Let me tell you, cooking as a student is really not that bad. Just because you cant shop at woollies anymore doesn’t mean that you have to live off 2-minute noodles for the rest of your varsity career. Although saving money for the Ritalin your mate promised to sell you, or saving for your daisies ticket that you patiently waited for on the website for 10 days falls under your priority list, doesn’t mean that your food and meal planning should be written off as an unbearable task. For me, food shopping is what I look forward to! Regardless of the scarce number sitting in my bank account.
Cooking with a budget
Cooking your own food is ALWAYS cheaper and healthier than buying take outs or convenient foods. Work out the cost of daily meals and then what it costs for a month to feed yourself. Establish what are the most economical foods to buy.
Healthy & cheap foods
Buy healthy veggies and fruits from fruit & vegetable outlets, not from stores that offer convenience food i.e. already cut up, prepared or pre cooked.
Here are some examples:
Sicilian cauliflower & chickpea stew with fluffy couscous
Sweet potato, mushroom and onion breakfast hash
Meal plans
Every Sunday prepare meal plans for the forth coming week. This allows you to know exactly what you need to buy for the week alleviating buying unnecessary and expensive items. In addition this method saves you time and money as you don’t have to make frequent trips to the grocery store, where you are also tempted to buy items that are not needed or unhealthy convenient foods.
Easy spending vs practical cooking
Don’t fall into the trap of buying food each time you need a meal. When planning your meals, cook a large portion for dishes that allow for this and divide it into a few separate meals. You can also make variations to each of these meals. Try and use what you already have in the cupboard or make use of left overs in the fridge to size up or make a new meal.
Master the art of seasoning
Make use of seasoning when cooking, but please not Aromat. Fresh herbs and spices can do wanders for the taste of your foods that are usually considered bland or boring. Fresh herbs can change your life!
Stock up on basics
Always ensure you are stocked up on basics so that you have everything on hand when cooking or preparing your meals for the week.
Examples:
Tuna
Beans
Eggs
Chickpeas
Yogurt
Musli
Apples
Salt and pepper
Pasta
Nuts
Rice
And don’t forget WINE!
Freeze everything that is freezable
Freezing food is a great way to save time and money. Where possible, freeze the meals you have prepared/cooked for the week. Once meals are portioned out and frozen, you don’t have to think about what to cook or buy during the week. Bread and milk can also be frozen. Just take out the required slices of bread from the freezer as and when needed.
Too many take outs
Keep take out foods to a minimum. Although clicking on uber eats or Mr delivery is sooooo much easier and quicker than actually making a meal, first year spread is a real thing and such fast food apps are definitely responsible for that belt getting tighter. I speak from experience… Besides being unhealthy, the cost adds up very quickly. Budget for yourself 2 or 3 per month.
