Being a student is tough - you're always on a budget, and always on the go. This made shopping trips tough until I found my favorite life hack as a student and a foodie- buying ingredients that can be kept for extended periods of time, and used in various ways. Chex fits this description, making it the perfect cereal for busy college students. Here are seven reasons why Chex should be in every college student's pantry.

1. It Is A Healthy Cereal

Photo Courtesy of Chex

Who doesn't love cereal? You can have cereal any time of the day - for breakfast, lunch, or dinner- and not be judged. Cereals are convenient, and don't involve any cooking, so you can eat it right out of the box, with or without milk. It's wholesome goodness, and a healthy, nutritious option. Chex prides itself on its origins in simple ingredients, made without artificial preservatives, colors or flavorings. Did you know that seven of their eight products are gluten free too?

2. Multiple Flavors

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Chex continues to wow its buyers with its various flavors, including some favorites such as blueberry, cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, and honey nut.

3. Trail Mixes

Photo Courtesy of Chex

Apart from being a cereal, Chex is also a vital part of Chex Mix - a trail mix that you can find on the shelves of grocery stores. They come in various savory and sweet flavors. However, if you prefer to have control over what goes into your trail mixes, you are free to buy a box of Chex cereal and create your very own Chex Trail Mix.

4. Muddy Buddies

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One of my favorite things to make with Chex is Muddy Buddies, also known as Puppy Chow. It is Chex coated with chocolate and/or peanut butter, before a final coating of powdered sugar. The beauty of Muddy Buddies is that no stove tops are required to make this (a microwave would suffice), making it dorm-friendly. It makes for a great study or movie snack, especially if you're always on the go. And did I mention that your friends will love you if you give them a pack of Muddy Buddies on a rough day?

You can learn how to make Muddy Buddies here, and you can amp up your Muddy Buddy game by adding other flavors like this.

5. Cereal Bar

Photo Courtesy of Chex

Another way to make a snack out of Chex is to turn it into a cereal bar. Just mix some melted butter and marshmallow with the Chex flavor of your choice, cool it down and voila - you have a cereal bar that you can take anywhere for a quick snack.

You can learn how to make Chex Cereal Bars here.

6. Granola Bars

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If sweet cereal bars are not your thing, you can choose to add your Chex cereal into homemade granola bars to give them a little crunch. This yummy granola bar recipe uses simple ingredients with no baking required. Just switch out the Rice Krispies cereal for Chex Cereal and you will have a scrumptious Chex granola bar.

7. Toppings

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Lastly, if you have a box of family-sized Chex cereal sitting in your pantry, and have absolutely no idea what to do with it, you can always crush it up and add it to your ice cream or yogurt as a delicious, healthy topping!