I'm getting ready to go to uni, what will I need?

[Kerou 犠牲]

And finally- left over pizzas do not consitute a healthy nutritious breakfast.

it does a cracking job though

also yes completely agree with toilet paper, most people do forget and it's extremely frustrating =P

[Liam]

Cheers for the advice everyone!

Can't wait to annoy everyone at uni by telling them i'm allergic to milk. :S gonna have to budget for soya products and sunflower spread too ahaha.

[That Girl in the 'Roo Suit]

Can't wait to annoy everyone at uni by telling them i'm allergic to milk. :S gonna have to budget for soya products and sunflower spread too ahaha.

Almond milk is a pretty tasty alternative if you like nuts, I don't think that's too expensive. Failing that, rice milk. My housemate loves it, but I'm personally not a fan

[Wrath of Zuruggu]

^I use Rice Dream + Calcium because it's easy for me to get and cheaper than almond, although almond is delicious.

Even with Rice dream (and other dairy/meat-free alternatives) I probably spend roughly £15 - £20 on food a week. I just scrounge the reduced fresh produce where I can. (I also eat meat off the road but that's another story.)

Packed lunches and coffee in a travel mug are also much cheaper than eating out. I know it goes without saying, really, but when you can smell chips from the campus canteen it is so, so tempting.

If it can be frozen, freeze it.

This. Don't ever throw anything away unless it's so far past it's started living again.

[That Girl in the 'Roo Suit]

Along with the freezing-stuff..

Cooking in bulk is cheaper in the long run. Things like lasagne, casseroles, chili, soup... Freeze it in portions, and it'll last you for ages.

Also, if you have a house roast or whatever, keep back the carcass and extra veg and make stock. You can make a litre of soup for less than 50p then, which isn't bad

[Kerou 犠牲]

Cooking in bulk is cheaper in the long run. Things like lasagne, casseroles, chili, soup... Freeze it in portions, and it'll last you for ages.

this this this

I used to cook a pasta bake for essentially £1.50-£2 with all things considered and I could get it to last for a surprising amount of meals; for anything like that really do cook in bulk. Stews are a great idea too because they're really cheap to make and very good for the cold days (plus you get a lot for your money) =]

[That Girl in the 'Roo Suit]

^Along with this, I can get 8 meals out of a batch of chili, and 6 out of a casserole from the slow cooker. And I'm not talking about small portions either.

[Lord Raven]

Also 2 cups of rice with a half onion/some cooking oil/little bit of ginger and various spices is affordable and can last you like 5 big meals (or 8-9 regular person meals).

[Milsap]

Don't feel you've got to make extravagant meals either. Here's my trademark student dinner that costs less than buying Ragu:

1. Boil up some pasta
2. Fry up some mince, get it brown, but not too well done
3. Add some baked beans (doesn't matter how cheap)
4. Add some pepper to taste
5. Leave to simmer for a bit, dollop it all on top of your paster and bon apetit.

Optional- I always chucked in a load of Worcester sauce and a dollop of good old fashioned English mustard. Has to be English. American is too weak and Dijon doesn't taste right in it. Dried herbs as well if you've got them.

[Kerou 犠牲]

Don't feel you've got to make extravagant meals either. Here's my trademark student dinner that costs less than buying Ragu:

1. Boil up some pasta
2. Fry up some mince, get it brown, but not too well done
3. Add some baked beans (doesn't matter how cheap)
4. Add some pepper to taste
5. Leave to simmer for a bit, dollop it all on top of your paster and bon apetit.

Optional- I always chucked in a load of Worcester sauce and a dollop of good old fashioned English mustard. Has to be English. American is too weak and Dijon doesn't taste right in it. Dried herbs as well if you've got them.

Or just buy some bread, freeze it and then do beans on toast; even cheaper and easier to do. If you're feeling extravagant then buy a tin of beans and sausages =P

[That Girl in the 'Roo Suit]

On the subject of tinned stuff...

Some supermarket value stuff is actually pretty nice, so always be ready to try basics and own-brand stuff where you would normally buy the fancy stuff. Save that for your lady friends

[Shaymin]

don't buy tinned macaroni it is nasty, but tinned spaghetti is a-ok

[Wrath of Zuruggu]

On the subject of tinned stuff...

Some supermarket value stuff is actually pretty nice, so always be ready to try basics and own-brand stuff where you would normally buy the fancy stuff. Save that for your lady friends

^this, lol. Most supermarket own brands are made by big companies anyway. Heinz (I believe, correct me if I'm wrong) produce own brand baked beans. And Kettle Chips (I know someone who works there - I get free bags of reject crisps, lol) make a lot of own brand sharing crisps.

[That Girl in the 'Roo Suit]

Also, value ready meals are getting much better, and the ingredients they use are from the value range. So, for example, if you liked tesco value chicken korma (which I do, for the record), it's their own products in the dish.

[Liam]

Loving the ideas for food everyone, am I going to be spending a lot of time comparing prices for the first couple of weeks? :p