Charley’s unsolicited weekly take on the uni topics no one else dares to mention…
One of the biggest hurdles for freshers adjusting to their new life has to be the weekly food shop. When the budget meets budding chef skills, chaos is also bound to happen. Here are some tips and tricks, from someone who has only given themselves food poisoning once, on how to successfully shop and cook at uni.
- Make use of the first food shop:
Most likely, when you arrive at uni you will be treated to your first food shop: please take advantage of that! Use this to buy your cupboard staples|: tins of beans, pasta, seasoning: the holy trinity to make sure you are always fed in one way or another. These will instantly become your staple before (and after) a night out, or the days you just genuinely can’t be bothered.
- Plan your route:
If you happen to live in the middle of nowhere in first year (aka Endcliffe or Ranmoor), your supermarket choice is slim: either the tiny Morrisons and the even smaller Sainsburys, or Eccy road Tesco: a good one but a right trek to get there. Know which supermarket you want, how to get there (and especially how to get back with heavy bags of shopping) would definitely be a good starting point.
- The budget:
No one has much money at uni and spending it on a food shop isn’t always a priority but we do still need to eat! Work out your weekly food budget before hand and figure out how you can make the most out of your money. The reduced aisle and “savers” ranges will instantly become your best friend. And a side tip: sign up to ALL of the supermarket loyalty schemes- they’re free so you might as well, and you never know what’ll come in handy over the years.
- The list:
Yes, you’ll feel much older than you are ticking off your list in the veg aisle but it works! Plan out the meals/snacks you want in advance to fit it into your budget and avoid having to go back to the shop the next day- you will thank me after.
- Be realistic:
This is probably the most important: if you’re only wanting to eat pasta and chips at uni- you do you! There’s no point buying ingredients you’ve never used for recipes you’ll never get round to cooking when you could spend that money on much better things. You’re probably not going to become a professional chef overnight- but if that’s your thing, give it a try! Just remember that your uni kitchen will have way too many faults and your oven will try and sabotage you at every dinner time.
The independence of cooking your own food is great- until a month later and you really do not have the energy to slave over the stove for 2 hours after a full day at uni. At the end of the day, as long as you’re eating some form of food at some point, you’ll survive and that’s all that matters!
Come back next Monday or another column from your new favourite oversharer!
Image Credits: Unsplash
