Bringing Food to Class: How to Have Your Dinner and Eat it Too

When I started my life as a grad student, I knew I couldn't afford to eat dinner out all the time on nights I had class from 6:00 to 9:45. But my options seemed limited. Sandwiches were a sensible, frugal, and easy possibility, but I've just never craved a sandwich past lunchtime. I like a little variety in my dinners. Not peanut butter and jelly.

But in my year of experience, I've come far. I've learned that I have options. And so do you.

You can have a truly satisfying meal without resorting to takeout or a lunchtime redux. Here are some alternatives to your run-of-the-mill brown bag lunch or dinner.

• Try bento. Sushi is definitely an exception to my hot-food-for-dinner rule. I'm not suggesting anyone attempt to hand-roll their own maki before rushing off to class, but consider the bento box for creative, varied Japanese-style meals. Bento boxes are widely available and because they're so small and use space so efficiently, they can be a great way to transport your meals. You can find them for around $10 if you shop around, and they're hardy and more eco-friendly than paper bags.
  

If you do try packing your meals in bento boxes, there are a lot of sites out there with suggestions and recipes for bento box meals, such as Just Bento and Lunch in a Box.

Even if you don't want to buy a bento box, you can use some of the strategies and recipes there to think beyond the usual sandwich or salad.

Image credit: "bento" by uberculture. Flickr Creative Commons.

• Get a thermos. Think of it as an investment. You'll save so much money if you use it regularly rather than eating out. And you'd be surprised-- thermoses aren't just for drinks or soup anymore. This summer I bought an Aladdin lunch-and-go container for $12.99 at Target, and it's revolutionized my class nights. All I have to do is pre-heat the container (I put it in the microwave for a few minutes), fill it with delicious just-cooked food (or just-reheated leftovers), and it will stay warm for hours. This is your best bet for hot food when you don't have access to a microwave.
  

An added bonus of having a thermos is that you can make your own tea or coffee at home and save the money you would have spent on a hot drink at Starbucks or Dunkin'. (And if you must have your steamed milk or caramel drizzle, at least we know how to get around some of that expense.)

Lookin' for a New Idea on Your Next Sunday Funday? Well Bostonians, Davis Square Is IT!

Graduate students’ budgets often get in the way of entertainment. As grad students, money IS sometimes everything. But there are ways to curb the pricey clubs and premium local movie theatres by checking out a great little spot off the Red-line. Yes, readers, this article is super Boston-specific and I think it’s time we gave a little bit more praise to a place we like to call—Davis Square.

Why Davis Square? Let’s look at three reasons why Davis Square should in fact be your destination for your next Sunday Funday.

• Grab a quick beer at Mike’s Pub and Grill located at the corner of College and Highland Ave. During warmer weather, it’s great to grab a seat outside or near one of the open windows and people watch on the streets surrounding you. Hard day? Tired? Need to vent? Sip some ice cold cheap beer and munch on a calzone and you’re set for an evening fit for a king/queen and most importantly, a grad student.

• Look at the time—seems like the perfect time for a movie! After leaving the bar at aperfect time before the dinner rush starts, you leisurely walk up Highland Ave just a block or so and find the Sommerville Theatre. Don’t let those Gothic owls intimidate you—Sommerville Theatre has the cheapest movie prices in the Boston area. With its awesome décor and kitchy art exhibit located on the lower level—it’d make a great second half to your evening.

• Still not tired? Feeling like your night wouldn’t be finished without some killer barbecue? Well, Redbones Barbecue is your place for after dinner discourse—and maybe further venting about those grad classes you’ve been taking. Redbones has a great drink selection, a comfortable and eclectic color scheme and great waitstaff. But most importantly, Redbones has the best barbecue you’re sure to find anywhere else (and that includes the debonair McRib)!

Hmmm, outdoor drinks? Movie night and barbecue night? And all just a few blocks from one another? I sure can’t think of anything else a Sunday Funday would need—except of course, great company and a few laughs.

DIY Design: Tips for Decorating Your Apartment on a Budget

Once you've moved into your apartment, those blank white walls can be intimidating. As a renter, your lease might not let you repaint, put up wallpaper or drill holes in the walls. Add in classes, work, and the student loans looming over your head, and you might feel like you don't have the time, money or energy to fix up your new place at all.

But you do have options. There are simple, frugal, and easy ways to make your new place yours-- and keep your landlord happy, too.

• Buy a blank canvas and a few tubes of acrylic paint and make your own modern art.
  
• You may not be able to put up traditional wallpaper, but how about making your own out of fabric and a little starch? It's cheaper, easier, and one hundred percent removable. This is also a good option if you're allowed to paint or wallpaper but can't afford to or don't have the time.
  
• Another inexpensive (but less removable) wallpaper alternative is to make a dictionary wall out of a secondhand, falling apart dictionary (or book of your choice).
  
• Apply a wall decal or two in lieu of paint, wallpaper, or artwork. Wall decals are removable and stylish. The downside is that they can be expensive, and once removed they cannot be re-used, so it's not a good option if you might relocate over the next few years.
  
• Art prints and postcards make for beautiful and cost-effective decor. Small 9 x 13" prints run around $5 each at museums. Postcards are 50 cents! Vary the sizes (and artists) and stagger them for visual appeal.
  

Art prints, posters and postcards nicely arranged, the day after moving into my first apartment.

• DIY artwork is even cheaper. If you're not artistically inclined, find a friend who is. One of my roommates paints and does quirky ink drawings. Not one of our walls is blank or boring.
  
• Save greeting cards, postcards, and flyers and hang them up. This is a great way to add character to a room, and it won't cost you a cent.