Weekly food budget as a UK student — what’s realistic now?
This poll is closed
what’s your average weekly food spend?
£20-£2510%
£25-£3030%
£30-£4040%
£40+20%
Total votes: 10
I’m curious what students are actually spending on food per week right now.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
Reply 1
Original post
by malterawi1978I’m curious what students are actually spending on food per week right now.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
Hi @malterawi1978
I would say that I normally spend about £25-30 on a weekly shop if I go in with meal plans in mind and shop at a budget supermarket (Lidl, Aldi, etc.). But the food budget goes up from the money I spend on quick snacks and food at uni when I haven't meal prepped. I've learned in my 2.5 years at uni that its worth it to spend an extra £10 on my weekly shop on snacks and extra lunch food because in the end it saves me from spending £20+ during the week. Of course there is still the odd takeaway when I'm feeling lazy (or had a night out the night before), but I try to keep that to a minimum and I think its okay to splurge on a treat once in a while.
I'd say I could also cut that budget back to about £20 a week if I was really trying to eat cheap, and I have done in the past when money has been very tight. But I felt the difference in my physical and mental wellbeing when I ate like that, so for me it is definitely a priority to eat well and I will compromise on other things, like nights out, if I have to to make that happen.
Hope this helps!
Lillian
Reply 2
Hi there,
I think what people spend on their food shops is completely dependent on their weekly routines, and if people are meal prepping too!
I personally only spend about £15-20 per week on an actual food shop, but that's because I'm out of my flat from about 7:30am to 8-9pm (Masters student working 2 jobs and trying to keep a social life🥲) so I never do much cooking. With that, I do tend to buy more food out like snacks, meal deals and sometimes the odd maccies to keep me going which obviously brings up my total weekly spend by about twice the amount if not more!
If I'm having a more quiet week, I'll spend a bit more on a food shop and do a bit of meal prep, for example either making a lasagne or a pasta bake which will give me 4-5 days of dinners, which makes my actual food shop a bit more but means I'm spending less money buying things throughout the week.
It's definitely different for everyone, and also depends where abouts people are living for uni - for me, I've found Liverpool quite cheap for food, especially when shopping in places like Iceland, Lidl, Aldi, Home Bargains etc, but I'm aware that some places are a lot more expensive!
Jorja (LJMU Student Rep)
I think what people spend on their food shops is completely dependent on their weekly routines, and if people are meal prepping too!
I personally only spend about £15-20 per week on an actual food shop, but that's because I'm out of my flat from about 7:30am to 8-9pm (Masters student working 2 jobs and trying to keep a social life🥲) so I never do much cooking. With that, I do tend to buy more food out like snacks, meal deals and sometimes the odd maccies to keep me going which obviously brings up my total weekly spend by about twice the amount if not more!
If I'm having a more quiet week, I'll spend a bit more on a food shop and do a bit of meal prep, for example either making a lasagne or a pasta bake which will give me 4-5 days of dinners, which makes my actual food shop a bit more but means I'm spending less money buying things throughout the week.
It's definitely different for everyone, and also depends where abouts people are living for uni - for me, I've found Liverpool quite cheap for food, especially when shopping in places like Iceland, Lidl, Aldi, Home Bargains etc, but I'm aware that some places are a lot more expensive!
Jorja (LJMU Student Rep)
Reply 3
Original post
by LJMUStudentRepsHi there,
I think what people spend on their food shops is completely dependent on their weekly routines, and if people are meal prepping too!
I personally only spend about £15-20 per week on an actual food shop, but that's because I'm out of my flat from about 7:30am to 8-9pm (Masters student working 2 jobs and trying to keep a social life🥲) so I never do much cooking. With that, I do tend to buy more food out like snacks, meal deals and sometimes the odd maccies to keep me going which obviously brings up my total weekly spend by about twice the amount if not more!
If I'm having a more quiet week, I'll spend a bit more on a food shop and do a bit of meal prep, for example either making a lasagne or a pasta bake which will give me 4-5 days of dinners, which makes my actual food shop a bit more but means I'm spending less money buying things throughout the week.
It's definitely different for everyone, and also depends where abouts people are living for uni - for me, I've found Liverpool quite cheap for food, especially when shopping in places like Iceland, Lidl, Aldi, Home Bargains etc, but I'm aware that some places are a lot more expensive!
Jorja (LJMU Student Rep)
I think what people spend on their food shops is completely dependent on their weekly routines, and if people are meal prepping too!
I personally only spend about £15-20 per week on an actual food shop, but that's because I'm out of my flat from about 7:30am to 8-9pm (Masters student working 2 jobs and trying to keep a social life🥲) so I never do much cooking. With that, I do tend to buy more food out like snacks, meal deals and sometimes the odd maccies to keep me going which obviously brings up my total weekly spend by about twice the amount if not more!
