Living on a student budget in the UK did not come easy. I recently wrote a LinkedIn post about my experience and some tips that I could offer. It was quite well received so I decided to write a detailed blog post on it.
While I talk about living on a student budget (grocery shopping focused) specifically in the UK, I believe that the experience taught me loads more – about planning and running a kitchen in general. So, read on, you don’t HAVE to be a student in the UK only to know these things.
Why plan?
Simple answer – there are better things to do in life that grocery shopping. Most people enjoy roaming around in the big supermarkets, going through shelves after shelves. But to me, that was not as interesting. It only made me feel shitty about being a student. I was constantly worried about consuming something that would make me sick. And above all, it took longer than it needed to.
It’s always better to plan. I cannot imagine how a kitchen could properly run if things are not planned.
So what can be done?
- Carry your own bag – No surprises there. Bags are chargeable both in India and abroad. The ones which you get for free are made of plastic. You cannot deny climate change and if you still do, look at your AC consumption and the rising electricity bills. So, carry a cloth bag whenever you go grocery shopping.
- Reduced price items – This is especially for those abroad. There are special times in the day when the supermarkets reduce prices because items are dated/closer to expiry. Figure out those times and time your shopping. My veggies hardly went bad and I never fell sick eating the reduced price items – if you cook it once you get it, it will last. Most times, it will last even longer.
- Buy vegetables first – Fill up your cloth bag with all essentials first, like vegetables. This way, you will have less space for junk and unhealthy stuff. Yes, the junk stuff comes in bigger packaging than vegetables!
- Prepare a list – This is a game changer. This will help in knowing exactly what you want. So, you can go to the market, buy what you need and come back. The random strolling in supermarkets didn’t sit well with me. But if you want to explore, go for it! It only gets boring after a while.
Life lessons
Living on a student budget was one of the best things that happened to me. It improved my relationship with money, made me learn how to make the right choices, and also helped me eat healthy.
Though I did have my fair share of complains about what have I landed myself into when I had to make three meals for myself every day, even on submission days, it was a skill worth picking up.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash
