10th March 2010 | The Urbanest Team | Comments [0]
Stretching Your Food Budget
We all know that students don’t have much disposable income. After paying for union fees, textbooks and rent, there is not much left, but you can stretch your food budget to allow you to buy fresh, health produce and meats if you are careful with your money.
When it comes to shopping for ingredients, it pays to shop around. If you always go to a particular store because it is so convenient, then you are probably paying for that convenience by way of higher food prices.
A great place to buy your fresh fruit and vegetables is at farmers markets. Most capital cities will have multiple locations – for example, in Brisbane there are farmers markets held at New Farm, Rocklea, Windsor, Moggill, Loganholme and many more. Fresh produce at these markets is generally cheaper, fresher and in much better condition than the food you get in the big supermarkets.
Another great idea is to form a group of students and pool your funds so you can take advantage of bulk discounts. Butchers will often heavily discount the price of cuts of meat if you buy the entire piece (eg. a whole rump, or a whole t-bone) and will often slice the meat for free. This could mean that even as a student you are able to afford a nice juicy steak for your evening meal.
If you and the other students at your share accommodation all get along well and have similar tastes in food – why not have agreements where everyone chips in a certain amount, and one person buys some of the kitchen basics that everyone can share? This can work quite well with coffee, sugar, flour, dishwashing liquid etc. Just make sure you keep on top of anyone who seems to be using more than his or her fair share. It might pay for you all to keep an informal record (such as a notepad in the kitchen) of who is using which ingredients – you can always alter the amount people are chipping in, or if people feel like they are not getting any benefit, they can always pull out.
Finally, it is vital to plan your meals in advance. There is no point buying a kitchen full of tasty ingredients, which all go past their use-by date, or go rotten in the fridge. Before you go shopping, write down a list of the meals you plan to make for the coming week or fortnight, and write your shopping list accordingly.
These simple tricks can help you to save money on your food and still eat healthy meals. Stretching your budget is easier when you share with the people in your student residence.
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