It's hard to maintain a healthy vegan or vegetarian lifestyle when the price of food is rising and minimum wage is not. As a recent uni grad, here are some helpful tips that I have gathered from being an absolutely broke college student.

1.) Budget, budget, budget! If your budget is $30 a week then make it $30 a week. Think ahead of what bigger items you may need to buy later down the road and save parts of your weekly budget to buy a staple item in bulk.

2.) Stay away from prepackaged meals and meat replacements. Vegan doggies and beyond burgers taste divine but they aren't so good for your wallet. Instead of of buying a hamburger replacement find a way to use what you have already.

3.) In keeping with number 2, an easy recipe for vegan nuggets is to buy a block of firm tofu and create your own breaded coating. These are significantly cheaper than buying nuggets from Yves or anything vegan company. My favourite is dipping the nuggets in ketchup and soya sauce (a lot of recipes call for bbq sauce but I usually don't have bbq sauce lying around) and then dipping them in either quinoa or panko.

4.) Another easy and cheap meal replacement hack is using red lentils in the place of ground hamburger. I do this to make a sloppy joe (usually by adding leftover jarred pasta sauce because food waste sucks and I'm not buying a tiny can of tomato paste for the same price as a can of pasta sauce.) This lentil hack can also be used to make shepard's pie, bolognese sauce, and even lentil burgers.

5.) In keeping with the magic of lentils. Another great cheap meal hack is a can of soup plus a cup of cooked lentils! My favourites are tomato based soups like vegetable and tomato. Cook the lentils first, then once you've drained them cook the soup by following the directions and adding the lentils. It takes a thin, measly Campbell's tomato soup to a cafe worthy lentil soup!

6.) Make your own bread. I asked for a bread machine for Christmas three years ago and very rarely have bought sliced bread since. I also use my bread machine to make pizza dough when I'm craving greasy pizza. AND homemade bread makes great gifts to people because who doesn't love bread!

7.) Spice it up! Add spices and herbs to all of your dishes. Only have rice in the cupboard? Well, add some dill or curry to that shit and it will taste a thousand times better than plain old rice.

Managing finances in a college is no easy task. With multiple departments, fee collections, scholarships, salaries, maintenance costs, and countless day-to-day expenses, keeping everything transparent and accurate can feel overwhelming. Traditional methods like spreadsheets and manual records often fall short leading to errors, delays, and even financial mismanagement.

This is where Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems make a real difference. By integrating all financial operations into one platform, ERP empowers colleges to manage budgets and track expenses more effectively, ensuring accuracy, accountability, and transparency across the institution.

Why Financial Tracking Matters for Colleges

Colleges are not just academic institutions they are also large organizations with significant financial responsibilities. From collecting student fees and allocating funds to managing staff salaries, hostel expenses, and departmental budgets, financial operations directly impact the smooth functioning of the college.

When finances are not tracked properly, it can lead to:

Delayed payments and reimbursements

Inaccurate budgeting for departments

Lack of clarity in audits

Misallocation of funds

Reduced trust among stakeholders (students, parents, staff, and regulatory bodies)

An ERP system addresses these challenges by providing real-time insights and automated processes for financial management.

How ERP Improves College Budgeting

Centralized Budget Planning ERP platforms allow colleges to set up budgets for different departments academic, administrative, cultural, or research within a single system. This eliminates confusion and ensures that all allocations are transparent and easily trackable.

Forecasting and Resource Allocation With access to past financial data, ERP helps administrators forecast expenses and allocate resources more effectively. Whether it’s planning for new lab equipment or upcoming campus events, ERP ensures that the budget aligns with realistic financial expectations.

Prevents Overspending ERP can flag overspending in real time, alerting administrators before issues spiral out of control. This ensures financial discipline while allowing flexibility for urgent requirements.

Expense Tracking Made Simple

Automated Fee Collection and Expense Linking Colleges often collect fees under multiple categories tuition, lab fees, hostel fees, and more. ERP automatically links these collections to departmental expenses, giving administrators a clear view of how funds are being utilized.

Detailed Expense Reports ERP generates expense reports for individual departments, events, or activities. This makes it easier for management to analyze where the money goes and identify areas to cut unnecessary costs.

Transparency in Payroll and Vendor Payments Payrolls, contractor bills, and vendor payments are all tracked within the ERP, leaving no room for hidden expenses or discrepancies. This not only saves time but also builds trust with staff and service providers.

Enhancing Accountability and Transparency

One of the biggest advantages of ERP in financial management is the audit-ready data it provides. Since all transactions are recorded digitally, colleges can present clear, verifiable records during inspections or audits. This reduces compliance risks and builds credibility with governing bodies.

Additionally, ERP systems often allow controlled access for different stakeholders. For example:

Administrators can view overall budgets and expense reports.

Department heads can track their allocated funds.

Students and parents can check their fee payments and dues online.

This level of transparency ensures accountability at every level of financial management.

Real-Life Impact: From Complexity to Clarity

Imagine a college without ERP, where multiple ledgers are maintained manually, and staff spend days preparing reports for audits. Now, compare this with a college using ERP, where administrators can generate detailed financial summaries with just a few clicks. The difference is not just efficiency it’s accuracy, reliability, and peace of mind.

