Tips for a new student?

stagebright

Hi guys,

New student here, what tips do you have for living frugally? Looking particularly for saving money with food, while still being able to eat healthily.

What do you recommend MSE?

agrinnall

Try taking a look at the threads at the top of the list, I'm sure you'll find something helpful there rather than rehashing a subject that's probably done to death at this time every year.

popadom

Not related to food, but still helpful. Instead of buying books try local libraries. I am an English student so a lot of texts are classics ect. Most councils have a library search function online so you can look for books rather than physically go.

jackieblack

stagebright wrote: »

Hi guys,

New student here, what tips do you have for living frugally? Looking particularly for saving money with food, while still being able to eat healthily.

What do you recommend MSE?

My top tips:

• Plan meals and shop for what you need.

• Shop in the evening when you are more likely to find perishable food reduced in price

and/or

• Shop online, less temptation to pick up things you don't really need

and/or

• go shopping with a friend so you can share bogof and 2 for £x offers where appropriate

My top tips for cooking:

• Cook simple meals from scratch, avoid ready meals or take aways (expensive and unhealthy)

• When you have time batch cook, ie, cook a big batch (say enough for 4 meals) of the same dish, eat one portion and freeze 3 for another day when you don't have so much time. (This avoids resorting to ready meals and takeaways when tired/busy). If you can do this with 3 or 4 different dishes you will have a nice selection, for choice.

and/or

• If flatmates are agreeable, have a rota so that a different person cooks each day for everyone (I appreciate this may not work for everyone. it really depends hugely on whether your flatmates are agreeable but can work really well if no-one has special dietary requirements/restrictions and a modicum of cooking ability - but most students can cook at least one dish well )

Also, lots of good tips for saving money on food in threads on the Old-Style board http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33&order=desc

TBagpuss

JackieBlacks tips are good.

Also - eat less (or no) meat. Lentils, chickpeas and other pulses are much cheaper than meat. Use them to bulk out meat dishes (make spag. bol. with 1/3 mince, 2/3 red lentils, or instance, make curry with chick-peas or butter beans instead of, or half and half with, chicken, and so on.

Set a budget for food and stick to it.

Write down what you spend, when you spend it. It helps you to then be able to work out where your money is going and where you can make savings, and I found it concentrated the mind wonderfully and caused me to think twice about whether or not I *really* wanted something!

Check out different supermarkets - depending on where you are living, it may pay you to go slightly further afield so you are not shopping in the student 'village' - walking or getting a bus out to a larger morrisons, asda or aldi may save money. Don't forget prices in express' or 'metro' mini stores are often higher than in the bigger supermarkets

Markets, particularly at the end o the day when they are packing up, can give you real bargains, especially with perishables such as fruit and veg, but only buy what you will use. A whole box of tomatoes is only a bargain if you will actually eat or cook them before they go off!

Own brand is normally cheaper than brand names, and large packs are usually cheaper per serving than small ones, but check - it isn't always true, and again, it's only a bargain if you will use it all before it goes stale.

Ed-P

jackieblack wrote: »

My top tips:

• Plan meals and shop for what you need.

Shop in the evening when you are more likely to find perishable food reduced in price

Top tip :money:

I saved a lot of money by buying food from the reduced section. Just try to limit the amount of reduced items you buy as you might get carried away and half will end up in the bin.

jackieblack

Ed-P wrote: »

Top tip :money:

I saved a lot of money by buying food from the reduced section. Just try to limit the amount of reduced items you buy as you might get carried away and half will end up in the bin.

Unless you have access to a freezer

Indie_Kid

Don't go shopping hungry.

DogTheBargainHunter

The best tip anyone gave me was to buy a bag of lentils, you can use them to add to soup, curry etc and a little goes a long way.

Indie_Kid

TBagpuss wrote: »

Own brand is normally cheaper than brand names, and large packs are usually cheaper per serving than small ones, but check - it isn't always true, and again, it's only a bargain if you will use it all before it goes stale.

A lot of own brand food tastes fine. I wouldn't buy own brand washing up liquid. Whilst Fairy costs more, it lasts much longer.

abandonded

Indie_Kid wrote: »

I wouldn't buy own brand washing up liquid. Whilst Fairy costs more, it lasts much longer.

Fairy might do twice as much as the next best selling brand but according to Which, only half as far as Aldi's much cheaper Best Buy Magnum W. U. Liquid!!!