“I Only Had Teabags and Flour”: Broke University Student Shares Her Weekly Meals

• A young South African scholar shared the kind of meals she eats as a broke university student 
• The youngster took pictures of the food she prepared on her low-budget and posted them on TikTok
• Mzansi was outraged by some of the dishes she ate, and the student explained her dire situation 

It is not uncommon for students to go broke at university, as some of them live far away from home.

Many scholars hopped on a now-viral trend of sharing the weekly meals they eat as broke students.

Broke student shares low-budget meals 

A young South African student from Johannesburg, Kamo, wowed Mzansi with the type of food she eats as a broke university student. The scholar opened up about her dire situation in a now-viral TikTok post:

“I’ve been meaning to hop on this challenge.”

The youngster ate a bowl of pap and one Russian sausage because she was out of bread and meat. She then had one chicken wing, dry rice and barely a teaspoon of gravy. Her poor cooking skills got the best of her, and she excused them by saying:

“I’ll hire a personal chef when I grow up.”

Things got very hectic for Kamo when she went to bed with a stomach full of biltong she had taken from work and pap. Her first decent meal was when she had her Zulu boyfriend over, and she cooked sausage, mashed potatoes, onion rings, and beans.

Things started going south again when she ate pasta with no gravy, but a drop of tomato sauce. She quickly picked herself up when she cooked spicy fish and chips for herself.

The next day, she had black tea and a crepe, which puzzled SA:

“I only had teabags and flour in the cupboard.”

Kamo swapped a traditional meal for grapes and yoghurt. Things started to get better for the student when she cooked pap and wors for her roommates.

Her Zulu boyfriend would occasionally cook a warm meal for them, but when she was by herself, she’d find a way to put whatever was in her cupboard to good use.

Watch the TikTok video below:

Mzansi reacts to broke student’s meals

Social media users were amazed by what the scholar ate and discussed it in the comments section:

@oxygen pointed out:

“You are just trying to survive.”

@Jules was stunned:

“Biltong and pap is diabolical.”

@Thulisile Sobahle Nk suggested:

“The Zulu guy needs to stay in the kitchen.”

@somamorake5 commented:

“I was not judging you until I saw pap and biltong.”

@T shared:

“The first meal made me drop my jaw.”

3 Must-read student-related stories by Briefly News

• South Africa praised a young and independent lady who owns a student accommodation building and rents it out to fellow scholars at an affordable price.
• Wits University student gagged fellow scholars with her luxurious res tour in a now-viral TikTok video.
• Cape Peninsula University of Technology students started protesting against financial exclusion after scholars slept outside during the first few weeks of the 2025 academic year.

Source: Briefly News