Many students may have never done a weekly shop on their own prior to coming to university, so this can be daunting. Also, student wallets are tight as it is, so throw in weekly food shops and it can really make money an issue. However, there are some food shopping tips that you can use in order to save a few quid here and there. This is how to minimise student food costs.
Off-Brand Is Your Friend
Of course, we love branded items, but they are usually much more expensive than their off-brand counterparts. You may think that branded items mean they are the top of their respective industries. However, if you look at ingredients between branded and off-brand items, they are virtually the same.
Whether it is beans, crisps, tuna or chocolate, if you opt for off-brands throughout your shopping, you can save a pound here and there and that will add up over the weeks.
Find Deals
Deals are an obvious and easy way to minimise student food costs. Shops are jam-packed with offers and deals, but you need to be savvy about it. Some offers may look good but, once you do the maths, you can realise that you really aren’t saving that much at all. Be sure not to get caught out with these.
Most shops now have apps that you can download and get frequent offers and discounts from, which would be helpful. You also get points when you shop there so, the more you buy, the more you save.
Also, be sure to look out for slashed prices on food near its best-before date, as shops try to get them sold off before they have to throw the food away. Some stores also discount food that has damaged packaging; another great way to save a few coins.
Buy Loose Fruit And Vegatables
Due to slight convenience, people tend to pick up pre-packaged fruit and vegetables rather than bag up loose items. However, this could mean buying more than you need.
If you are just buying for yourself, there is no point buying ten pre-packed bananas, as you are unlikely to get through them all in a week before they go bad. It is better if you simply bag up the amount of fruit and vegetables that you will realistically eat that week and pay for that.
It may be easier to buy the pre-packaged ones but, aside from the additional plastic waste, you are also buying food that will probably get thrown away anyway.
Aldi and Lidl
People tend to flock to one of the big three major food shops, simply because they are the best known. However, going to Aldi or Lidl can really be worth the switch.
It is well known that these two shops are cheaper overall, but people tend to believe this means you are sacrificing quality. This is not the case!
You can get exactly the same things from Aldi and Lidl, just at reduced prices. For example, a pack of 20 sausages from Tesco is £1.50, and the same thing costs you only 99p in Aldi.
