Chow Bella's Gift Guide for the Starving College Student

What? Not done with your holiday shopping? Yeah, neither are we. But we've been making lists -- and checking them twice -- and we've got some suggestions for the nice people on your list. Today, Chow Bella's Gift Guide for the Starving College Student.

There's no single word that universally describes the living situation of a college student like "starving." Doesn't matter what school or city or time of year. If you're in school, you're probably eating more ramen and drinking more shitty coffee than you ever imagined you would. The good news is that the holidays are here, and that means gifts. Do the education-loving young adults in your life a favor and ditch the books and tech-gadgets for stuff we really need. Put some flavor in that stocking and something savory under the tree.

See also: - Chow Bella's Gift Guide for the Aspiring Bartender

Costco (or CSA) Membership Buying toilet paper in the smallest possible portions is neither efficient nor financially savvy. But for the starving student, "the necessities" quickly become optional. And that's not a good thing.

Give your coed a Costco membership ($55 for a Gold Star membership) and he or she can save a small fortune on groceries and more. As another option, consider a Community Supported Agriculture membership, offered locally by Maya's Farm ($300 for a 12 week membership) among others. For five of our favorites, check out list of Five Favorite CSAs in Metro Phoenix. This way you'll sleep easy knowing your student is getting healthy dose of greens and they won't have to make any extra trips to the store.

A Gift Card to La Grande Orange Grocery When it comes to studying, the college student can spend only so many hours in the library before one of two things happens. First, his or her head will explode from the utter silence and social isolation. Or two, he or she will pass out from lack of caffeine (a drug to which nine out of ten college students are addicted) and/or food. Neither is good.

The solution is a place like LGO, where coffee and food and a friendly neighborhood hangout collide. A gift card makes the trip worthwhile -- a.k.a. free -- and there's really no better deal than that. Single Serve Coffee Maker Back to that coffee thing we mentioned: The habit adds up. When the line at the local coffee shop stretches out the door and we're running to make class on time, being late can be just as bad as showing up sans drink. Consider this gift an education investment.

There are plenty of varieties, from the Keurig ($99 and up) to the Nescafe Dolce Gusto ($59 on Amazon, for the Italian major in your life), even Starbucks has their line of Verisimo machines ($199).

Collection of Family Recipes There are a quite a few things your college student will be missing about home not the least of which will probably be all those home-cooked meals. Care packages are great, but eventually they'll blow through that bag of popcorn -- knowledge, however, will last a lifetime. Do your student a favor and give the gift of the family recipes that they've grown up eating, but never learned to make.

Six Pack of Four Peaks Beer It's four months into the school year, which means your college student is probably overdosed on Pabst Blue Ribbon and Rolling Rock, making this a perfect opportunity for you to ride in on your white horse and save them from the horrors of cheap beer. Take the safe route and bundle up a six pack of something from local-favorite Four Peaks Brewery and you're sure to top their favorite relatives list through at least the New Year.

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