(1) Plan your weekly budget<\/b><\/h3>\n
The best place to start is having a weekly budget to work out how much you can realistically afford to spend each week on food. Start by working out your income \u2013 whether you have a part-time job or you\u2019re getting money from your parents, every income you have should be accounted for. You\u2019ll then need to make a note of your regular expenses and subtract this from your income. This should then leave you with the amount you have available for food, activities, shopping, and anything else you need to buy over the week. Make sure you set aside a fair amount for food and necessities, and use this weekly budget to inform your spending decisions and plan your food shopping accordingly. For more information on budgeting, check out our\u00a0Budgeting Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Make sure you check your cupboards before you head to the shop so you don\u2019t buy duplicate items that you won\u2019t need and jot down any ingredients you\u2019re missing. This also helps you use up food before it goes out of date. Try to plan what meals you might like to have for the week and make a list of what you need. It can also be helpful to make extra food so you have leftovers for the next day\u2019s lunch. We have microwaves on campus so you can reheat leftovers<\/a>.\u00a0Making a list of what you actually need will help to keep you on track with your shopping.<\/p>\n Most supermarkets start reducing the price of food after about 18:00 so that they can get rid of stock before the end of the day, and make things cheaper that they will no longer be able to sell as \u2018fresh\u2019 the next morning. This is great for getting a cheaper food shop \u2013 the food will still be fine to eat, just less expensive. You could also freeze items and have them at a later date.<\/p>\n Buying in bulk can work out cheaper in the long run. For items with a long shelf life that you know you\u2019ll use \u2013 like pasta, rice and washing up liquid \u2013 it\u2019s cheaper and easier to buy larger quantities than to keep getting small packets. Look out for the price per kg or per litre on these items to make sure you\u2019re getting a good deal. If you can afford it, it can make more sense to bulk buy items once rather than buying smaller amounts of items each week.<\/p>\n There are lots of money-saving discounts online and in stores. As students, you should be able to access student discounts for a range of shops and restaurants, so make sure you always ask if this is available when shopping. For discounts on the Canterbury campus, grab yourself a\u00a0Totum<\/a>\u00a0discount card or a\u00a0Co-op<\/a>\u00a0membership to access rewards and offers in our two Co-op stores. It\u2019s also a good idea to do your food shops at cheaper supermarkets (like Aldi and Lidl) if possible, as this will save you a lot of money in the long run.<\/p>\n Our partner Santander is helping students with the cost of living by offering the chance to win \u00a3500 in food vouchers through the\u00a0Fuel Your Studies prize draw.<\/a><\/p>\n You can also access the\u00a0Kent Students\u2019 Union Campus Pantry<\/a>\u00a0at Mandela Student Centre, and can speak to their\u00a0Advice Service<\/a>\u00a0about any extra support or advice you might need. We also offer a range of\u00a0emergency financial support options<\/a>.<\/p>\n(2) Take stock and make a list<\/b><\/h3>\n
(3) Do your food shop in the evenings<\/b><\/h3>\n
(4) If you can, buy in bulk<\/b><\/h3>\n
(5) Keep an eye out for student discounts and cheap deals<\/b><\/h3>\n
Chance to win \u00a3500 in food vouchers!<\/strong><\/h3>\n
More cost of living support<\/strong><\/h3>\n