Do’s and dont’s for your first food shop

Don’t forget your bags

Most households have that one mysterious drawer full of shopping bags. Go green and save the planet by taking reusable bags with you on your first uni food shop. Chances are you’ll have collected a few of these from freshers’ fairs already! Bringing your own will prevent you from paying for bags at checkout, and helps to cut plastic waste.

Do check your recipes before you set off

Do a quick check of the items you already have before heading out – even if you’re halfway out the door. This will make sure you don’t forget anything important. There’s nothing worse than getting home and realising you forgot that all-important ingredient. Or buying an item that you already had in the cupboard.

Don’t get carried away

We know we said to buy in bulk, but try to limit yourself to what you’ll be able to carry home. Having bags upon bags of items can be an extreme sport when you leave the shop. If you or your flatmates have a car – great! Otherwise, consider doing another uni food shop later in the week.

Do look out for discounts and offers

Every supermarket has special deals and offers from time to time. While on your student food shop, look out for unique stickers for half price or buy one get one free. It might even be worth getting a loyalty card for your nearest supermarket. Alternatively, make use of your student discount. Even if it’s a few pounds off, you’re still saving money!

But don’t fall for every single deal

Sometimes special deals can be a little too tempting. Some items might be on sale because they’re likely to spoil the next day. And other deals will make you buy stuff you don’t actually want or need. When you do your first food shop, focus on the items that you usually buy.

Don’t buy too many perishable items

Perishable items like dairy products and fresh fruit and veg are likely to spoil before you can get through them all. You’ll end up throwing a lot of it away and wasting food. Try not to add too much to your uni food shop list and think about which foods you can buy frozen instead.

Your First Uni Food Shop: A Guide