With the risk of sounding like your nagging parents, we are going to start off by suggesting that college students mostly spend their pocket-money on junk foods, or as they might want to call them – SOS foods. 

If you have decided to read on further through this blog after reading the title, then it means that you definitely understand which part of your monthly expenses is ‘eating’ away your budget. Before we begin our list of cheap yet filling snacks for college students, read the incident mentioned below to ascertain that we are the right people to take food advice from! Almost all of us may find this story highly relevant to some of our own experiences with hunger.

You get off from the endless hours of class after class daily grind and some more tuition classes when you hear a bone-chilling almost haunting sound, like that from a man-hungry haunted mansion and you soon realize that it is nothing but the sound of your stomach. You remember that in this daily grind you completely forgot to refuel your stomach and start imagining how you can indulge in some fast food to satiate your hunger.

You head off to a nearby Indie-Chinese joint with a menu of delicacies that are mostly spelt wrong and suddenly the smell of freshly cooked tandoori or Chinese food whooshes into your nostrils making you drool uncontrollably. So much so, that while ordering the food you can barely keep your bodily embarrassment in your mouth and the waiter is slyly smiling seeing your hunger. Seeing this unspoken exchange between you and the waiter you choose to get out of the situation fast and do not even ask you about the total and order as much as possible. Soon the food arrives and you pounce at it embodying a lion in his conquests. After you’re done you ask for the cheque and seeing the amount mentioned in the bill what leaves your mouth is not a satisfactory burp but an exclamatory sigh! Darn it...you know have to diet and live on bananas for the next two days to compensate for this impulsive indulgence!

Relevant right?! But fear not as we have some other convenient options other than plain old banana for snacking within budget. Here’s a list of such foods:

Go nuts for nuts:

This is an easy way to find a healthy dose of protein while not compromising the health of your pockets. To keep things interesting try a mixed bunch of nuts for some added sweetness and combination of different textures. And the best bangs for your protein buck are pistachios and almonds.

If you want to get especially adventurous then you can also try some pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

You get Yogurt:

Again to save your pocket from getting hurt (rhyming unintended) you could get some yogurt which is a healthy and economical snack that is also readily available. This food has also got some recent buzz as a pop culture favourite, but it does have some valid points for staying. A snack low in sugar with a good content of protein and being a creamy delight (Greek yogurt) to be a good replacement or ice-cream makes this a weight loss staple.

Eggs for eggs-treme hunger:

Too hungry to think straight?! Do not get lured into buying that oil dripping cutlet, simply reach for the hard-boiled egg instead. They are fast filling as well as light on the pockets being around INR 5-6 only. They are also a primo protein source and are packed with healthy amino acids. The compound choline present in eggs is also known to be fat fighting.

Here were our best examples of cheap yet filling snacks that do not taste blunt, or in other words are not Oats! But jokes aside sometimes college students get really hungry and the wait to getting a healthy food when there are so many easy unhealthy options available around them is difficult. So, we recommend that you step into a quality eatery that make their foods from scratch and use fresh produce. And if you are worried about your budget, then try out a college student discount card to save on every order.

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It is time to put your wizard hat on and learn more about life in Hogwarts. Although one of the greatest novel series of our times has come to a conclusion with the books and movie series meeting their climax, but we still speculate about our favorite boy with a lightning shaped scar on his forehead – Harry Potter. And with time some of the greatest fun facts about the series have been unearthed from the creator of the book JK Rowling. So, whilst you enjoy your extra hangout with the best deals for college students surprise your friends with these quirky facts on Harry Potter and his life at Hogwarts.

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Kolkata is a place steeped with history borrowing from its colonial past, politics, culture and liberalism with support for all kinds of eclectic beliefs. This is the land traversed by poets, writers, musicians, artists, rebellious politicians, economists and much more. Many make the mistake of brushing this place off by calling it “old school” stuck in a time warp of the 70s. But in terms of beliefs, thoughts and ideas Kolkata is much ahead that the rest of the country.

And when it comes to romance, the Bengali way of serenading your special lady to the tunes of “Chini go chini tomake”… or some of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ with self-played guitar music goes far beyond posh restaurants and hotels. But still when you meet your missing puzzle piece splurging a bit sounds only under doing.

Here is how you can make the day special for your girlfriend without breaking the bank account. And if you are in college this could be even easier with great college students available in Kolkata.

Begin the day with authentic Chinese breakfast at the street food stalls at Tiretta Bazaar:

Best to reach before 7 am to eat some of the best Chinese available at affordable prices. Sip piping hot duck soup with the best pork wantons served by Kolkata’s resident Chinese community. The bazaar is century old and starts at 6 am and gets packed up to disappear until the next morning at 8 am.

