STUDENT 101: GROCERY SHOPPING ON A BUDGET | Jazz Blackwell
In a post way back in the days of yore, I promised that there was a post to come about how to do your food shopping on a budget while you're a student. I never really got round to it - until now, that is.For most, starting uni is the first time we'll be fully financially independent - and that includes being the first time you're fully responsible for your own groceries. In all likelihood, you're gonna be on something of a shoestring budget - there's a reason that the student stereotype is surviving solely on tins of beans and Pot Noodles. But that's not the way it needs to be - with a little planning, a general knowledge of the local area and a couple of useful tricks and apps, it's completely possible to eat pretty well on even a tight student budget.
TIP #1: FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH YOUR LOCAL SUPERMARKETS
If you're going into halls, you'll probably find that your uni has assigned some older students to help with the move-in process. The majority of them will have lived in halls themselves, and they'll have at least a semi-decent knowledge of the area you're moving into. They're usually more than happy to answer any questions you have, so it may be worth asking which supermarkets you have in the area and exactly where they are in relation to the halls buildings.
Also remember that there's nothing wrong with budget supermarkets - Aldi and Lidl may be the butt of the joke in some circles, or the subject of a number of memes. But when you're a broke student, there's not really a lot of room for that kind of snobbery. Fact of the matter is that a lot of the products on offer at the cheaper supermarkets are every bit as good as their more expensive counterparts; you're usually just not paying for the name brand or fancier packaging. If you've got an Aldi or a Lidl available to you nearby, it's definitely worth picking those.
TIP #2: SUPERMARKET COMPARISON SITES
Now, maybe this is something most people already knew and I was just late to the party, but when I discovered supermarket comparison sites and apps at the beginning of second year, I was blown away by how handy it was.
The one I specifically use is MySupermarket (not spons). It's pretty simple: you use the site to search for any items you need, and they compare the prices across fifteen different stores in the UK, including the leading supermarket chains. You can even compile an entire shopping list, and the site will tell you which supermarket is best to go to in order to spend the least. The site also allows you to see the best deals currently going on across all the stores they work with, and you can even use it to order a grocery shop online if that's what you prefer to do. My only criticism of it is that the mobile app isn't fantastic, and I much prefer working with the mobile site.
TIP #3: LISTS AND BUDGETS
If you're looking to spend as little money as possible, I can't stress enough the importance of making a list before you hit the supermarket to get your grocery shopping. If you go in without one, even if you have an idea in your head about what you want, you're significantly more likely to go off-piste and spend money on additional things that you don't need. Make a physical copy of a list and take it and a pen with you to the shop so that you can check each item off as you get it. Remember here that there's nothing wrong with supermarket own-brand or value-brand products, and that frozen veg is no worse for you than fresh.
It's also a good idea to set a budget before you go to the supermarket - perhaps even write it down on your list. If you go to the shop knowing that you want to spend no more than £20, for example, you're far less likely to overdo it. If you want to be even stricter with it, you can take only as much cash as you want to spend and leave your card behind at home; that way, you can't overspend even if you want to.
TIP #4: COUPONS, COUPONS, COUPONS
This is another point that may seem redundant in its obviousness, but as with the first tip, it's obvious for a damn good reason.
Coupons can be your absolute best friend when it comes to shopping as a student. Be they for cashback or for money off your entire purchase or singular products, anything that's going to help you save a wee bit of dough on your weekly shop is going to be handy for you. They can be a bit of a pain in the arse to find, but its worth putting the work in if you really need to scrimp and save.
Your best shout for finding coupons these days is online; there's a whole page of them over on Money Saving Expert which gets updated regularly and is thoroughly checked to ensure all offers are fully valid and verified. There's also the offers page on P&G's Super Savvy Me website, where they regularly offer coupons on products from many of their daughter brands (note: P&G brands are all non-food brands, and these are mostly just useful for cleaning products and toiletries). You can also go the old fashioned route and check the newspapers for vouchers, but there's no guarantee here that you'll find any, and this does involve spending the money that the paper costs to get them. You can also check the App Store or Play Store to find coupon apps.
TIP #5: SUPERMARKET LOYALTY PROGRAMS
Personally, my closest supermarket is Morrisons, who offer the Morrisons More scheme which you can sign up to for free, with both a plastic card and an app that you can use. You get 5 points for every £1 you spend on groceries in-store or online, on fuel at Morrisons petrol stations or on food in Morrisons Cafés, or 25 points for every £1 you spend on gift cards in-store. When you reach 5,000 points, you receive a £5 off entire purchase voucher. They offer coupons through their More app, both for money off of various items and for extra points on certain purchases. They also have a 'More for Students' club that you can sign up to when you get a More account, through which you can get exclusive offers and discounts throughout the year. This is the only program I actually have any experience with, but you can find a really great comprehensive list of the best ones over on Lovemoney.
So those are my tips on how best to go about grocery shopping on a shoestring budget as a student. Try them out and see if they help, and feel free to leave any more you might have down in the comments of this post.
Keep it weird,
Jazz xo
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