A Commuter's Guide to Packing - Megan

I live about 30 minutes away from campus and my classes start at 9 am, so I have to wake up around 7 am. Sleep is very important to me, especially before a long day of class, so I want to be able to sleep in as late as possible! Something that allows me to get all of the rest I need is preparing my breakfast the night before.

My personal favorite right now is overnight oats! The night before, I put oats in a cup and fill the cup with almond milk; overnight, the milk soaks into the oats and is ready first thing in the morning for you to enjoy! You may top it with whatever you want, my personal favorite toppings right now are sliced bananas and about a tablespoon of peanut butter, because I have found that this keeps me the fullest during the day.

I have class 3 times a week, so eating out every time can get expensive, and as a college student, not a viable option. I also tend to get hungry very quickly so I love to pack snacks as well as a lunch. The snacks I carry in my backpack and usually consist of carrot sticks, goldfish crackers, or a granola bar! I keep an insulated lunchbox in my car with an ice pack in it and keep my lunch in there during the day. My favorite easy lunches include wraps because I can pack them full with veggies and protein!

While I try my best to stick to this, sometimes I simply don’t have time the night before to prep food or my day is unusually long and I really don’t have a choice but to eat out. To help save some money, whenever gift-giving holidays come up and people in my family ask me for gift ideas, I always tell them gift cards for restaurants near my campus so I always have a meal in my wallet!

All in all, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to PLAN AHEAD! Do your best to make time the night before or maybe just have a designated meal prep day because your future self will thank you for not going to Whataburger four times a week.

Happy commuting!!

- Megan