Meal Planning

Planning your meals is a really good way to try cutting costs by ensuring you only purchase items that you need. It also allows you to plan on utilising ingredients across numerous meals.

You can download and print a copy of NASMA's Meal Planner to help you do this!

If you are new to meal planning, you may want to check out The Beginners Guide to Meal PlanningLink opens in a new window from Kitchn for some useful hints and tips.

You may not know which meals suit your taste buds and which are budget-friendly. If this is the case why not take a look at Save The Student's Weekly Meal Plan: 28 Cheap and Healthy IdeasLink opens in a new window which provides recipe suggestions and prices per portion.

Shopping

Make sure to plan your shopping trip so that you are not running around throwing anything into your trolley. This means you can also plan not to shop on an empty stomach, as research shows you are more likely to buy more food when you are hungry! Shops will often reduce their items at certain times of day, if you can get in to do your shopping at that time, you may pick up some good deals.

Did you know that by looking at the price per unit on product labels, you can easily see whether a bigger pack of the same product is better value for money or not? The following document from the Competitions and Markets Authority explains clearly how to understand Unit PricingLink opens in a new window. Also, remember to check the use-by date as it's only worth it if you are going to use the whole product before it goes out of date.

You can save money by Downshifting Your Shopping (NASMA)Link opens in a new window and opting for non-branded products. Why not challenge yourself to make five swaps and see how much you save?

If you have your shopping delivered, have you considered using the cheaper off-peak slots or buying a subscription? If you are living with flatmates, why not get your food in the same delivery and split the cost? You can find out more hints and tips, as well as a supermarket delivery price comparison in the following Save the Student article, Cheapest Online Supermarkets 2023Link opens in a new window.

Reward Cards, Cashback Apps and Coupons

Many supermarkets now have reward schemes such as Tesco Clubcard,Link opens in a new window Asda Rewards,Link opens in a new window and My MorrisonsLink opens in a new window. They each offer different rewards for their customers and could save you some money on your food shop.

You may have also heard about Cashback Apps but have been unsure which would be the right one for you. If so, check out the Save the Student article Best Supermarket Cashback AppsLink opens in a new window for useful information and tips.

Coupons are also a great way to get discounts and Money Saving Expert has put together the following article, Supermarket Coupons UKLink opens in a new window, with lots of coupons for a variety of products. You may also want to check out the deals on Extreme Couponing UKLink opens in a new window.

Cooking

You can save pounds by cooking rather than ordering takeaways. There are lots of online budget recipes available such as:

• Save the Student: Student RecipesLink opens in a new window (these recipes often provide price per meal/portion).
• Tesco: Student RecipesLink opens in a new window (with recipes from online supermarkets, you can often add the ingredients straight to your online basket).
• BBC Good Food: Student RecipesLink opens in a new window
• Student Eats: Student Recipes Link opens in a new window

You may also be able to save money by improving your knowledge on:

• The difference between best-before and use-by datesLink opens in a new window
• Understanding which foods you can freezeLink opens in a new window
• Understanding how to keep certain foods fresher for longerLink opens in a new window

Eating Out and Takeaways

While it is important to avoid spending money daily on takeaways they can be a nice treat and don't have to break the bank. When you next feel like a takeaway, check out the following Save the Student article for a list of helpful tips to save money (11 Ways to Save Money on TakeawaysLink opens in a new window).

The Too Good to GoLink opens in a new window app can see you get a takeaway bargain as vendors sell off a surprise bag (at a reduced rate) of their products that they would have ordinarily had to throw out. A variety of vendors partake in this from grocery stores to restaurants and coffee shops!

If you are interested in cutting down your food costs and waste further, you might also be interested in the OlioLink opens in a new window app which allows users to share food for free!

When heading to campus, you can save money if you bring a packed lunch with you instead of purchasing it on-site. However, if you do decide to buy food on campus, you should check out the Warwick Retail OffersLink opens in a new window for food offers, discounts, and competitions.