If I'm having a more quiet week, I'll spend a bit more on a food shop and do a bit of meal prep, for example either making a lasagne or a pasta bake which will give me 4-5 days of dinners, which makes my actual food shop a bit more but means I'm spending less money buying things throughout the week.
It's definitely different for everyone, and also depends where abouts people are living for uni - for me, I've found Liverpool quite cheap for food, especially when shopping in places like Iceland, Lidl, Aldi, Home Bargains etc, but I'm aware that some places are a lot more expensive!
Jorja (LJMU Student Rep)
Thanks for sharing this. it’s a really clear explanation.
The difference between busy weeks and quieter weeks is such a good point. When days are that long, cooking just isn’t realistic, even if the food shop itself is cheap, and it’s easy for smaller purchases during the day to add up.
Also agree that location plays a big role — Liverpool does seem more affordable for food compared to a lot of other uni cities.
When you do meal prep things like pasta bakes or lasagne, is that something you plan ahead for, or do you usually decide once you know you’ll have a quieter week?
Reply 4
Original post
by Lillian FalmouthHi @malterawi1978
I would say that I normally spend about £25-30 on a weekly shop if I go in with meal plans in mind and shop at a budget supermarket (Lidl, Aldi, etc.). But the food budget goes up from the money I spend on quick snacks and food at uni when I haven't meal prepped. I've learned in my 2.5 years at uni that its worth it to spend an extra £10 on my weekly shop on snacks and extra lunch food because in the end it saves me from spending £20+ during the week. Of course there is still the odd takeaway when I'm feeling lazy (or had a night out the night before), but I try to keep that to a minimum and I think its okay to splurge on a treat once in a while.
I'd say I could also cut that budget back to about £20 a week if I was really trying to eat cheap, and I have done in the past when money has been very tight. But I felt the difference in my physical and mental wellbeing when I ate like that, so for me it is definitely a priority to eat well and I will compromise on other things, like nights out, if I have to to make that happen.
Hope this helps!
Lillian
I would say that I normally spend about £25-30 on a weekly shop if I go in with meal plans in mind and shop at a budget supermarket (Lidl, Aldi, etc.). But the food budget goes up from the money I spend on quick snacks and food at uni when I haven't meal prepped. I've learned in my 2.5 years at uni that its worth it to spend an extra £10 on my weekly shop on snacks and extra lunch food because in the end it saves me from spending £20+ during the week. Of course there is still the odd takeaway when I'm feeling lazy (or had a night out the night before), but I try to keep that to a minimum and I think its okay to splurge on a treat once in a while.
I'd say I could also cut that budget back to about £20 a week if I was really trying to eat cheap, and I have done in the past when money has been very tight. But I felt the difference in my physical and mental wellbeing when I ate like that, so for me it is definitely a priority to eat well and I will compromise on other things, like nights out, if I have to to make that happen.
Hope this helps!
Lillian
Thanks for such a thoughtful reply which is really helpful.The point about spending a bit more on snacks to avoid buying food on campus during the week really makes sense, and it’s interesting how meal prep changes the whole equation.
I also really appreciate what you said about wellbeing. I’ve had periods where eating as cheaply as possible just didn’t feel sustainable, even if it saved money in the short term.
Do you usually plan meals for the whole week in advance, or is it more flexible depending on how busy things are?
Reply 5
Original post
by malterawi1978I’m curious what students are actually spending on food per week right now.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
Hiya!
I’m a second year student at Exeter and I would say my food shop averages around £40 per week. Of course it will really vary between areas but I believe Exeter is around average for the UK cost of living in terms of groceries. I tend to get groceries delivered from Sainsbury’s every 10 days or so and the price varies week by week. During less busy periods I’ll make most of my food myself - I’m a bit of a lazy cook so it’s usually easier options like wraps, jacket potatoes and of course the iconic uni staple of pesto pasta! However, sometimes when I’m busier and need to prioritise work I’ll get a few ready meals or easier options which can increase the price. I try not to spend too much on campus but I will sometimes splurge on a convenient meal deal or coffee during long days.
Eating well is a crucial part of maintaining your health and energy during uni so it’s important that you make it work for you and your budget. I’d do some research into the cost of living for the area your uni is in and have a look at nearby shops - Aldi and Lidl are currently considered the most affordable supermarkets so if I had those options nearby my costs would likely be lower. I have a Nectar card for Sainsbury’s which usually knocks a few pounds off so if you do decide on a particular supermarket to do your main grocery shopping at, taking advantage of any loyalty schemes like Nectar cards, Tesco Clubcards and the Lidl Plus app can get you some helpful discounts and deals, as well as specific student discount apps like UniDays and StudentBeans. Splitting grocery orders with flatmates is also a great idea to cut down delivery costs as well as increase convenience. Plus I’ve found that ordering online can help reduce my impulse buys as I’m not getting tempted walking past the sweets aisle every time I shop!
