Budget Butterflies

You may have realised that by now, budgeting as a student is very very important and food shopping is a mega part of this. As a student you need to now cook your on meals as your parents aren't there to rely on now. You also need to make sure your food is nutritious as ultimately you are here to learn and so need to keep your energy up.

I've heard people saying that they survived on just £4-5 per week on food but this is only possible really if you are buying the extreme budget brands like Smartprice @ Asda for example. I would advise do buy the budget brands because they are pretty much the same and don't taste much different. I actually prefer smart price beans spaghetti to Heinz.

But anyway here are a few things to remember when food shopping which you may find useful.

Plan your meals for every day of the week. This helps you stay on budget and stops you from making those late trips to the corner shop and spending over the odds for your food.

Remember the basics - bread and meat for sandwiches at lunchtime, milk, protein from meat or beans, veggies and fruit. These are cheap and go a long way and help bulk up meals you may prepare.

Buy a big pack of mince and make spaghetti bolognese/keema curry/chilli con carne etc. The 500g packs can be split into 4 portions so you can either make up these dishes and put the rest in the fridge for the days after, or split the mince into 4 portions and freeze.

Baked potatoes are cheap to buy and taste lovely. Buy some beans, get some cheese and serve with salad and you have a good nutritious meal.

Stock up on frozen foods. Although they may not be completely good for you and the nutrients have been reduced, these help for when you may have forgotten a day in your meal plans.

And there we go!