How to Cook a Student Meal on a Budget

Cooking food at home can be both cheaper and healthier than buying from restaurants, especially as a student. This guide will give you all the tools you need to get started with a healthy and balanced student meal plan, including weekly meal prep, smart shopping, and what to cook as a student on a budget. Before we begin, let’s take a look at what makes an ideal student meal plan, followed by some cheap student meal ideas that will power you through the academic year!

1. Student Weekly Meal Plan

There are few things more enjoyable than eating good food that was prepared by your own hands. As students, we know how hard it is to get meals together while balancing work, school and social obligations. When you buy your weekly groceries for your student household, take one afternoon or evening and plan out your meals for all seven days. This way you can get creative with leftovers throughout the week! To make meal planning easier, keep lists of common ingredients like milk, bread and vegetables near your kitchen – that way you’ll never run out of your essentials.

2. Smart Shopping

Getting smart about what you’re buying is one of the best ways to save money when cooking. The easiest way to do this is by shopping in budget supermarkets. Bid farewell to your smaller more expensive supermarkets and pop into an Asda, Aldi or Lidl. At these cheaper supermarkets, you will still be able to purchase your favourite products but at a discounted price. Go a step further and ditch big well-known brands. Opt for own brand products instead. Let’s be honest, not even Gordon Ramsay can tell the difference between Asda’s 29p Smart Price Pasta Shapes and a box of Napolina’s £1 Penne. Buying cheaper alternatives is not the only way to save your pennies. Consider buying in bulk. Although a 5kg bag of oats may seem a tad excessive at first, if porridge is your go-to breakfast, you will soon find that you are saving money per 100g. So always check the price per 100g and consider buying and paying a bit more to save more on your cupboard staples. The more organized you are, the more savvy your spending habits will be, saving you money every time you shop.