Money College: Freeze your food, ice your savings

"You're not eating right!"

Your mother pictures the collegiate diet and living space as reflections of one another, like a Bud Light house made entirely of ramen noodles. Believe it or not, meals that are no less versatile or convenient than salt-soaked noodles are yours to be had on any budget or schedule. Just freeze it then forget it.

Deanna Buxton, author of Dinner is Ready! 30 Meals in One Day, began freezing a month's worth of meals at once when her children were young and her schedule as hectic as a student's.

Trial and error resulted in fresh, versatile meals that resembled gourmet creations rather than the Campbell's soup-soaked atrocities so often associated with freezer meals. She estimates that by simply planning ahead, she cut her food bill in half.