Student budget for food

esperanza1

Out of interest, how many of you can survive on a weekly food budget of less than €20? I'd also be interested in hearing tips on reducing food spend in general - other than eat less, of course! ;-)

Moon Indigo

Buy in bulk and cook then freeze and of course get value brands it dosen't taste that bad and besides when your hungry its grand. Stock up on special offers in the supermarket even if it means or is possible to pay extra money for that once off time. Other options include looking for the reduced section in the supermarket. I lived off noodles for nearly a year. Twenty euro is very very tight but for a single person I think maybe it could be done. Soups and stews are great fillers to keep you going.

Annasopra

Buy lots of things like rice/cous cous in large packets

regularly check the reduced sections in supermarkets and also for special offers

phonypony

ALDI is your friend. I buy lots of dry cannelloni beans, pasta, rice, cheap meat, whatever veg is on special, etc etc. If you have any space where theres sunlight, grow your own veg or herbs, anything you can. Use leftovers in other dishes. As others have said, buy in bulk. €20 may seem constrictive, but it forces you to use your imagination and after a while you can eat very well on it!

herisson

here is what i have learned after 3 years of living away for college (cant believe its my final year :eek: )

i buy rice and pasta in bulk at the start of the semester
i try to reduce my meat intake but to be honest doesnt really work so i take advantage on the deals in tesco where its 3 meats for €9 and i just freeze them in portions....
for everything else i go to Lidl or Aldi.....aldi have fantastic deals on fruit and veg sometimes and i take advantage of it
in lidl i can get everything else i need for next to nothing really like tinned tomatoes i can use for pasta sauce
also if you like asian food go to and asian shop and you can get really good prices on sauces and the likes that will last forever!
honestly the most i have ever spent on food in college is €25 but thats if im treating myself by buying really nice brand names
but in fairness its just college non brand foods arent going to kill you you can easily live on €15 a week on food if you budget it well!
even make a shopping list before you and that will keep a very good budget of what you can spend!
also spices always come in handy and can make any dish taste nicer and they will last a good long while!

Curlyhatescurls

I spend between 15 and 20 euro a week grocery shopping. Last week I managed to get it down to 13 euro! The first thing that I'd say saves me a LOT of money is the fact that I am vegan so no meat, dairy products or eggs and these are the things which tend to be the most expensive. I do most if not all my shopping in Aldi, they have a super six deal on fruit and vegetables every week, last week for example I got broccoli and onions for 27 cent each and they have apples and plums and oranges for 35 cent sometimes.

I always buy what's on special offer, not what I want. Beans are SO cheap and are a great source of protein, I mean you can get them for less than 50 cent- kidney beans, chick peas, they do a can of mixed beans which is excellent.

Something I do is not go shopping until I have used everything up, if I don't have cereal or soya milk left for breakfast well too bad, I will have toast, no toast left? Leftover pizza from yesterday....
Also buy a big loaf of bread and freeze half or go splits with a housemate.