Social life and wellbeing are key parts of the uni experience so don’t feel guilty for the occasional sweet treat or takeaway, or meal out with friends. Considering this, I would recommend looking into student bank account options that offer a free TasteCard as they’re a great way to get considerable discounts at some restaurants and cafes, as well as cinema tickets for a well-deserved break.
Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!
Bella
University of Exeter Student Ambassador
Reply 6
Original post
by malterawi1978I’m curious what students are actually spending on food per week right now.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
Hey @malterawi1978
I tend to spend between £25-30 per week on my food shop, as long as i don’t eat out during the week.
One thing i find really helps is planning my meals in advance, making use of food i already have in and shopping at budget supermarkets like lidl or aldi. If you don’t have either of these nearby then i’d definitely recommend getting the rewards card for your local supermarket as this can bring prices down significantly.
If i don’t have time to cook then i definitely find i end up spending more money on lunches. I tend to make enough for atleast 2 people when i cook my tea the previous night so i always have enough for lunch the next day so this is rarely an issue
. Molly
BCU Student rep x
Reply 7
Hi all,
I used to spend around £20-25 on a food shop for my week. What I used to do was...
Best of luck all 🙂
I used to spend around £20-25 on a food shop for my week. What I used to do was...
•
Buy own-brands
•
Shop in Aldi and Lidl where possible
•
Make the most of yellow/red reduced stickers
•
Watch and mimic Jamie Oliver's feasts for a fiver
•
Keep a spreadsheet of food shop costs and how much I earnt per month to work out how much I had to spend on fun stuff and going out
•
If you are not too experienced or keen on cooking, then these recipes from Save the Student helped me with inspo
Best of luck all 🙂
Reply 8
Original post
by malterawi1978Thanks for such a thoughtful reply which is really helpful.The point about spending a bit more on snacks to avoid buying food on campus during the week really makes sense, and it’s interesting how meal prep changes the whole equation.
I also really appreciate what you said about wellbeing. I’ve had periods where eating as cheaply as possible just didn’t feel sustainable, even if it saved money in the short term.
Do you usually plan meals for the whole week in advance, or is it more flexible depending on how busy things are?
I also really appreciate what you said about wellbeing. I’ve had periods where eating as cheaply as possible just didn’t feel sustainable, even if it saved money in the short term.
Do you usually plan meals for the whole week in advance, or is it more flexible depending on how busy things are?
I'm so glad I could help!
I'd say the level of meal prep I do definitely depends on how busy I am. Most of the time I make a rough plan for 2 - 3 'meals' that I can cook in bigger batches so that each 'meal' is covering about 6 - 8 meals in the week. I tend to pick foods that I feel work for a lunch or dinner so I'm not necessarily planning the exact thing I'm going to eat at every meal. In other words, whenever I cook in the week I'm cooking enough to have leftovers for 2 - 3 lunches/dinners so that I'm only cooking a few days a week. I hope that makes sense.
But there are definitely still times when I'm too busy or tired from my day that I will just rely on ramen or a frozen pizza to get me through. It's still cheap and does the trick, so I also keep a few bits like that in the house just in case!
Reply 9
Original post
by malterawi1978I’m curious what students are actually spending on food per week right now.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
Hi!
I would say my answer varies from week to week but on average I spend around £30/£35 per week on my food shop. One of the things that pushes this up is buying fresh fruit as this seems to be very expensive but I think it is worth it. I would also say that since I have started uni four years ago, my food shop has definitely gone up in price due to the cost of food increasing!
I do also do some top up shops sometimes of extra snacks or things I have forgotten in my shop, so I might spend a bit extra on this. I also probably go out for food on average once a week, whether this be breakfast, lunch or dinner and I always enjoy this so is worth the money.
If I am cooking with my housemates I find my food shop to be a bit cheaper short term as we share things, however in the long run I would say this evens out as I have less leftovers in my freezer. It really depends on the week but all in all I would say around £45 but this includes going out for food which I wouldn't usually include in a food shop budget, I would more include this in social events budget!
I could definitely cut this down, but I find I eat better when I am willing to spend a bit more which helps me in general to feel and work better.
I hope some of this helps!
Lucy -SHU student ambassador 🙂
Reply 10
Original post
by malterawi1978I’m curious what students are actually spending on food per week right now.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
With supermarket prices going up, it feels like the old £25–£30/week advice doesn’t really apply anymore.
Roughly, where do you sit?
• Under £25
• £25–30
• £30–40
• £40+
Would also be interested to know what pushes it higher — supermarket prices, eating out, or lack of time to cook.
Hi @malterawi1978
I would say I definitely sit in the £25-30 a week
I do this by ...
•
Taking it in turns cooking in my flat.
•
Batch cooking, freezing what I can.
•
Planning ahead to make the most of ingredients across meals. Use ingredients more than once.
•
Shopping at lidl and Aldi
I also have a post here with an example of what my weekly shopping list might look like which totals at £25.34, plus tips on how to keep costs this low
weekly Food Shop Inspo
I hope this helps
-Grace (Kingston Rep)
Quick Reply
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