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| Money saving tips for student cooking |
Throughout my blog I've provided various recipe ideas for students which are tasty, healthy, and most importantly don't break the bank. However, once a student is let loose in a supermarket, everything can go to waste. One example being falling victim to the 'impulse buy': seeing something temptingly unhealthy on offer and picking it up, all the while knowing that it's a.) not good for you and b.) making you spend more money. Here are my top ten money saving tips for students when doing your food shop:
1. Plan your meals: Wastage is a huge problem in our food industry. The average household is throwing away up to £50 worth of food a month!(*) This is normally caused by food not being used and turning into a disgusting green unidentifiable object, but sometimes people are throwing away food which is perfectly fine to eat. 'Use by' dates are merely a guideline for the consumer, and supermarkets are legally not allowed to sell food within the days approaching this guideline. However, you'll often find that food is generally fine to eat for up to 3 days past this guideline date. A common student motto when it comes to food is 'If it looks fine and smells fine, it'll taste fine.' Secondly, the best way to get around wasting your food (and your money!) is by planning your meals. It takes no time at all, and making a shopping list means you're far less likely to buy things which aren't on it! Pick a recipe, make a list of the ingredients, buy them and use them! No wastage, no money lost, no hassle.
2. Bag big reductions: As soon as I enter the supermarket, the first place I go to is the reduced section to buy my meat. A bit of a no-brainer for students, I know, but some people are unaware of its existence. Reduced items are likely to either have damaged packaging or, more likely, about to pass their sell-by-date. Do not be put off by this! This food is perfectly fine to purchase on that day, but ensure that you either cook it that evening or, as I always do, freeze the meat until a later date! Secondly, time your shop with the evening reductions. Each supermarkets reduction times vary depending on their opening hours, but as a rough guideline:
Supermarket rough reductions schedule
| Amount you may be able to save |
|---|
| Up to 25% off | Up to 50% off | Up to 75% and up |
| Asda | 12 noon | 5pm | 9pm |
| Morrisons | - | 5pm | 7pm |
| Sainburys | 1pm | 5pm | 8pm |
| Tesco | 8am | 4pm | 8pm |
| Co-op | 8am | 5pm | 7pm |
3. Portion Control: This is also linked to number 2, save on food, calories and ultimately your money by making sure you're not piling your plate up. You risk either overeating or being unable to finish everything on your plate and having to throw it in the bin. There are so many different bits of advice across the internet about portion control: tips and rules that you should abide by. But I find this picture was the most useful, and something I try and stick by myself:
If your plate looks like this, you're taking a step in the right direction to avoid food/money wastage and overeating!
4. Sugary foods - if you don't buy them, you won't eat them! It's as simple as that. Students actually do pretty well for this, tight budgets mean that sugary snacks and treats just aren't a priority. However, people do slip up. And quite often it'll be those students which buy the sugary snacks who are then having to live off high-salt/fat processed ready meals on the cheap, because they've spent all their money on their dessert (they're really not doing themselves any favours.) If you do often have a sweet tooth, there are so many other healthier options to satisfy it, one of my favourites being a low fat/sugar yoghurt if I'm craving something sweet after dinner. To avoid the temptation in the supermarket, do what I do and shop around the outside aisles. Outside aisles = fresh food. Inside aisles = sugary, non-perishable snacks. If you don't buy them, you won't eat them!
5. Buy supermarket own brands: This is actually really important. Some students will come to University with the ideas in their head that they must continue to buy the brands that they're used to seeing in their fridges at home. No, no, no! This is the easiest way to rack up a hefty priced shop at the counter. Just because you're used to eating Activia yoghurt doesn't mean that Sainsbury's own brand is not just as satisfying. Try not to be picky, if you've got Wheatabix cereal priced at £2.39 and tesco everyday value range priced at 94p, it's a no-brainer! But watch out - the branded, high profit foods are strategically placed at your eye level: you see the brand, you recognise it, you buy it. Without looking up and down to the cheaper brands you're missing out on the better value product. Bear this in mind when you go to pick up that Heinz Ketchup or Uncle Bens rice: have a look up and down and you'll find something cheaper.