Colleges that adopt ERP often report:

Reduced administrative workload

Faster decision-making on financial matters

Improved trust among students and parents

Fewer errors in budgeting and expense reports

Conclusion

In today’s fast-evolving education sector, financial transparency and efficiency are just as important as academic excellence. By adopting an ERP system, colleges can streamline budget planning, track expenses accurately, and ensure accountability at every level.

-Download apps like Ibotta or store apps in order to see what’s on sale and then plan your meals around that

-This website is amazing: https://www.freestufffinder.com, it shows you coupons and deals on brands and stores!  I’ve found some amazing deals on this website 

-Buy frozen pre-made burgers: First, you have an easy dinner and lunch.  Second, you can use the meet to make chili, tacos, etc from recipes like https://www.iheartnaptime.net/healthy-turkey-chili-recipe/  ,http://www.itscheatdayeveryday.com/low-carb-teriyaki-turkey-bowls/, or https://houseofyumm.com/best-ever-taco-meat/

-Make your own seasonings: Most pre-made seasonings are made with stuff around the kitchen.  You can add to your spice cabinet by buying dried herbs and other spices while saving money by making your own rubs and marinades! https://www.rachelcooks.com/2011/10/28/homemade-taco-seasoning/ 

-Buy almond milk: It takes longer to expire so you avoid throwing away any excess milk.

-Buy frozen fruit:  First, they’re an amazing snack. Second, your can add it to yogurt/milk/etc to make ice cream and other smoothies

-Buy greek yogurt:  This one is a little strange but it saves a few bucks.  First, you don’t need to buy sour cream since greek yogurt is a healthy substitute. Second, adding honey and peanut butter to make flavored yogurt.

With our Money Matters spring series up and running, we thought we’d take a look back at our Money Matters “poster child” from the fall! Rachel Geier took home a lot more than a TV at the end of our fall Money Matters sessions--she took home some serious financial knowledge. We asked Rachel to give us the low-down on her experiences with Money Matters and why she thinks it’s important. Thinking about participating in our spring series? We have a feeling her answers will seal the deal!

Who is our Money Matters all-star, Rachel Geier?

I’m a third-semester nursing student, working to graduate sometime this year. I work in Academic Services as a peer tutor and provide students help as a PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) leader. I mainly provide one-on-one appointments for nursing and health students. Along with tutoring, I work as a CNA for hospice at Tomah Memorial Hospital. I commute about an hour and a half two to four times a week for school. When I’m not on the road, working, or studying, I enjoy spending time in the great outdoors. I’m especially fond of hunting and fishing with my dog, Duke!

How did you find out about Money Matters fall series?

I initially found out about Money Matters via an email sent out to students. I also follow Student Central’s Facebook page and continued to see information regarding the series.

Why did you want to participate?

I initially wanted to participate because I wanted to learn more about money management. I’m a firm believer that everyone should be somewhat educated when it comes to finances, as it’s applicable to anyone’s everyday life.  While I feel like I’ve always had a fairly good grasp on money management, I was interested in getting more help with student loan repayment and being smarter about everyday costs.

What did you learn while attending the sessions?

I learned a lot about goal-setting and saving. In particular, I learned the importance of setting short-term, midterm, and long-term goals that are specific and achievable. I also gained a better understanding of managing credit cards and the difference between good and bad credit. Finally, I learned the importance of a monthly budget and how to update it based on lifestyle and circumstantial changes.

What would you say was your favorite part of the Money Matters series? Which presentation was your favorite?

I definitely enjoyed Budgeting the Benjamins the most. I found the hand-outs with information on building a basic budget to be applicable and understandable. I learned different ways to reduce spending by $5 a day for a full month and how it ultimately saves you a ton of money per year. That’s as easy as avoiding a Starbucks run or purchasing food every day at school. Through the Budgeting the Benjamins session, I gained a much better understanding of how all these little things add up. We also learned about shopping for generic or off-brands instead of brand name items and how it can help me save during trips to the grocery store. While I enjoyed this session the most, I definitely took away just as many tips and saving tricks from every other session I attended!

We know you took away a TV, but what else would you say you’ve been able to apply to your budgeting and finances since participating in the series?

I took away a lot of great information from the Money Matters series! I went into the sessions hoping for ways to save, and I was definitely not disappointed! I gained helpful tips on ways to pay my debt and feel much better about my daily spending now. With all the knowledge I gained, I will likely be able to pay off my debt sooner than originally expected!

Would you recommend the Money Matters series to other students?

Yes, I would definitely recommend it! I think everyone could benefit from the information it provides because everyone works with money! I’m excited to participate in the Money Matters spring series as well – especially the Frugal Foodies session! I find that I’m always being wasteful with food at home with my busy schedule and I’m excited to learn some new, time-saving recipes!

We want to thank Rachel for participating in our Money Matters series and for telling us all about her experience. We know that between work and school, many students have little time to dedicate to our sessions, but if Rachel can do it, so can you!