By Chase Davis
11 March 2004

Ramen Noodles: A $1 or less dish best served hot, dusted with a fine powder seasoning and cooked at high temperature for one minute. Stir evenly and serve. It isn’t a dish that is easily botched - fine gourmet dining at a reasonable price.

The only problem is that if you’re pouring the seasoning in before you cook the noodles, you’re making a terrible mistake.

At least that’s the opinion of college sophomore and Ramen aficionado Travis Lennox. He says pouring the seasoning on after the noodles are cooked enhances the taste and kills the often unwelcome stench of boiling spice.

"It gets tired," he said. "The more you eat it, the more different ways you have to try to make it."

No wonder it gets tired. Becoming the high-profile metaphor of indebted and financially battle-worn college students could wear anything out. But if anything objectifies a college student’s need for thrifty spending more, it hasn’t yet been created.

"Sometimes Ramen and Sprite can make up a whole meal," said Lennox, who attends Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minn. "You have to start paying attention to what you want versus what you need."

For example, Lennox said he went a month without buying new shoes even though his old ones were falling apart, because his budget didn’t allow for it.

"You definitely end up learning ways to make [your money] go further," he said.

Shopping for discounted food is always a safe bet for students tiring of university-provided meal plans. Luckier students may notice that parents suffering from empty nest syndrome may use food shipments as a stable connection.

Ultimately, there is very little difference in the taste of Malt-O-Meal brand or other generic cereal brands from leading name brands. According to consumer report surveys, Malt-O-Meal alone typically costs $1 less than the average box of cereal.

Lennox said eating out, a dangerous temptation for students inundated with starchy, reheated cafeteria food, is the largest entertainment expense of many people he has met.

Another danger some students often fail to recognize is the temptation of credit, which can sometimes put students into a situation of compounding debt that creates further financial struggles.

Kristoffer Johnson, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, amassed more than a $1,000 debt during his freshman year, paying for rent, car repairs and entertainment expenses.

"I would go out with friends and pay for dinner on my card and have them pay me back in cash," he said. "Then I would forget about the debt and spend the cash they gave me."

Practicing what he called the "credit card shuffle," Johnson kept paying his minimum balances and sometimes transferred portions of his debt to other cards. Interest rates for students just beginning to use credit cards can often exceed 20 percent, making any kind of debt get deeper as months go on.

"If you don’t have the cash to pay for it you shouldn’t put it on a card," said Lennox, who also said he is only considering using credit to help him pay for groceries next year.

For many, college is a time when budgeting and financial planning abilities are truly put to the test. Lennox recommends developing a budget and sticking to it in order to belay last-minute fiscal crises.

Ultimately, creative financial planning and willingness to settle for less will save the average student a good amount of money, which can be very helpful in affording to splurge away from Ramen. Lennox said he treats himself away from Ramen to a pack of pre-cooked bratwurst when he has a little extra cash.

"That’s life and a half right there," he said.

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