Keeping your shopping costs under control is one of the easiest ways of staying out of the red. Check out our top tips to stop your food taking a bite out of your budget...

 

Ditch the Brands Avoid buying name brand items, and choose supermarket own-brands or generic items whenever possible. They often very simple or even identical items, at a highly reduced price - you can even check the ingredients to make sure. This can even be the case for over-the-counter medicines - branded versions of common drugs like paracetemol and ibuprofen are significantly more expensive but no more effective than generic versions. However, if you have any allergies, make sure you check the inactive ingredients too, just in case! Check out this guide to cheap hay fever medicines to find out how to get yours for as little as 2p per tablet!

 

Plan your eats Check out the How to Start Meal Planning and Menu Plans discussions on MoneySavingExpert, which will help you to only buy food you need. It's a good idea to make dinner with friends and split the cost of groceries. Often, you’ll be cooking too much for one person anyway!

 

Empty stomach whilst shopping = impulse purchases Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach as you’ll end up buying products that you may not necessarily need.

 

Understand 'Use By' vs 'Best Before' date Use by date is about safety, best before date is about quality. To help, MoneySavingExpert has a free printable Food Saving Memo. Stick it on the fridge and check before you chuck.

 

Freeze your groceries The average UK household bins around £700 worth of uneaten food a year! Planning meals can help cut back on that – but lots can be frozen to extend its life past the use-by date. SavetheStudent has made a  Surprisingly Freezable Foods list to help. Freeze leftovers and you’ve got a cheaper/healthier alternative to take-aways and shop-bought snacks, too. 

 

Takeaways There's no need to live off pricey takeaways at uni while longing for a home-cooked meal. Take the time to learn the basics and it'll help to stretch your cash much further, and it's far healthier too. This year we’re running the Bite Club campaign to help you cook healthy meals on a budget.

 

Markets The markets in town each Wednesday and Saturday are good for buying vegetables as they tend to be cheaper than the supermarket. It's also worth checking ALDI ‘Super Six’ offer – every week different fruit and veg is discounted (sometimes to 29p!). But we also have the Farmers’ Market on campus each Thursday for products such as eggs and cakes.

 

Bulk buying Depending on your diet, there are loads of different ways to save by buying in bulk. Bulk buying on online for gluten free products is often cheaper, as products can be expensive in supermarkets. If you are a meat eater, look at bulk buying from a butcher and freezing. It is often possible to buy a ‘variety pack’ that could last weeks for about £20-30. There are loads of butchers to choose from around town.

 

Reduction time Keep an eye out for bargains in the supermarkets - there's chance to pick up cut-price items near their sell-by date, particularly towards the end of the day.

 

No harm in asking If you see things that are damaged, ask about a discount at the till - staff will often have some discretion to offer a discount of some sort. 

 

Save money buy choosing UHT Dairy/lactose-free milks are often available as UHT which is cheaper than fresh and lasts longer. Buy supermarket brand rather than branded products. 

 

Make your own coffee While coffee shops are convenient, they charge hefty prices that really add up over time. Better to invest in a good flask or insulated mug, and make your own brew at home. 
 
 

Replace don’t replicate If you have any allergies try finding alternatives rather than replicas - such as rice instead of more expensive gluten-free pasta.