Cooking on a Budget
Posted on 16 October 2019
We all know the feeling of checking your bank balance and having to scrape together a couple of quid to buy your weekly food shop at Uni. Trust me, we’ve all been there but now we’ve got you covered. Check out our top tips for saving your pennies and cooking tasty dishes on a budget.
Write a shopping list
Before you hit the shops or head online to place an online food delivery, try to plan your meals for the week. Writing up a shopping list based on your meal plans means you won’t overbuy (and overspend) and you’ll avoid chucking away a load of out-of-date food at the end of the week.
Cook yourself!
We’re all too familiar with the feeling of waking up after a heavy Saturday night and craving a Nando’s or a McDonald’s…the perfect hangover cure. But eating out doesn’t do your bank balance any favours.
Get into the routine of cooking for yourself, especially when you’re craving a big meal out. Treat yourself and try rustling up a homemade burger and oven chips. Just think of all the clothes you could buy with the money you save…
View this post on Instagram
Meal prep
Meal prepping is the way forward nowadays. Perhaps on a Sunday evening when you’re taking a lil break from all the partying, why not prep your meals for the rest of the week?
Cooking in bulk works out like a dream. Not only does it save you money, but it’ll save you soo much time during the week too.
Some of our personal faves for meal preppin’ are:
- A nice hearty spag bol
- Chicken, rice and veg
- Pasta bake – another classic
- Spicy chicken curry
View this post on Instagram
Leftover heaven
Remember to save your leftovers. If this evening’s dinner was a bit on the generous side, get your Tupperware out and put it in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. Remember you can freeze your leftovers too.
The Pepsi Challenge with a twist
Consider the famous Pepsi Challenge. Customers had to taste both Pepsi and Coke to see which they preferred. Whilst Coke was a clear winner of this marketing test, the results also showed that less than half of customers could actually tell the difference between these two popular brands.
So why not get your mates involved too and try out a Pepsi Challenge of your own? Blindly compare the taste of a branded food or drink to a budget version and see what you prefer. You might surprise yourself and find out the budget version comes out on top. This will defo help you save a few pennies here and there.
Remember you can go basic for all sorts of items. You don’t need to shop in premium supermarkets or stock up on branded food and drinks to pull together a good meal. Try the likes of Aldi and Morrisons or Tesco’s own brand for delicious food with a smaller price tag.
Cooking in a group
As we said, cooking in bulk is a great way to save you money. Get your house mates involved and cook a weekly meal together.
You could even put your own spin on it and try out a Come Dine With Me inspired night. Get your house mates to take it in turns to cook dins for everyone one night a week, with everyone chipping in each week. As well as helping with your budgeting, you’ll get a night off from cooking. Why not give it a go?
View this post on Instagram
Go vegan!
Meat is one of the most expensive items on your shopping list so why not try out the vegan lifestyle. Swap your chicken for chickpeas and your beef burger for a bean burger. There’s guaranteed to be something you’ll want to get your teeth stuck in to.
Even if you just try it out once a week, it’ll 100% save you money.
So, which of these top tips are you gonna try out this year? Be sure to follow us on Insta and tag us in your foodie posts!
For even more Uni hacks, check out our blog on Packing for Uni.
Catch ya later!
0 comments