By James Dylag, BA Business Management
Moving to University comes with a million questions, but generally at the forefront of a student’s mind before they go to university is – what am I going to cook and how much will I be spending on food? Having had very little culinary experience before university, this question was on the tip of my tongue – thankfully, three years in I’m still well fed and standing. Here’s my guide to food shopping on a student budget.
Something I wish I had considered in first year that would have saved me a ton of money… ditch the brands. It’s time to say goodbye to your favourite branded cereal, crisps and biscuits and say hello to supermarket own brands. These are literally so much cheaper but taste pretty much the exact same. If there is some branded food product you simply can’t live without (for me, it’s Ben and Jerry’s ice cream) then limit your intake and only buy it when you’re really craving it.
Sheffield has loads of supermarkets and convenience stores, so make sure you’re shopping around. Ideally, shop at budget supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl as much as you can – you really will save loads of money. You’ll find an Aldi just a fifteen-minute walk from 
the Students Union (St. Mary’s Gate). Even if you walk there and get a taxi back with your bags – you’d stillbe saving yourself money! There’s also Moor marketplace, based in the centre of town, where you can find plenty of greengrocers, butchers and fishmongers selling produce for a more reasonable price than big supermarkets. You might not be able to get everything you need from these places, but you can get the basics for pretty cheap.
Batch cooking is a seriously popular trend amongst students. It’s as easy as it sounds – just cook more than the amount you need, and freeze any of your leftovers for another day. Not only does this save money, but it also means that if after a long day at uni you really don’t fancy cooking, you’re already sorted.
If you’re really set on saving money on your food shopping, cooking vegetarian meals can really help. Eating vegetarian is becoming increasingly popular, and with this comes increased convenience – it is easy to have a quick browse online for a simple vegetarian dish that is full of flavour. I personally decided to go vegetarian at the beginning of my third year and haven’t looked back, and I’ve found myself being healthier and saving money along the way. One of my favourite places to go for inspiration is Instagram, where there are plenty of accounts that show how to make quick, healthy meals, prepared on camera so they’re easy to follow.
Lastly, my top tip is to have fun with your cooking, stay relatively healthy, and appreciate your home cooked meals when you visit your family in the holidays!