services other than the GO train one:

Glendon Shuttle: There is a free way to get to York's other campus, Glendon! For those who may have a class at the campus they are not normally on, or even if you want to check out the beauty of Glendon, you can get there for free as long as you show your student card!

Village Shuttle: This is a shuttle (need I say free again?) that goes through the village! The village is an off-campus neighbourhood where some students live. Since there are some students that live there, York offers a bus that will take students from campus to various stops in the village. It usually operates from 6pm-2am, every 10-20 mins!

For more information on these shuttles click here.

Cycling: 


                         

Queen. What a band. What a song. So, for those who know me (or have read my previous blogs), know that I am very into biking, and I totally encourage those (who are a reasonable amount away from York) to bike to school! York has many bike locks, there are many bike routes to bike through, it totally saves you money, and it's a great way to be active! For more information on bike routes around Toronto, and biking to York click here.

Smart Commute:
Smart commute is an awesome non-for profit organization that tries to reduce traffic congestion at York, and advocate for sustainable transportation! They do this by holding events throughout the year such as bike to work day (I wrote a blog post about it), and they also offer resources to students and staff. One of these is the carpool ride-matching system, which enables people commuting form different areas, to be matched up with someone in the same area in order to save costs on gas, time, etc. For information on Smart Commute and about the different resources and programs they offer click here.

And as promised, ways to avoid falling into a commuter trap:
GET INVOLVED!

That's it right there. That's the secret. Usually those commuters who fall into a commuter trap, are one's who come to their classes, and leave right after. They are usually students who don't stick around to play sports, hang-out, or go to a meeting, etc. If your worried of letting your four years fly by, with not having done much because you fell into a commuter trap, get involved with a club, a sport, a council, get a job on campus, just ANYTHING, because it will enrich your university experience, keep you busy, allow you to meet awesome people, and totally prevent you from falling into a commuter trap!

Well there you have it folks! I encourage you all to commute "smart", and use all the free services we have an campus because they are here for YOU! If you have any questions on commuting at York or anything else comment below :)

Until next time I'll be Yorking Around,

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