10 Tips For Saving Money On Food

The average student spends around £20-28 per week on food, which means that it probably makes up a large part of your weekly budget. Therefore, it is important that you spend this money wisely, to get the most out of it.

Below are ten tips on how you can save:

1. Substitute Meats

Meat is generally the most expensive item that you will probably buy at a supermarket, but it is possible to substitute meats and save money:

• The cheapest mince is usually pork instead of beef.
• Chicken breasts can be quite expensive in certain supermarkets, but turkey can be used instead in most meals, which is usually around £1 cheaper.
• If you are looking for beef, braising steak and mince is usually its cheapest form.

2. Find Your Cheapest Supermarket

You can find the cheapest supermarket near you by using this site Mysupermarket.

3. Shop Late

After around 8pm in most of the major supermarkets there are huge reductions on food that is near its sell by date (food with yellow stickers on). These reductions can be as much as 75% by 8pm, so the later you shop the cheaper. For example, my friend bought a beef joint last week for just 50p!

4. Buy With Friends

Your money will go a lot further if you buy with a friend. You can get a lot more food for two people with £40 than with £20 for one.

4. Plan Your Meals

Plan your meals before you go food shopping so that you do not buy any unnecessary food that you will not eat. But stay flexible if you see a bargain.

5. Learn Prices

Prices in supermarkets change almost daily, therefore it is important to learn the prices of your favourite foods so you know whether you are paying a higher or lower price than you usually do and can adjust your spending accordingly.

6. Buy Own Brand and Value

If you shift from buying branded to own brand food will save you around 33.3% on average and if you shift again from own brand to value you will save another 33.3%. Most people cannot taste the difference and you obviously do not have to make this change on all food.

7. Student Discounts

Check if your supermarkets do any student discounts. For example, Somerfield have a 5% off student card (you can request one from a cashier in any store), however they are one of the most expensive supermarkets, so try not to be fooled.

8. Be Careful With Offers

2 for 1 and 3 for 2 offers may seem attractive, however you must consider whether you need that much food and how much it costs before the offer. For example Somerfield always have a 3 for £3 offer on their juice range, however they cost £1.04 each, therefore you are only saving 12p and probably do not need that much juice.

9. Do Not Use Local Cornershops

They may be convenient, however they are usually very expensive for food.

10. Shop at Markets

Most university cities have a market and it is usually the cheapest place to buy fruit and veg.

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