6.
Utilise frozen meat packs: The reason the price of a meal goes up is nearly always down to the choice of meat. Vegetarian meals are more often than not far cheaper simply because of the absence of the expensive ingredient: meat! However, there are ways of not being sucked into splashing out on organic, free range items (sorry, but we are students!) Head to the frozen food section and look at the frozen fish and chicken portions. They'll look like
this and
this and supermarkets sell nearly all varieties of meat and fish in frozen form. I know the phrase 'frozen food' automatically conjures up images of processed meals, but these portions of meat/fish have been frozen from fresh, are great value for money and significantly cheaper than fresh meat. Each recipe on Easy Peasy Student Cooking is priced according to these frozen portions, instead of paying up to £2 for a Chicken breast, you can pay 40p instead! Alternatively, local butchers can often get you cheaper and larger meat portions than the supermarkets can offer you. So if you have one nearby, make sure you check them out!
7. Buy in-season food: Not many people would think of this, or be bothered about researching which foods are in what season! Buying strawberries in the depths of winter is going to prove expensive - this is an extreme case, I know, but it's the same for various bits of fruit and veg. Buying in-season food means it is mass produced and easy to get hold of, therefore cheaper. Here's a list and recipe ideas to make things easier:
January: Oranges, Kale, Parsnip, Pomegranite. Seabass, Mussels, Venison. Recipe:
Healthy Fish & Chips
July: Apricot, Beetroot, Aubergine, Blackcurrent, Cherry, Courgette, Cucumber. Mackerel, Lamb, Crab. Recipe:
Smoked Mackerel Salad
August: Apple, Blackberry, Blueberry, Marrow, Pepper, Broccoli. Scallop, Seabass, Lamb. Recipe:
5-a-day Beef Stir Fry
October: Apple, Mushroom, Aubergine, Fig, Beetroot, Celeriac. Pheasant, Lamb, Mackerel. Recipe:
Beef Stroganoff
December: Apple, Brussel Sprout, Celeriac, Cranberry, Parsnip. Pheasant, Turkey. Recipe:
Mexican Turkey Nachos
8.
Make your own: There are many food and drink items which you can easily make yourself for cheaper than buying them ready-made. Don't buy fruit juice or smoothies to try and shortcut your way to your 5-a-day: those items are full of sugar and more expensive than making your own (see my smoothie recipe
here). Or that Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce which cost you £1.40 when you can make your own healthier version from chopped tomatoes, pepper, garlic and chilli for around half the price.
Don't be lazy!
You will save yourself money and calories.
9.
Cook with a friend or cook for two: nearly every item you will buy in a supermarket will be measured for two people. Avoid overeating or wastage by halving the price of the food shop with a friend,
or cook for two and then
freeze portions. The freezer is your friend, you can make a big portion of
Warming Veggie Curry and separate it into two (or more) portions and freeze the remainders!
Do not serve it all up, overeat and bin whatever you've leftover on your plate - use your fridge/freezer and save the portion for another meal!
10. One big shop, not lots of small shops: if you're someone who often finds themselves looking at an empty fridge thinking you need to go out to buy something for dinner, but you were only there two days ago? Yes, you know who you are. At University, I would shop once a week maximum, but normally a £30 shop would last me two weeks. Regularly popping into the supermarket means you're not only 1.) shopping hungry which means 2.) you are susceptible to impulse buys leading to 3.) spending more money. It's incredibly easy to head out to shop for your dinner and end up getting a £15 shop in because you don't have a list, don't know what you fancy and therefore buy things you just don't need. It pays to plan ahead!
There you have it. Some may seem obvious, some you may have never thought of before. Hopefully at least one of these points has helped you when it comes to buying food. Happy shopping!
