[JD12]

I've been looking around trying to get an idea how much I'll be spending on food, drink etc come September when I go off to uni and was just curious about a few things..

Are Ready Meals a cheaper alternative than buying fresh ingredients and maybe ending up wasting them?

How much do people spend on going out each week? I'm quite a sociable person and currently go out a few nights a week spending around 40-60 pound per week, will this likely increase or decrease when going off to university?

Is it common for people to lose weight whilst at uni due to budgeting restrictions on food?

Any help would be great

[KJane]

You'll probably get bored of ready meals surely? And it might not work out a great deal cheaper if you're spending £2-£3 on a good quality one. Plus, I find cooking at Uni to get a good social pass time with my flatmates. I'm not saying don't eat them, but just have both, I can't argue that they're life savers for nights where you just can't be bothered to cook.

As for a night out it really depends on you, my flatmate spends £80-£120 on one night out because he buys everyone drinks when he gets drunk. An average night out costs me £10-£20 max (£5 ticket, £5 pre-drinks and then around £10 or so for the evening.) Just don't take your bank card out with you on a night out and stick to a budget.

[biffyclyro27]

ready meals are hidiously expensive compared to preparing your own meals. Just make a meal and freeze leftover portions, far cheaper and healthier. Probably tastes better too.

[JD12]

Thanks I was just thinking like ****ty 1 pound ready meals from Tesco instead of buying fresh stuff then watching it go off. But I've changed my mind, thanks

[py0alb]

Buying fresh stuff is incredibly cheap.

Try and eat a lot of fresh veg in your dinners - not only is it extremely healthy, but its also ridiculously cheap, especially if you get them from the local market.

I'd rather cannibalise my housemates than force a grim £1 ready meal down my throat.

People normally put weight on due to all the extra alcohol they consume.

[superwolf]

I hereby introduce you to the magic of the freezer: make a massive batch of bolognaise/soup/pasta sauce/whatever, divide up into portions then freeze. Keep doing that and pretty soon you'll have a stock of different meals ready for whenever you don't feel like cooking. Minimises wastage too.

[S-man10]

Fresh food. make in large batches. Freeze

[x-pixie-lottie-x]

i used to go to the market buy meat and veg and when i cooked something id freeze bits i was never a ready meal kinda gal, (well after travelling easier to pop in the m&s at the train station than to face shopping then cooking when i just got in) because of this i lost weight, not because i budgeted... because i ate uber healthy, i ended up on a virtually veggy diet because its easier and i dont like touching raw meat

going out... i went out mon and wed every ween occasionally fri or sat too, £5 entry, £10-20 while out (including taxi's but they were only £2 and chicken nuggets and chips ) + predrinking... but i couldnt tell you how much that cost me... i bought fruit juice which i used as mixer in my normal shops anyway and i dont think i ever bought my own vodka (pressies christmas/birthday) did have a bottle of sambuca a year though... not a good night unless a pixie has a raspberry sambuca spritzer ... however... i lived with a rugby player... he would drink over half a bottle of vodkat before going out each night we went :| insane :|
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