Then take a lazy stroll from Ahiritola Ghat to Kumortuli and…

If you get some extra time take an auto to Haritaki Bagan Lane for soaking more of Kolkata charm

While not the best routes to take in comparison to the wide and clean roads of the newer parts of the IT centric corporate city areas, but still a quaint riverside walk is one of the best ways to absorb the real Kolkata charm.

View the idols of Durga in making by the artisans in Kumortuli and take a stroll around the narrow North Calcutta Lane called Haritaki bagan lane to reminisce about the aristocratic past of the French-windowed bungalows.

The main attraction ­– Indo-European architecture mixed with art deco splashes here and there. (note that clicking pictures here is often chargeable)

Get sporty at lunch at the Bikers Café

If you are the adventurist kind of couple rather than the cheesy mushy kind, then you will love to lunch at the Bikers café in Kolkata surrounded by some great enthusiastic crowds, with biker size scrumptious meals. And what’s more? For students with YUP card subscription you can get college student discounts on every billing order.

Walk off the heavy meal with some serious shopping at New Market

Practice your haggling skills while you buy the best of street fashion and junk jewelry to make your special lady feel extra special at the oldest market in Kolkata.

Quench your thirst with some chilled beer at the Big Ben at Kenilworth

Get all the feel of going back to Kolkata’s colonial past with this British boozer like pub and with your college ID bag some extra student offers. 

Catch the latest show at the Star theatre and get your evening fill with Goli Vada Pav

One of the oldest movie theatres in the city, the architecture of the theatre is reminiscent of the city’s royal past.

Get spicy with some Pav Bhaji at Goli Vada pav the favorite hangout spot for youngsters in the city.

                                                                     Flat 10% off Total bill

End the day on a sweet note with some gelato from Mama Mia

While parting with your loved one for the day might be bitter, but you can sweeten things up with some delicious ice-cream from Mama Mia. The gelato from this place stays frozen for the longest time (so you get to spend some extra time with her to avoid getting a brain freeze).

                                                        Flat 20% off on all your purchases at select Mama Mia Outlets

Now go have some romantic time out with the taste of Kolkata.

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Let’s face it it’s not the small budget, lack of time, or the small dorm room that is preventing you from doing that pile of clothes that is growing like a gargantuan black hole threatening to consume the whole dorm room. It is sheer laziness that is keeping you from washing your dirty laundry which you probably last washed when you were leaving home. And that bed-sheet yes, it was favorite baby pink or aqua which now looks like the shroud of Turin. It may just be the time to address the whole laundry situation in your room to make some space for yourself. And if you want to go the smarter way and you live in Kolkata, then the city of joy can save your happiness with Launderette. The deal can be further sweetened if you have a YUP card subscription to bag amazing discounts on laundry services by these magic washers like Launderette.

For others, this crash course on doing your own laundry will help you assert some much needed independence and also reassure you that you are going to be fine on your own.  Here is our crash course on cleaner laundry for freshman in college:

1.    Get your hands on those laundry supplies:

Things you should get: detergent, dryer sheets, a laundry bag or basket

Extra smart tip: now that you have waited months to get your laundry and you cannot carry a big box of detergent along with your mountainous heap of dirty clothes, then we recommend a smart strategy to pour some of the detergent into a water bottle. They are much lighter with greater portability for easy usage.

Also a good tip is to get a sturdy laundry basket which is divided into two sections for clothes and cleaning products in the two different chambers. You may also separate light and dark clothes in advance before you step into the laundry room which will become your panic room if you do not prepare in advance.

2.    Separating the laundry:

There are multiple ways one can do this, but basically the categories all come down to 4 basics. You need to separate – whites or light colored clothes, the dark ones, the delicate clothes that will require extra care (these are not based on your personal favorites) and the towels/bedding/jeans.

But things are not always this cut and dry and you may need to think smartly about separating laundry when in a hurry. For instance grey clothing can be easily washed with a white or a black one. You may also choose to throw in a bed sheet or a towel with dark clothing depending on the color of the material.

Note that you must never put in a newly bought red or purple laundry with a white one. In fact it may a good idea to wash it separately once or twice before you decide to wash it with other fellow clothing.

3.    Stay off the rush and choose the right time to spend with your dear laundry

Are you an early bird? Or a night owl? Then use this time to do your laundry when the rest of the college students are busy taking a snooze. That way you will be able to get it done as fast as possible, also some colleges and Laundromats only offer limited time access to college students, so timing your visit to the washers may be a necessity. 

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