When you are in college it is easy to act like your life is not exactly full of tough decisions. You live with all of your friends, there is always an opportunity to go out, and other than doing well academically, no real responsibility is put on you. Although this lifestyle seems pretty relaxed and carefree, for some reasons college students have high stress levels and always seem to want to take the easy way out, especially with low-involvement decisions. One of these low-involvement decisions is food purchases, although it seems like such a small choice that doesn’t have a large impact on our day to day spending, it turns out that this is something that causes the majority of students to constantly hit the ATM or swipe their credit cards. College students live a lifestyle where they live in the moment but I think that as a choice architect it is important to help students realize the importance of taking the time to make the smart decision and buy groceries instead of take the easy way out and just go out to eat. Shopping at the grocery store will allow students to save large amounts of money every week and also eat healthier.
It is easy to explain why students dine out more than they buy groceries. The obvious reason is the general convenience of it all, not just in terms of time but also in terms of thinking. Students are given a menu with all ready-made recipes that are also tried and liked by other students. This is much more convenient that the thought of creating your own meal with the possibility that it may not even come out the way you want it to. Another perceived pro of dining out is the idea of not having to clean up and thinking too hard. With busy schedules often making them hungry and the constant temptation of so many restaurants, students often make compulsive decisions to eat out because they are in a hot state of mind.
My last reason that students dine out instead of buy groceries is because it is a large aspect of their social lives. Cafes, eateries, and restaurants are places where students can study together, celebrate something, go on dates, or just hang out with friends. I think it is very reasonable to say that social pressures and groups largely affect dining out.
In the Journal of Consumer Affairs, there is a study called “Money Attitudes, Credit Card Use, and Compulsive Buying among American College Students” that focuses on spending habits among college students. Overall there is a large trend of compulsivity, and lack of thinking and realizing the later costs. Students become doers instead of planners. By encouraging students to purchase groceries instead of going out to eat for instant gratification will help them be more financially stable in the long run.
In order to become a choice architect and help students save money by regularly shopping at grocery stores, we must attack the reasons that cause them to go out to eat. Our mission should be to make grocery shopping a fun easy experience that rewards students for making such a smart decision by saving their money.
The first issue is convenience; we must help students realize the cost now but strong benefit later by shopping at a grocery store. The best way for students to realize this is to try to make the cost as obsolete as possible. The first way to eliminate personal cost is by creating the most possible convenience. There should be at least two accessible grocery stores on campus, making it easy for students to get there. The