Cooking on a budget is something that a lot of people in all walks of life are thinking about at the moment with the current recession. However, when you’re a student, you often have limited time and limited facilities as well as a limited budget.
One of the first things to remember is that cooking from scratch is often cheaper than buying things pre-made. It will also usually be healthier and tastier, and also more filling too, so if you can spare the time then do so.
Batch cooking – If you have a freezer that you can use, cook up one large dish that you can separate into portions and freeze. Then on days when you don’t have lots of time, you can just pull a portion out of the freezer and microwave it. Think of these as your own personal home made ready meals if you will.
If you’re not used to cooking for yourself, invest in a good cook book. There are a lot of good books out there which are aimed at students, and having something that you can refer to is a real godsend at times.
Don’t buy lots of kitchen utensils before you go off to uni either, many shared houses have things already left there by previous occupants, so perhaps if people want to buy you things, ask them to give you vouchers for a supermarket you know will be near you, then you can use it either on utensils you find you do need, or to stock up your food supplies for a while.
Keep staple foods in the cupboard at all times! – I’m not talking about bread and milk here, I’m talking Student staples… Pasta for example is cheap, filling, quick to cook, and very versatile. A simple tin of tomatoes, a few mushrooms and a bit of grated cheese and you’ve got yourself an instant meal cooked in 10 minutes for just a few pence. Other good cupboard staples to have are: cheap cook in sauces, flour, tins of condensed soup, tinned tomatoes and herbs.
Here are a few dishes it’s worth learning to cook as soon as you can find someone to teach you:
Spaghetti bolognaise, Cottage pie, stew (veeery easy to ring changes with vegetable stew, chicken stew, beef stew etc.), macaroni cheese, cauliflower cheese. All these things can either be cooked in less than 15 minutes, or can be cooked and frozen in batches. None are expensive, and all are reasonably healthy too.
