The end of the first month of 2017 is about to arrive. New Year’s resolutions vary from person to person and place to place. Whether it’s becoming more organized or doing your homework the night before it’s due, “new year, new me” is always the slogan.

The most common New Year’s resolution we see across the board is people trying to get fit and eat healthier. Jan. 1, is the day gym memberships soar and the day Weight Watchers subscriptions take full affect. Being a college student usually means you are always on the go, and fitting in a healthy meal is most definitely a chore in its own.

Between the vast sea of coupon apps available on our phones and the healthy options at the local campus dining center, these options are a few ways to help keep your resolution on the right path.

Many of us who live on campus have likely enrolled in a meal plan at some point during our on campus living days. I currently still live in the dorms, but I am lucky my mom sends me healthy options from home (while still slipping some chocolate chip cookies in the undercarriage of my cooler). The burgers, grilled cheese and chicken nuggets may look appetizing, but we know that is not the healthiest option on campus. Just because it isn’t the healthiest option doesn’t mean you have to cut them out of your diet entirely. Instead of two helpings of chicken nuggets and a plate full of waffle fries, try to opt out for one serving of nuggets, a small salad or fruit, and a small amount of fries on the side. Try to steer in the direction of a tall glass of fruit infused water or milk, rather than sugary sports drinks or soda. This is a good way to begin observing the type of foods you are eating and tailoring your healthy eating habits to your need.

When our parents come up to visit us or we go home for a weekend to escape school, our parents are kind enough to take us out to eat, usually to a restaurant of our choice. Going out to eat with friends, family and colleagues might be an everyday thing to some of us, and this could set our healthy eating habits behind. I know my usual option is Green Mill, Ground Round or Muddy Rivers. Usually a big order of wings or a juicy hamburger is my go-to favorite. Instead of opting for these options, try picking a restaurant with many options for food. Restaurants like Applebee’s, Olive Garden or Green Mill have many different options of food to choose from, that way your family members also have options if you are trying to stay healthy. If your family is trying to also monitor their eating, sit down together and come up with a plan for a healthier restaurant in the neighborhood. If neither of these are options, try focusing on something light, and eat in moderation.

Once we haved moved on and out of the dorms, we are now in charge of doing our own grocery shopping. Trying to budget between paying rent and utilities, getting groceries and having money for fun and free time can definitely be a challenge if you haven’t learned how to budget yet. Living in these new homes, we don’t have the option of swinging by Squires or Wilkerson to grab a quick ice cream treat or fruit. Don’t fret there are many options out there to help you afford healthy options. A couple apps that may help save you some money are Cartwheel by Target, and Shopkick. Cartwheel is an app that target created to simply help you save money. Each week they have new items that are discounted on the app which may save you quite a bit of money in the long run. You can either look at the long array of discounted items and add them to your Cartwheel barcode, or you have the options of scanning your items as you shop and adding them there. You can also use Cartwheel with coupons that Target releases every week to save even more. I’ve been using Cartwheel myself for two years now and have saved about $200. The app is not just for food savings, it also has clothes, cleaning supplies, and virtually anything you can think of that Target may sell. It is available both on androids and iPhones. Shopkick is also a free app where you get paid to shop. Everytime you walk into certain establishments you can accumulate points for just being there. You also have the option of going around the store and scanning certain things that are told to you on the app. Once you scan those items, you get more points. You can also link up your debit or credit card to the app and get points just for checking out the groceries you have purchased. What are all these points used for you may ask? These points are used to get you free gift cards along with many other cool and expensive prizes.

I hope this demonstrates all the options that are out there to help you save money on your new healthy eating habits. Stick with it and you can do this.

Breanna Roen is an  opinion writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]