Food Shopping Tips For Students

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This is  part IV of a series of articles offering advice to students on subjects such as cooking on a budget,  shopping for food, store-cupboard staples,  cooking tips,  kitchen equipment,  basic kitchen and food hygiene plus lots of easy, nutritious and delicious recipes which won’t break the bank.

Newly launched Student Recipe iPhone App

This collection of 60 recipes has been put together especially for students. Most are economical, quick, easy to make and nutritious, however we've also included some "treats" for when you've done well with your budget and have a little extra to spend. To make it even easier, you can also choose the serving amount on many of the recipes - from cooking for 1 to feeding the house (8) - and the recipes are listed in clearly defined sections in order of preparation/cooking time.  You can even email your favourite recipes to friends directly from the app.

Only £1.19 download from Apple iTunes

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/recipes-4-us-student-edition/id341065543?mt=8

Whilst supermarkets are convenient and often cheaper for staples such as tinned and store-cupboard items, it is sometimes more economical to buy fresh fruit and vegetables from other places such as street markets or local greengrocers, so as soon as you get the chance, have a walk-around the area or simply ask a local about weekly markets and local shops.

Whatever shops and facilities are available, here are a few tips to help you get the most for your money:-

• Before you leave, make a shopping list and stick to it when you get to the shops. Once you are familiar with your local store, you can go one step further and list the items you need in order of where they are in the store. You’ll be less likely to impulse buy and stick to your budget.
 

• Buy supermarket own-brands, rather than the more expensive well-known brands especially as in some cases the supermarkets source their products from the very same places.

• Where possible buy food which will keep - for example dried herbs rather than fresh ones: fruit juice concentrates rather than chilled juices; dried pasta rather than fresh.

• Avoid buying ready meals and processed foods. Not only are they much more expensive but they are generally less healthy than food prepared from scratch. Always remember, the cost of “preparing” food is added to the retail price whether it’s a ready meal, salad dressing or pre-grated cheese.

• If you share your digs, try pooling your money to buy the larger bulk packs of items such rice and pasta.

• Buy fresh and chilled produce in relatively small quantities to avoid having to throw away items which have gone off. There’s no point buying a pack of 8 bananas if you end up throwing four of them away because they’ve gone to mush before you've had time to eat them.

• Fruit and vegetables which are in season are generally cheaper

• Try buying cheaper cuts of meat such as mince instead of chops or chicken thighs instead of breast. They are just as tasty and don’t take much longer to cook.

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