As a personal finance expert (and an ex-student myself!), I know just how important it is to shop on a budget. As we head into a cost-of-living crisis this winter, students will need to be smarter than ever when it comes to finding great deals, cutting costs, minimising food waste, and making their grocery budget stretch that little bit further.That’s why I’m working with Iceland to help students suss out how they can save money on their food shopping. Here are five top tips that could make a huge difference.
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1. Get Organized
Plan your meals ahead of time whenever you can. I have a magnetic wipe-clean calendar on my fridge, and it really helps me to work out my meals over the coming week, based on the ingredients I already have, as well as anything I need to buy. Do a bigger shop once a week rather than lots of frequent dashes to local express stores or corner shops, where you’ll pay more. You could even take advantage of Iceland’s free delivery services if you order at least £40 worth of groceries online, or if you spend £20 in store: that means you won’t have to carry your shopping home with you too!
2. Use The ‘Capsule Kitchen’ Strategy.
A capsule wardrobe means having just a few classic everyday essentials you can mix and match in any combo. A capsule kitchen works in the same way, revolving around certain ‘hero’ foods that work well in multiple meals. For example, frozen vegetables can be put into curries, stews, soups, AND pasta sauces. So, ditch the recipe books and Instagram food porn: instead, whittle down your shopping list to a core list of versatile ingredients that fit with your dietary preferences and can be easily whipped up into a delicious, nutritious meal in no time. A lot of classic “capsule kitchen” fare like carrot batons, chopped garlic and roast potatoes are part of the £1 and under price freeze offered by Iceland right now, which is great news.
3. Friend Your Freezer!
Research conducted by Manchester Metropolitan University shows that cooking with frozen food can halve your food waste over just two weeks. Less food waste = lower costs, so if you currently only eat fresh meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, try swapping them for frozen alternatives. My favourites include Iceland’s cooked seafood mix (amazing in a fish pie or a simple paella) and salmon fillets, which are both in the supermarket’s famous 3 for £10 mix and match offer. I often chop these up and throw them into a quick and easy stir fry.
4. Upgrade Your Cooking Gadgets
The oven is one of the most energy intensive appliances in your house, so it makes sense to look at other options for cooking food. Iceland and Utilita recently conducted research which found that air-fryers are one of the most efficient kitchen appliances to cook with, costing just 12p per day to run, compared to 73p for an electric cooker. Plus, you can use air fryers to cook so much, from fish and chicken to potatoes and even cheese burgers – discover the full range of air-fryer friendly food & meals at Iceland today.
5. Load Up on Loyalty Points.
I have all my loyalty cards loaded onto my phone via a digital wallet to ensure I never miss out on the chance to earn points, and therefore save money. Iceland’s Bonus Card is particularly good as you get a £1 bonus for every £20 of savings you build up on the card, as well as exclusive prices on certain items every week.
Summary
So there you have it – if you get organised, stick to a capsule kitchen strategy, friend your freezer, upgrade your cooking gadgets and load up on loyalty points, you could find yourself saving impressive sums on your grocery shop this term. Remember to keep checking the Affoodable website for more food shopping tips, tricks, and hacks in the coming weeks. In the meantime, good luck – and stay savvy!
