Five ways to cut the cost of your food shop
One of the biggest things you will spend your money on whilst at university will be food. So, planning out what you’re going to eat, when and how much is a great step to ensure you stretch and save your money. However, it is also still important to keep a balanced diet whilst planning your food shop so but sure to plan out meals packed with vitamins, veg and fibre. Here are five ways to help cut the cost of your weekly food shop to help with your budgeting:
- Take a shopping list
It may be simple but planning out what meals and snacks you are going to have will be a great way you can save money and stops you from making impulse purchases or overbuying.
- Plan your meals
Similar to a shopping list but knowing what days you are going to have meals or know you won’t need them will stop you from buying unnecessary items and throwing away food. This will allow you to also batch cook and freeze items, this will save you time and money.
- Set out a budget
Probably one of the things that should be at the top of your priority list is setting out your food budget. It is fine to make the odd food impulse purchase, but little extras here and there will add up.
- Hunt for yellow stickers
Plan out to do your shop around times supermarkets start to reduce items usually around 3-5pm depending on the shop. This little trick will often allow you to grab some bargains on more luxury items which you might not usually buy or a more expensive brand to usual.
- Try own brands
Switching from branded items to unbranded supermarket own brands could end up saving you a lot of money. You don’t have to switch everything but an item here or two will save you money in the long run, allowing you to get more with your budget.
To find out more about budgeting, read Leah’s blog on a guide to budgeting for your first year of university.
