Student Advice Service – Money Matters

News from the Student Advice Service at the University of Brighton

2

Savvy shopping saves pennies and pounds

Be a savvy shopper

For many the weekly shop will be a very familiar task, but for others, especially if you’ve moved from a family home, it can be quite an overwhelming experience, particularly when you’re working on a tight student budget. From local convenience stores and corner shops, to markets, and the big named supermarkets, how do you know you’re getting the best value for money?

Here’s a few suggestions for keeping your shopping bills down and making the most out of your student funding……

Break the habit

Don’t assume that the supermarket you or your parents have always shopped at, or the one closest to where you live, will offer the best value. Websites like Mysupermarket compare the prices of hundreds of groceries and household products to make sure you’re not paying more than you need to. You may have to travel a bit further, but your overall saving could still be greater than the money you’ve spent on transport. You can shop with your housemates and bulk order online for delivery. Some supermarkets have a minimum spend but the cheapest delivery charges tend to be offered on weekdays during the day, with peak slots on weekend mornings and weekday evenings generally costing the most, so it pays to be flexible. Some supermarkets also offer delivery passes (often with a free trial period) which can save you money across the year if you use the service regularly. Also look out for first-order discounts and online cashback for new customers.  However, if you only intend to sign up for a trial, make sure you cancel it within the appropriate timeframe else it could end up costing you more.

 

Make ‘local’ work for you

Local corner shops or ‘express’ stores can be ideal for an emergency pint of milk, but if you’re planning a bigger shop, you could find yourself seriously stung. In some instances individual products can cost as much as 40% more than the equivalent supermarket price.

Shopping for fresh produce at your local greengrocers or markets on the other hand can be a real money saver, and could save you up to 35% compared with supermarkets.

Sign up for the Brighton Food Co-op on your campus. These are student-led initiatives providing local and seasonal fruit & veg for staff and students for just £4 per week (plus a one off membership fee for the year), so you’d be supporting your bank balance as well as the local economy and hitting your 5 a day. What’s not to love?! No automatic alt text available.

Tighten the purse strings

Supermarkets are very good at encouraging us to spend more than we need to. Get inspired by our Student Advice top tips to help beat the budget:

  • Plan your meals and write a shopping list – knowing what you’re there to buy before you enter a shop can really help to keep you focused on the job in hand. It can also prevent you from doubling up on things you already have in your cupboards.
  • Buy in bulk – if you live in shared accommodation it can cut a chunk off your shopping bills if you club together for certain items that you’ll all be using. eg. buying toilet roll in bulk rather than each buying smaller packs separately. Communal cooking (and shopping) can also help keep costs down and offers good house-bonding opportunity.
  • Don’t shop when you are hungry (or when your student loan has just arrived) – not only will you be tempted to fill your basket with things you don’t need, you’re also more likely to make unnecessary or unhealthy choices.
  • Always consider brand or value – when you buy branded goods you are generally paying for just that, the brand. In many instances there are cheaper, supermarket own-brand alternatives that contain almost identical ingredients, but are much kinder on the wallet.
  • Shop later in the day (or on Sunday afternoon) – most supermarkets start reducing perishable products close to the ‘best before’ date from early evening, so it can be worth waiting until later in the day to access big discounts and stock up the freezer.
  • Look up and down – it sounds silly but supermarkets place the items they get most profit from at eye level, so check out the top or bottom shelves for the bargains.
  • Choose your aisle carefully – you can find every day products such as dried herbs, spices and cooking sauces up to 80% cheaper in the ‘World Food’ aisle than in other areas of the same supermarket.
  • Be wary of offers – whilst there are lots of genuine deals to be had, some supermarket ‘special offers’ are not what they seem, so don’t be fooled by the eye-catching signage and always double check the fine print.

Student discount

If you find yourself in need of any last minute essentials but can’t get to a bigger supermarket, don’t forget that Co-op offer 10% student discount to NUS/Totem card holders

Turn your receipts into cash

No matter where you shop, you can bag yourself rewards by taking photos of your everyday receipts for market research, via companies such as Receipt Hog and Shoppix. Just upload a photograph of your receipt to earn yourself cashback or vouchers to spend on retailers such as Amazon and iTunes – it’s as easy as that.

In a similar way, sites such as Quidco and Top Cashback will often reward you with cashback on online supermarket purchases as an incentive to shop with them- https://www.quidco.com/food-drink-supermarkets/. Just be mindful that some of the more expensive supermarkets may be offering the best cashback amounts, but your basket could still work out more expensive than the more budget options.

We always want to hear from you with your tips and hints to share with other students, so please get in touch: studentadvice@brighton.ac.uk

We have some recipe booklets and budget meal ideas, so do ask to speak to the Student Adviser at your local Student Centre

Happy shopping, happy cooking 🙂

Student Advice

cookingshopping

Helen Abrahams • October 15, 2018


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Comments

  1. Annie Guest October 15, 2018 - 5:37 pm Reply

    I recommend Jack Monroe’s book “Cooking on a Bootstrap”. This book helps you cook on a really tight budget and shows costings for each recipe. The book is £6 on Amazon.

    • Helen Abrahams October 17, 2018 - 12:45 pm Reply

      Thanks for the recommendation, Annie 🙂

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