As the cost of food stays high in California Long Beach City College, students struggle to learn how to navigate spending and saving their money.
In 2024, food prices in the Los Angeles area rose 3.5% overall with food from grocery stores rising 2.1% and food away from home rising 5% according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Long Beach City College has many places on campus where students can spend money on food, including the Viking Express located on the LAC campus.
The Viking Express offers quick drinks and snacks for busy college students to buy in between classes.
Students Dimitrious Vasquez, front, and Kristina Milan decide on what snack to buy from the Viking Express on Nov. 14, 2024. (Samantha Navarro)
“I go once or twice a week. I spend about five to ten dollars each time,” Kaleb Valdez, who frequents the Viking Express, said.
On average, Valdez spends about 15-20 dollars at the store each week, which adds up to 60 to 80 dollars every month and 320 dollars each semester.
“It’s good to hear the actual number. I didn’t know it was that much,” Valdez said.
“I would tell a student like Kaleb (Valdez) to schedule time off in your week to go to the grocery store. Plan your days out and prep food. Leftovers are your new best friend,” Personal Finance and Digital and Social Media professor Nick Carbonaro said.
The Viking Express isn’t the only opportunity for students to spend money on campus, a new coffee pavilion opened on the LAC campus in October.
“Just make your coffee at home and plan your dinners,” LBCC Economics professor Fred Beebe said.
Quick, thoughtless transactions like the ones that take place at the Viking Express and other hubs on campus make it easy for students to spend more money than they save.
“I try to save a portion of my paycheck, at least $100 per check,” LBCC student Zac Milton said.
While saving a percentage of every paycheck is a good tool, Carbonaro teaches his students an efficient way to do so.
“One thing I teach my students is the 70/10/10/10 model for budgeting. You take 70% of your income and use it for necessities like your food, clothing, and shelter. 10% goes to your savings, 10% to your investments like stocks, and the last 10% goes to community investments that you can write off for taxes,” Carbonaro said.
The monthly cost for groceries as a college student in California is $293, and college students spend an average of $410 a month eating off-campus food according to the Education Data Initiative.
“One simple piece of advice to save money is to shop the edges of the grocery store. That’s where your fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, poultry, and water are,” Carbonaro said.
Most of what students spend money on at places like The Viking Express are highly processed foods, which reside in the middle of grocery stores.
“Things like chips and candies cost money because they’re so processed. As food becomes more processed and moves through the supply chain, the prices increase, so avoid those,” Carbonaro said.
Despite the do’s and don’ts of saving money on food, LBCC is home to many services to help students in need financially.
“There are so many campus services to help. Go to Student Life or Student Services, the Viking Closet for clothing, the Food pantry (Viking Vault), even Mental and Physical Health Services,” Beebe said.
Other options for students include scholarships, career fairs, and taking advantage of student discounts.
“It was easier 40 years ago. It’s a different world now and it’s harder on younger people to work and go to school. You give up more now, but there are things that can help,” Beebe said.