Thrifty Food Shopping - Student Recipes

Waste Not, Want Not

Did you know that on average we throw away nearly half of all the food we buy? So if your shopping costs you £20, then £10 of that is wasted. That’s a lot of money to throw away whether you’re a student or not, so why do so many of us do it? Reports suggest poor planning and unessaccary impulse buys are to blame, but the biggest culprits are supermarket offers. Read up on our Studentrecipes blog post which reveals the truth about these enticing, money making offers that we are constantly bombarded with. Here are some top tips to avoid buying more food than you need, and preventing throwing away good food.

Don’t go shopping on an empty stomach; it’s a recipe for disaster. Your stomach will be telling you to pick up that packet of biscuits, multipack of crisps and big bar of chocolate. Sounds silly, but believe you me it can really make a difference to how much your shopping bill comes out at the till.
Plan your weekly shopping, this way you won’t wander around the supermarket aimlessly. Spending 5 minutes writing up a list, checking your fridge and cupboards will prevent you buying things you don’t need and will stop you from impulse buying. I try to stick to my motto of ”If it’s not on the list; it’s not going in the basket!”
Try to avoid buying bags of salad, as once opened they tend to wilt within a few days. You’re better off buying a whole head of lettuce and preparing it when you need it, as it will keep for a few extra days. What’s more, a prepared bag of salad is often double the price of a whole head.
Read those pesky supermarket BOGOF or 3 for 2 offers and think – how much am I actually saving, is it a good deal and do I really need it?
Store your foods at the right temperature. Dairy foods obviously need to be kept in the fridge; however some students are confused as to how to store their fresh fruit and veg. It’s important to remember not to store fruit and veg together, as some fruits can give off certain gases which can cause the veg to rot. If you buy a big bag of apples, store them in the fridge to prolong their shelf life, as you probably won’t eat the whole bag within a week. Tomatoes tend to lose their flavour and bananas go brown if stored in the fridge so store them on your kitchen surfaces instead. If you’re not sure how to store a certain fruit or veg, it’s well worth checking on the internet to make sure it keeps fresh for as long as possible.

Meals on the cheap

Eating on a budget doesn’t mean boring, bland foods! Cooking with cheaper ingredients and keeping a keen eye out for weekly offers at supermarkets are the key to cheap eats. It is well worth having a look around your local markets too as they can often be cheaper than supermarkets!

Healthy Moroccan Stew: Rather than using meat, this recipe uses chickpeas which is a great source of protein and will be sure to fill you up. This recipe will only cost you around £2.50 (with plenty of leftover vegetables you can use later on in the week) to make but it serves 4, so will only cost you about 65p per serving.
Sweet Potato Cottage Pie: This recipe uses half lean beef mince and half beans, therefore costing much less than your average cottage pie. It’s also packed full of veg, so not only is it a cheap dinner coming in at around 90p per serving but it’s also very nutritious and healthy.
Toad in The Hole: By using only a handful of store cupboard ingredients you can whip up this British classic and freeze into 4 portions at only approximately 80p per serving.
Chicken, Bacon and Broccoli Pasta Bake: I use a can of chicken soup in this recipe to act as a creamy pasta sauce, which massively cuts out time too. You can always use another vegetable like cauliflower or peas if you aren’t keen on broccoli, and this recipe makes enough for lunch tomorrow so it only costs you around 76p per serving!
Smoky Pork Burgers: If you’ve never made your own burgers before, you should definitely try out this recipe – you’ll never believe how easy they are to make or how cheap they are to make… just 58p per burger! Adding a toasted bun and a side of homemade chips or cous cous or salad will come in at just over £1.00.

An important thing to remember is that eating well doesn’t have to cost the earth, and even when you really start to count the pennies you can still enjoy delicious, healthy food. Your freezer is your best friend, use it as much as possible to ensure no food is thrown away and that you get the most out of your money. Have you got any recipes that cost next to nothing? Don’t forget to upload them to the Studentrecipes website!