Student Shopping & Eating...Quick

pavlovs_dog

never shop on an empty stomach, you end up buying twice as much, and it tends to be rubbish, because you just want something to take the hunger away.

shop at the end of the day, and look out for bargains in reduced to clear etc

dont be too proud to shop at lidls/aldis if you have access to one, your money will stretch a lot further, giving you more money for important things like books...or beer

stock up to staples like bread, pasta, potatoes, pasta, rice - rich in carbs, and will leave you feeling filled.

pot noodles, frozen ready meals and take aways, whilst convenient, are EXPENSIVE. avoid them. if you insist on eating out, go to places that offer 2 meals for £x amount, places that give student discount (pizza hut(go at lunch time, all you can eat buffet stlye lunch for just over a fiver)), and eat out on weeknights - you dont get as many places offering student discount/promos on weekends.

disguise your food, and make it look as unappetising as possible to stop it mysteriously eating itself in the middle of the night.

keep all biscuits/sweets/crisps type stuff in your room, it will go walkies quicker than you can say 'stop thief'.

a lot of students hate cooking because it means washing up. look out for recipes for one pot dishes. also, double up portions - leftovers from tonights tea are tomorrow's lunch etc

eat 3 square meals a day, and you shouldnt feel hungry inbetween.

squeaky

pavlovs_dog wrote:

disguise your food, and make it look as unappetising as possible to stop it mysteriously eating itself in the middle of the night.

Everything said in pavlov's post was spot on.

But I have to say that the quoted bit here is absolutely and by a good country mile the best advice so far given

pavlovs_dog

for more cunning ways of food preservation, there's a nice little thread running HERE on the student board including some interesting uses for blue/green food dye.....

megsykins

juno wrote:

And instead of getting parents to buy you things, get them to give you an Asda (or other local supermarket) gift voucher/card. And then raid the cupboards when they're not looking. And send off for all coupons, try me frees etc to both addresses!

Go one better, get them to chuck out their loyalty card, and use yours (you usually get two, plus key-fobby things), that way, you get the points from your entire family's weekly shop!!
(note, if parents are too stingy for this, either, a) ask the nicer parents - we all know one parents is more of a pushover than the other!! or b) sneakily swap the cards anyway when they're not looking :rotfl: )

catznine

A really quick and cheap meal:

Corned beef chaos

1 tin corned beef
1 tin potatoes
1 tin baked beans
Some cheese (if you have it)

Tip out corned beef and cut into large cubes put into a casserole dish. Open tin potatoes, drain water and put potatoes into casserole dish. Open tin beans and add to casserole. Mix up and if you have some cheese top with some slices. Pop into oven 180C/gas 5 until heated through and cheese melted and golden. Will feed 4 with some bread and butter or 2 very generously.

BWZN93

megsykins wrote:

Go one better, get them to chuck out their loyalty card, and use yours (you usually get two, plus key-fobby things), that way, you get the points from your entire family's weekly shop!!
(note, if parents are too stingy for this, either, a) ask the nicer parents - we all know one parents is more of a pushover than the other!! or b) sneakily swap the cards anyway when they're not looking :rotfl: )

We did that!! We used to have the card and the parents had the key fobs, and the points could be spent by us!

Another idea is to have an online food shopping account - I would do the actual shopping, email parents, who would then log in and pay with thier cards - it helps when you are buying big stuff too as many students dont have cars and it is a nightmare to walk back with so many bags!

Meal sharing is also a good idea, in our halls there were 12 of us, and would take it in turns of teams of 2 to cook a meal on sunday for everyone within an allotted budget, usually £1.50 or so - and that usually bought enough food for a massive dinner for us all, with no waste, and had roasts, a 'kids birthday party' with alphabet spagetti jelly & ice cream etc, and a big taco night. Also, if you and a few friends dont have much food in, then cook together, all donating an item or two of similar value, which should feed you all!

Another good tip would be - when you go home for the holidays - do a big shop at the supermarket of mum and dad - the kitchen is food, the bathroom is the chemists etc etc, I used to come back with masses of stuff, and parents would buy bogofs if they were on toothpaste and jars of stuff, so I could take one back with me.

As booze is an important part of being a student, source one of the wine warehouses, such as 'Great Western Wine Company' and buy in bulk with your mates so there is always a stash in the building (but hide it - booze cruises through halls by the drunk and wanting more's is fairly common unfortunately).

And definately, definately, learn the value of clever shopping, obtaining vouchers for discounts on shopping, and learn to cook before you even go there!

Jo xx

nabowla

When I was at uni I had a cookbook called 'Grub on a Grant'. It had quite a few quick, cheap and healthy meals, including a section on how to throw a dinner party for virtually no money at all. I've seen a few copies in charity shops recently: it's worth picking one up if you happen to see it.

As for moneysaving, never ever do a batch of cooking for the freezer just before the lads come back from rugby. I well remember making a huge lasagne that I was going to cut up and freeze into 10 portions so that I'd have some instant food for the times when I couldn't be bothered to cook. Trouble was that the lads came back from rugby 10 mins after I'd taken it out of the oven. "Oooh, that smells fantastic, do you mind if I just try a small corner?" Mysteriously the whole thing disappeared within five minutes :-) Mind you, I was a bit of a soft touch when it came to feeding the lads - and there was always a free drink or two in it for me!

eenu

Just thought i would throw my 2p worth in since i have been viewing these boards for months and read Martin's book over a year ago now. I have always been in and out of budgeting. I have just finished my 4yr Undergraduate Masters and am now doing my 3-4year PhD

With my PhD though i have a small income so i have started making up my budget and planning debt repayments etc in MS Money etc. I went to Sainsburys today to do a weekly shop on a mission having just re read Martins Chapter where he shows the price differences that can be found in the supermarkets.

Sainsburys was regularly taking £35-£40 of my cash a week! My new budget is to aim for £30 per week maximum! I know thats still a bit high but when i start regularly hitting 30 quid i'll knock it down to 25 then 20.

Well the results of my shop! £16.41! I need a few other bits and bobs which i just couldn't get today as i couldn't carry anymore! I even but it on my Egg Card so i get money back! Genius!

This shop even included Shell on Prawns and 2 big steaks! I was even able to treat myself to a pack of Green Tead having saved 50p buying economy tea bags instead of tetleys! Don't know what they will taste like but there you go!

Anyway had to post because i am well chuffed! Going to start using the forums more often now that i have become a sad old PhD man and never go out anymore! :):)

squeaky

Way to go! If you need any help or inspiration for recipes for that lot just hit "Indexed Collections" in the blue bar at the top of the page

BWZN93

davidmoore83 wrote:

Anyway had to post because i am well chuffed! Going to start using the forums more often now that i have become a sad old PhD man and never go out anymore! :):)

Lol! Welcome to posting! And PhD men are never sad and old, my ex is one, and he was lovely!! (right up until he left for the USA for three years anyway!) Proper oldstyle too - he tought me to cook a lot from scratch, but I dont think he knew of this website, he was too busy reading up on lazers and diamonds for research :rolleyes:

Jo xx