I’m Hungry.
As a first generation college student, I wasn’t fully prepared to face the realities of making ends meet with the little money I had. The price to live on campus gave me a lot of stress because I never ended up receiving a refund check. In fact, I still ended up owing the university at least $5,000 every quarter.
For the first two years, I only had 10 meals a week available. It was the cheapest option they had when I applied to housing yet sometimes it was not enough. I always had a backup case of instant Cup Noodles because I knew I may not have any meals left at the end of the week.
10 meals a week → 2 meals a day → 5 out of 7 days
That’s all I could eat.
I am now living off campus and have been able to receive refund checks. The average I was spending on groceries every two weeks were about $50. If you don’t take the time to create a list and seek the weekly deals of different grocery stores, you’ll be spending more than you should. Coming from Los Angeles, prices in Santa Barbara can be very…high.
General brands were my go-to’s and all I could pretty much afford were frozen chicken breasts and rice. Of course every now and then I would decided to spend money at unnecessary places such as In-N-Out. I knew it wasn’t the smartest thing to do (bills kept pilling up as well as rent), but sometimes food was just my priority.
When it comes to seeking for help, we can be stubborn human beings. Our pride can take over and as a consequence, suffer.
Many students know about the local resources here in Santa Barbara and IV that can help with groceries. However, some do not.
Did you know the A.S Food Bank was only created in the Spring of 2011?
UCSB’s A.S Food Bank is available for undergrad as well as graduate students. They provide food and toiletries. There are other locaitons in IV such as the Catholic Charities IV every Thursday evening that provide groceires as well. On the first Thursday of every month, IV Elementary distributes supplemental grocieries to the communit as well!
If you would like a prepared meal……
Cafe Picasso has brunch on Sundays at 12:30
6586 Picasso Road
