Eating well at uni doesn’t have to mean blowing your budget. With just a little planning, a little bit of creativity, and less effort than you think, you can eat healthily without spending a fortune. Here are some cheap ways to keep your meals balanced, and your bank account happy.
1. Pick the Right Shop
If you take nothing else away from this guide, at least take this with you: Where you shop really matters. Lids and Aldi are almost always cheaper than the likes of Tesco (even with a clubcard) or Sainsbury’s. Go out of your way if you have to. The quality is just as good at genuinely half the price at times.
2. Shop Smart
Don’t be pretentious about the brands you buy. The shop's own-brand stuff cheese might not quite be the Cathedral City you know and love, but are you really sacrificing that much quality for the £3 you’re probably saving?
3. Plan Your Meals
Even just a little bit of planning what you’ll eat throughout the week will help you tenfold. It’ll help you avoid purchases and means you’ll actually use what you buy instead of letting it rot in the fridge.
4. Batch Cook
Cook once, eat multiple times. Meals like chillis, curries, and pasta bakes are cheap to make in bulk, freeze well, and save you from ordering takeaways when you’re tired.
5. Get Your Protein in for Cheap
Getting your protein can be way cheaper than you think. Eggs, beans (of all varieties), lentils, and tinned fish, are all cheap, filling, and extremely versatile.
6. Cook With Your Flatmates
Sharing ingredients and cooking together can cut costs and make the whole cooking situation a whole lot more fun. Take turns, experiment together, and it can take the chore out of the experience.
7. Limit Takeaways
Don’t get us wrong, every now and then a takeaway hits the spot. But it’s also an excellent way to burn through your student loan. Save it as a treat, and you’ll enjoy it more anyways.
8. Experiment
One of the easiest ways to save money (and to cut down on waste), is to get creative with what’s left in the fridge. That half-onion, a wrinkly carrot, and a handful of spinach might not look like much on their own, but throw them into a stir fry or a curry and suddenly you’ve got a proper meal.
Eating well on a budget takes a bit of effort, but uni is the perfect time to learn. Throw yourself into cooking, experiment with new recipes, and you’ll save money, eat healthier, and pick up a skill that’ll stick with you long after you graduate.