So, you go to university to learn all about your subject and to come out of it with a degree. What students often don’t realise is that you learn so much more than just your degree.
University is, for many, the first time they move out on their own, the first time they’re truly responsible for themselves and their own money. As daunting as that may be, it is also a really important lesson which sets students up for the rest of their life. Having a good relationship with money at university can act as a ‘trial run’ at real life when you leave university.
When thinking about what students spend the most money on at university (bar the actual degree) – it’s no surprise rent usually tops the list. After that, students spend the most money on bills, travel and food.
We know to use price comparison websites to get the cost of our bills down, we know to book in advance to get the best rates of travel, but how do we save money on food without compromising on nutrition?
As the self appointed Queen of Bargains, I’ll share some top tips!
1.) Which Veg is Best: Veg is important, but also expensive. If you can afford fresh veg, brilliant! But equally, frozen veg is quick, convenient, means less waste and lasts longer. If you don’t have a massive freezer, tinned veg works just as well and is usually really cheap. And finally, yellow stickers are a students friend. Pop it in your trolley, and bang it in a quick curry, stew, soup when you get home!
2.) Meat Free Mondays: An easy way to cut down the costs is to have a couple of meat free meals. For saucy meals such as curries, stews, and for many foreign recipes such as fajitas or lasagne it’s so easy to either take the meat out, or swap it for something like beans or chickpeas. It’s gotten to the point now where I prefer veggie curries to meat curries, and that’s from someone who started uni hating all green food
3.) Deal or No Deal: Look for good deals, but not all deals are good deals. If you buy something every week without fail, and there is a bulk buy option which will save you money, go for it! But if you rarely use double cream, and its buy 2 get the 3rd free, it may not be worth it! Multi-buy deals are sometimes placed on perishable food so that people buy more and so shops don’t have to bin it. What this means is you’ve paid more, for more of an item you didn’t need, so it will go in the bin. Make sure a deal makes sense!
4.) Cook Today Eat Tomorrow: Learn to bulk cook and freeze. We all have our favourite recipes – I personally love a Green Thai Curry. It sometimes works out more cost effective to make a big batch of your favourite food and to freeze it for those days that you just can’t be bothered. For more information about what you can & can’t freeze, check out this website: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/freezing-food-freezer-defrosting-how-long-which-foods-cooking-a8530971.html
5.) Bargain Hunter: Look for offers when eating out. Students make up a large proportion of a restaurants income. Many chains will have really good student deals. Head to freshers week to pick up vouchers, look online for any promotional discounts, and be smart with the days you choose to dine out. For example, when I was a student, a lot of restaurants had 50% off food, or 2-4-1 burgers on a Wednesday cause they knew this was when sports teams met up for socials. Get a UNIDAYS card and save when you dine out, 20% off Yo Sushi, 30% off Pizza Express, 35% off Dominoes – you get the picture.
6. Team Effort: Get your flat/house involved. If you live with other people, make some fun out of saving money. Many of my friends took turns to cook tea/dinner, that way each person bought the for their lunches & the weekend, and their ingredients for their one evening meal that week. This also means you don’t have to cook every night which is a bonus and you get to try new recipes.
7. One Banana, Two Banana: Fruit – getting fruit into our diets is important but sometimes the simple solutions are the best. Don’t be tempted by the reduced watermelon if you don’t eat watermelon. If you eat bananas, buy bananas. If you don’t really like fruit, try getting frozen fruit to put in a smoothie or in your ice cream, or 100% fruit juices can help you get more fruits into your diet.
8. Keep it Simple: You don’t always have to cook a fancy meal. I was once told there are 9 essential amino acids, and all of them can be found in beans on toast. A varied diet is best, but sometimes it’s easier to throw soup in the microwave, or have a quick ‘whats in the fridge’ omlette. All of the above are fine – moderation is key in all things. But don’t be fooled into buying 23 different ingredients for a meal that won’t go very far or fill you up!
That’s it from me – eat well, save where you can, and make sure you look after yourself and your pocket at the same time!
Cheers, Lou 🙂