Feb
How to Save Money in Southampton: Shopping/Food
Welcome to the first in our series of three blogs about how you can save money in Southampton. We will cover penny pinching tips for shopping/food, saving energy around the house and saving cash on transport and nights out. If you’ve got any tips that you swear by to make that loan last longer, then please get in touch via our Twitter page @yoursusu.
Shopping/Food
There are a huge number of ways you can reduce your shopping bill. First of all go basics. Sainsbury’s covers almost all products and the difference in taste is negligible if any!
Branding is just a strategy to get you to pay a higher price for essentially the same thing. Even if you only buy a few basic items, it can reduce your yearly spending hugely. If you want to go further and make crazy savings then take a trip to Aldi (Portswood) or Lidl (Opposite West Quay). These are without a doubt the cheapest supermarkets and again blind tests have proven the taste to be the same as brands.
Another strategy other than supermarket choice is to use cash rather than card. Take in how much you want to spend rather than your debit card so you do not get tempted by the misleading offers!
Loyalty cards can also be fruitful such as the Nectar card, Tesco Clubcard or restaurant/cafe cards. If you go often for a coffee, then picking up points will definitely benefit in the long run!
The Monday market on the Red Brick area next to Building 42 is an awesome way to buy your veg/fish; the veg is cheaper than supermarkets, it’s far more convenient since it’s on campus and finally you’re supporting local business compared to multi-national corporations!
A social and cheaper way to consume food is to share meals with your flatmates or housemates. By all chipping in, you can bulk buy and secondly there’s a lot less waste since many sauces and meals are made for more than one person.
Also, don’t forget that The Shop has a variety of tasty lunch items and essentials, perfect for when you don’t want to travel far for some reasonably priced food.
Tags: blog series, cash, Food, housemates, how to, points cards, Red brick area, save money, Southampton, strategy, students, supermarkets, tips, Union Shop