Student vs. Food Shopping - the dos and don'ts

Just because you're a student it doesn't mean you're restricted to noodles every breakfast, lunch and dinner!

One of the aspects of university life I was most looking forward to before going was being able to cook exactly what I wanted whenever I wanted it. Whether you will be self-catered or catered you'll still have the opportunity to make your own choices of what you want to eat. However when shopping at the supermarket or going out to restaurants and having takeaways there are a few rules which should help you to remain healthy and save money.

DO buy lots of fruit and vegetables

Making home-made soup with lots of veg!

When you have the freedom of what to buy then it's easy to stock up on your favourite foods; pizza, chips, pasta, but it's important to remember that you need a good healthy balanced diet in order to stay well, prevent gaining weight, and prevent a build up of oily skin and nasty spots.

If you're new to cooking then this isn't an excuse not to buy vegetables. A quick google search will tell you how to prepare and cook them, and there's always plenty of alternatives to whole fresh vegetables such as readily prepared chopped vegetables either fresh or frozen.

DON'T buy too much in one go

When you live with a family then buying more than one loaf of bread or buying a large bunch of bananas seems like a sensible option, but it's important to remember that now you're buying food for only yourself you must make sure you'll be able to eat it all before it goes off without stuffing your face unnecessarily.

Another disadvantage of buying too much in one go is that if you have to walk to your supermarket then you'll also have to carry all of that shopping back to your accommodation. Unless you're a bodybuilder then this could be tough, so shop as lightly as possible.

DO check use by dates

When food shopping, it's easy to pick up items of food without hesitation and place it in their trolley or basket straight away.

It's important to check the use by dates, especially when buying food for one person as it's more likely to get used up over a longer period of time. Eating out of date foods can cause bacteria growth inside the body, eventually causing us to get ill. Sometimes it'll be unnoticed, but sometimes it can be fatal.

Other ways to avoid this is to buy foods which will last longer, such as finding tinned alternatives or freezing foods on the day of purchase. Just remember to defrost your food in the correct way.

DON'T buy too many top brand items

Even as students we do feel pressured to buy the more popular brands of foods as others may have strong opinions on what tastes good and what tastes rubbish, and we're afraid of others judging us as our low price alternatives are scanned through the tills. This is an attitude which needs to be changed.

Try making a home-made frappucino!

Lower priced alternatives don't necessarily taste worse or are a lower standard of quality. All food manufacturers must pass certain quality and hygiene tests therefore buying cheaper foods isn't a riskier decision to make. From personal experience I've found that foods such as pasta, rice, biscuits and crisps have little difference in quality and taste when I've brought lower price supermarket alternatives. Cut down the top brand spending and save it up for a night out with friends.

DO look for restaurant and take-away vouchers

Just like at home, ideas for new exciting recipes can run out and the motivation for cooking after a long day working sometimes just doesn't exist. There's nothing wrong in treating yourself to a take-away or a meal out, but if you're worried about being strapped for cash then there's plenty of vouchers available for you to use to help cut the costs. As students we often get vouchers sent through our doors so don't throw them out, they may come in handy some day!

DON'T buy too many snacks

I'm sure you've heard the rumours that a lot of people who go off to university end up returning a lot bigger than when they left. This is mainly because of the freedom of eating whatever you want as often as you please. Try to keep your stock of snacks as low as possible, it may be fine back at home when a packet of biscuits is spread between around more than one person, but at university unless you're feeling generous and share them out with your friends then you'll be eating that entire packet all by yourself. Also if you buy less snacks that leaves more money for other stuff, like rent for example.

DO write a shopping list

Prepare what you want to buy before you do your food shopping,  this way you won't spend more money than planned and you won't end up forgetting the stuff you really need. Just remember to actually bring the list with you and not leave it in your room!


I hope you've found this blog useful, please feel free to comment if you have any other advice. Goodbye for now!