Eating On A Budget

Whether you weigh close to 20 stone or barely break 8, it is possible to eat healthily and cheaply at the same time, oh and yes it will taste good too.

Up until now you have probably always had dinner placed on the table for you by your folks, scoffed it down and then retired to your room bloated. Unfortunately your parents are probably busy working so won't be able to continue this time honoured tradition.

However don't despair as although we can't send our own cooks over to your new rooms we can offer you some advice on how to stay alive cheaply. We all now that Guinness is good for you but food tends to be on a par in the long run.

Shopping

Whether you want to or not a few months down the line you will know where to find the cheapest of the cheap essentials such as beans and bread. However we can stretch this much much further with a few simple rules.

Always look for the value range products, you know the ones with the packaging that looks so boring and drab...well that's how they sell these items cheaper. At the end of the day do you really want to pay extra for a shiny carton, unless you don't have any posters of course. People may believe that they don't taste quite as good, unfortunately we know that they are often the same food redressed.

Take some time out to find out the local supermarket closing hours, its the best time to pick up nearly out of date items on the cheap. If you have a local corner shop then get to know the owners and staff as they too will have bargains falling foul of best before dates.

Utensils

Yes we all know that you can buy a utensil for every job going in the kitchen, but over fifty percent of this can be done by hand. If you want to be able to cook yourself some decent tucker don't go overboard.

Get yourself this lot easily for under £50. A large frying pan, a saucepan, a chopping board, a sharp knife, a spatula, 3 plates, 3 cutlery sets, 3 mugs, 3 pint glasses, 3 wine glasses, and a salt & pepper grinder .

Food Basics

Get the basics in and you can pretty much knock up something edible every time. Get some flavourings in to disguise the taste when things go wrong, sauces, salt, pepper, stock cubes, gravy powder, chilli powder etc.

Staple foods are a great survival essential, rices, pastas, breads, potatoes, tinned tomatoes, tinned tuna, tinned soup & tinned corned beef, be careful with the corned beef those tins are lethal.

It helps to buy in some things fresh now and again and your body would appreciate it. Pick up some carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, cabbages and tomatoes.

Moving the beer and wine aside your fridge should also include some cheese, margarine, orange juice and bacon. Trust me this works great for a hangover treat.

In your freezer apart from your mates dodgy mags get some frozen veg, pies, pizzas and some chips. If your feeling particularly flush then some ice creams come in handy, but remember to leave room for the 'quick chill the beers' area.

Now I Have It What Do I Do

Pick yourself up a basic cookbook like Jamie Olivers Happy Days. This is a great little number based around simple quick dishes that even a dog could make.

The more cooking you try out the better you will become at knowing what works and what doesn't, how much to add and when not to add.

One major advantage that student life can bring is the diversity of cultures you are surrounded with. Tap into this great resource and try out to new dishes....just go easy on the chilli powder.