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Uni students. how much do you spend on food a week?

My spending habits on food is getting out of hand but eating isn't a choice...sometimes i can spend £10 a day which is terrible. If i cook, the foods finished the next day lmao ffs.

Wbu guys?

Reply 1

Kevin De Bruyne

Original post by Elise213

My spending habits on food is getting out of hand but eating isn't a choice...sometimes i can spend £10 a day which is terrible. If i cook, the foods finished the next day lmao ffs.

Wbu guys?

£30-£40, could be much better but I get the odd takeaway here and there.

I like stir fry packs that last me two days and costs around £3 to make.

Fruit etc is a bit expensive which is annoying 😳

Reply 2

mollyanne98

Original post by Elise213

My spending habits on food is getting out of hand but eating isn't a choice...sometimes i can spend £10 a day which is terrible. If i cook, the foods finished the next day lmao ffs.

Wbu guys?

I generally spend £20-30 a week on food (not including meals out, which I have probably once a week if that). I find the best thing to do is stock up on vegetables at the start of the week and live on stir fries and salads but turn it all into a soup at the end of the week when it starts to deteriorate, can also then easily freeze a load if I don’t eat it. I understand how annoying it can be though to keep in fresh food when you’re only cooking for one.

Molly

Reply 3

username738914

Original post by Elise213

My spending habits on food is getting out of hand but eating isn't a choice...sometimes i can spend £10 a day which is terrible. If i cook, the foods finished the next day lmao ffs.

Wbu guys?

last semester ~£60 ish

this semester ~£30-40

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Reply 4

A Rose for Epona

If you don't mind eating repetitively you can easily keep it around £20-25. With careful planning I spend £30 on food, although even then I do sometimes end up with a few vegetables that go bad before I get to do anything with them. Of course this excludes any impulsive takeaways, snacks or desserts that I might pick up here and there. With those my food expenses work out to be £45 per week on average.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 5

username1740449

The cheapest weeks (bare in mind I'm shopping for two people) are around £30, the more expensive weeks are £40.

I try out supermarket branded food to see if it's worth paying the difference (i.e. tinned sweetcorn, crackers, cereal) and more often that not there's no difference, that helps a lot.

Making a big batch of food and then either freezing or fridging the other half is good. Freezing it obviously keeps it longer but it means you don't have to eat it the next day so you won't get sick of repeating yourself.

Also, freeze meat - the amount of times I've bought 8 chicken breasts because it's cheaper p/unit just to bin half of them makes me cry! I put them into individual sandwich bags and take out what I need, easy peasy.

Reply 6

A Rose for Epona

Original post by ShannyMorrison

I do understand that the freezer can do wonders for money saving, but I personally cannot tolerate cooked food that has been defrosted. Often this means I either let some food go bad or succumb to eating the same lunch and dinner for the whole week. Just can't wait to move in with my boyfriend so that I cook for two people instead of one; it just feels like supermarket groceries are designed for families instead of lonely university students.

Reply 7

Harold98

I make sure to spend no more than £3 a day. Usually it comes down to about £2 a day so £14 a week.

Reply 8

username1740449

Original post by Ratach

I personally cannot tolerate cooked food that has been defrosted.

I won't deny it, depending on the meal it can affect the texture and the taste, some fare better than others but there's no point in eating something that makes you miserable.

I'm guessing 'fresh' foods with long lifespans are best. Cheese is great, depending on the variety a block can last months. Potatoes last a lot longer than it says on the bag, carrots and onions are the same. Dried meats like chorizo sticks too, tortilla wraps last longer than bread, apples last forever. There's ways and means around everything!

The other problem I found with shopping for one is how expensive it is per unit, it's mad! In some shops, one apple is 60p but you can get a bag of 6 for £1.20? It's like they think the money you save from not having kids goes towards food haha

Reply 9

habouya

How do u manage to spend £14 for a whole week? 😲

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Reply 10

username1230881

Usually about £25-35, though it can occasionally be more - for example, if my parents are visiting, I have the advantage of not relying on the bus to transport my shopping, so I'll buy a lot, and if there are deals on regularly-used consumables such as soup or soap, I'll buy a significant amount and then store it.

Being a vegetarian and a non-drinker helps - I'm not too familiar with the specifics of the cost of meat or alcohol, but from what I've seen, it can add up.

Reply 11

Harold98

Original post by habouya

How do u manage to spend £14 for a whole week? 😲

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I have cheap Asda cornflakes for breakfast. I make my own sandwich for lunch. I usually have some pasta bake or brown rice/bread with some cheap veggies which I prepare differently on different days. That usually works out to around £2 a day.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 12

username738914

Original post by Harold98

I make sure to spend no more than £3 a day. Usually it comes down to about £2 a day so £14 a week.

wtf how

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Reply 13

username738914

Original post by Harold98

mate you're destroying yourself. what about protein and nutrients?! calorie count must be miniscule as well :frown:

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Reply 14

Harold98

Original post by Princepieman

wtf how

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Original post by Princepieman

mate you're destroying yourself. what about protein and nutrients?! calorie count must be miniscule as well :frown:

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Original post by habouya

How do u manage to spend £14 for a whole week? 😲

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I'm joking guys, I spend 3x that

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 15

habouya

Original post by Harold98

This is amazing. It will be useful when I move out. I am going to study nursing at Kings College London so I need to be careful when it comes to using my allowance.

Reply 16

Frostyjoe

£40-£45 for Sainsbury's delivery. I usually do a full shopping for me so meal planning is not necessary.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 17

clonedmemories

£30 of food will usually last me 2 weeks, though this isn't including staples (rice, pasta) which I just buy in bulk. I'll usually eat out once or twice in that time as well, so probably £40 overall.

Reply 18

Rt6f

£15-20
I make a mental note of all the food I will be making that week and then budget it out in my head. Breakfast is quiet repetitive but lunch and dinner are usually a mix of curries w rice or any other dish I fancy. Buy a lot of different spices when moving out so the same ingredients can make a lot of different dishes
Cooking is so much cheaper and tastier than takeaways (tastier because of all the extra £s I save ^^)