It’s 8 pm. If you live in residence, the dining hall is closed, and if you live off campus, it’s unlikely that you have the energy to prepare a gourmet meal for yourself. Regardless of your living situation, your financial position is more or less the same, meaning you have about as much disposable income as Tiger Woods had loyalty to his wife. Yeah, not much.

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Photo courtesy of thoughtsbyj.com

So now you’re thinking: what’s the most affordable solution to your crazy amount of hunger and minuscule bank balance? You check your wallet hoping for a twenty so you can grab wings and just maybe a beer if you’re lucky, but none to be found. Looking over at your desk you see only some change: nickels, dimes, and even a couple of loonies and toonies, so you decide you might as well settle for another couple bowls of Mr. Noodles. Well, you can thank the good Lord himself that you’re reading this right now, because thanks to a few simple ideas you finally have an alternative to eating ramen noodles every time your stomach starts growling.

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Photo courtesy of The Odyssey Online

Now after long last, here is a list of 6 incredible snacks made from simple ingredients, that by no means will break the bank.

1. Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich

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Photo by Christian Mappleback

This first snack is exactly what you would think it is: tasty, filling, and definitely one of the easiest things in the world to prepare. The cost of bananas per pound is about $0.78 CAD, a loaf of bread will run you $2.50, and peanut butter comes as cheap aa $3.00. Keep in mind that with these given ingredients, you can prepare this snack several times over for an incredibly low price that is easily affordable with the contents in your pile of change.

2. Yogurt & _______

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Photo by Christian Mappleback

This snack is so great because of how versatile it is. Yogurt itself is fairly inexpensive and comes in a variety of sizes and flavours. Add in a few other simple ingredients to make the recipe your own and you’re in for the snack of a lifetime. Some of my personal favourite additions include banana chips, granola chunks and diced apples. The world is your oyster with this one; just ensure you’re not getting too weird with it for your own sake.

3. Apples, Cheese & Crackers

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Photo by Christian Mappleback

This snack is a timeless classic. Three complimentary and respectable foods that when compiled together create an immaculate taste. Here you’ve got your citrus, you’ve got your cards, and you’ve even got dairy. What more could a foodie ask for?

4. Tuna Sandwich

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Photo by Christian Mappleback

We are all fully aware of how outrageously expensive meats can be. This is why tuna, costing half as much yet still tasting phenomenal, is our next best option. Once again the cost of bread is incredibly low, and with the help of our trusty tuna in addition to some compliments such as lettuce or tomatoes or even just a slice of cheese, makes for a filling and remarkably cheap snack.

5. Celery & Cheese Whiz

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Photo by Christian Mappleback

This is as easy, as greasy, as fulfilling as it gets. A stick of celery and some good ol’ Cheese Whiz. Need I say more? We’ve all heard the saying that the only calories that exist within celery are burnt off in the process of munching on a celery stick, and furthermore we’re all completely aware that Cheese Whiz is probably not the most healthy substance to put into our systems. However, the combination of the two polar opposites is both wonderfully filling and surprisingly delicious.

6. Popcorn

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Photo by Christian Mappleback

This is my personal favourite snack of all that are listed, however due to the outrageous price of popcorn at movie theatres, people are quick to forget how affordable popcorn actually is. As you can see in the photo above, a 6-pack of popcorn goes for $3.49; that’s 58 cents a bag before taxes! Incase you have all forgotten, popcorn is super filling, so get on this one.

 

I really hope the next time you guys are looking for something easy, something cheap, and something good, you won’t be so quick to turn to the classic Mr. Noodle fix, but alternatively will recall one of these ideas, spend that chump change of yours, and make the snack your own.