Renee Rosenow

What to do this weekend … go see a movie or buy groceries to eat for the week? With the cost of food steadily increasing, this is an issue that many college students relate to these days.

Graduate student Krystle Naab sees the increase in the cost of food affecting a lot of students, including herself – especially since she is a vegetarian.

“Trying to eat healthy is more expensive,” she said. “I’ve paid $80 for a bag of groceries. It’s ridiculous.”

Naab thinks students should be allotting some of their money to food and that planning their budget is a smart move.

Graduate student Tiffany Gerber agrees that students should budget their money and be more proactive if they’re feeling the pressure in the check-out line.

“Students have to cut things out,” Gerber said, “… like going out to a movie.”

Assistant professor of economics Eric Jamelske said students should be concerned since they don’t have much of an expendable income to begin with.

“They don’t eat super well,” he said. “We hear the cliché of macaroni or Ramen noodles. They’re going to be more impacted by this than almost anybody else.”

What is causing the rise in food prices? Jamelske offered several answers. He said the food market relies on transportation and that fuel costs have caused some problems. Also, ethanol production can be partly responsible for corn’s price hike.

Mother Nature hasn’t helped either.

“We had some issues with severe flooding that wiped out some crops,” Jamelske said. He did offer some advice to students, saying they should try to break the habit of not planning.

“Best way to manage finances when it comes to anything is to plan and to budget,” he said. “You need to allocate and make a list.”

He said students won’t make a list before going to the grocery store and are more likely to make an impulsive purchase. He said it’s best to make a list before and avoid the temptation of buying things that aren’t necessities.

Gerber thinks students should better utilize the savings that coupons bring. Even if they’re not for the grocery store that students typically go to, she thinks it’s a great way to save money.

Jamelske also agrees with that, saying that Eau Claire is a college town and a lot of times the coupons are targeted at college students. He also thinks students should really look at the types of foods they’re buying.

“Some people have this idea that food that needs to be cooked and prepared costs more, but this costs cheaper than things in the box – it just takes time to prepare them,” Jamelske said.

Planning meals with roommates is a smart way to go, too, he said, but Jamelske understands that this is difficult with the busy lives students live.

Another tip both Naab and Jamelske offered is to avoid eating out very often.

“We’d be na’ve to think it didn’t move into restaurants,” he said. Both also suggested going to the farmer’s market. Naab and Gerber are both vegetarians and take advantage of the market.

“It’s the easiest and cheapest way to get produce,” Gerber said.

She said the produce at the farmer’s market is cheaper than at the grocery store, specifically noting peppers.

Organic food is also becoming more of a luxury for some students, but Naab thinks it’s important.

“I’m self-conscious of my body, so I spend extra to know it’s healthy,” she said.

Jamelske said that while organic food is expensive, it’s still an option for students willing to pay for it.

“Just getting the fresh fruit grown locally is a right step,” he said. “To know where food comes from and that it has less of an effect on the environment offers a really nice solution for students.”

While prices are going up, Jamelske said no one – including farmers and grocery stores – is really seeing a profit.

Whether students can expect this trend to increase, Jamelske said he’s not sure, but that there are effects worth concern for shoppers.

“The overall economy could be teetering on the edge of a recession,” he said.

When we get pessimistic, we tend to feel less like spending money. It might not mean everything is in the tank. But if people think it is, they spend less money on other things, which could, overall, hurt the economy.”