‘As a university student, I often pin my weekly shopping receipts on a dartboard and throw so many darts at them that by the end of it, they no longer resemble a receipt,’ writes Nathan Woollard.
I spend a lot of cheddar on food – ironically a good chunk of it goes on cheddar (why is it so expensive now?).
As a result, I’ve recently been looking for ways to cut down my food bill. In the past, I’ve done things like cutting out pricier items such as steak and avocados, but I just can’t seem to get my total to an amount I’m happy with.
To really put myself to the test, I’ve decided to go hardcore – and by the end of this article, you might want to try it for yourself.
Three full meals, one day, £3 to spend. At first it seemed impossible, but I love a challenge, so I was rearing to go (not literally, I’m not a car).
Picking my items at the supermarket
Aldi was my supermarket of choice and why wouldn’t it be? It’s the cheapest in the UK and has some great quality food at student-friendly prices.
I shop there every week, and I’m sure loads of you reading this do too. On my way to the shop, I was brainstorming possible meal options in my head, but all I could think about was how little £3 actually stretches in this day and age.
I was worrying at first, but after playing some motivational TikTok sounds, I assured myself this was going to be a breeze (no pun intended, it was very windy).
Upon entry, I began my shop. I was tempted to pick up some fruit, but it would’ve ate up a big chunk of my budget, and it just isn’t versatile enough to accommodate three meals.
Aldi was bustling, and traversing the concrete jungle of Britain’s budget haven was a challenge (especially this close after Christmas – give me whatever those mums are on).
Fat free natural Greek yoghurt was my breakfast pick. At just £0.35p, it was a no brainer to be honest. High in protein, filling, tasty, what’s not to love?
Lunch was a classic pick, and something I’m sure some of you lucky readers will have had the pleasure of chowing down on since being at uni. Chicken instant noodles was my choice, and at £0.35p, it also was a no brainer.
It’s not the most gourmet food out there, but it does the job. With £2.70 left of my £3 budget, I could splash out on dinner.
I went for some medium egg noodles at £0.95p, as well as their partner in crime, £0.55p stir fry sauce. Checking out, I was pleased with myself.
My total came to £2.20 which I thought was wonderful and meant I had £0.80p to play around with. I was thinking of putting it towards a pint of Carling – every penny counts.
I went to sleep, hoping to dream about all the cash I had saved that day (unfortunately I dreamt about watching Mr Beast’s new amazon show and woke up in the middle of the night sobbing).
Breakfast
Santa didn’t deliver this morning (although some bloke in a slightly under-fitting elf costume was wondering around my street screaming at 8am).
The yoghurt however, definitely did. Although it’s fat free, it still tasted excellent. I missed my usual drizzle of honey, but this is something I could definitely put up with it if times get tough.
An excellent start to the day and to the challenge, the yoghurt gets a well deserved 9/10.
Lunch
1pm hit like a Jägerbomb in Stealth, and it was finally time to devour my instant noodles. The preparation for these were very simple – I just boiled the kettle and poured the water onto my bowl of noodles.
Well, at least, that’s how I do it – and if I had to guess, how its done in a prison cell.
It was easy, and all you need to do is drain your water once the noodles have softened (unless you like it broth style). After adding the delicious seasoning provided in the packet, I got to work, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed them.
Sure, they are very cheap – but prepared right and paired with the perfect Youtube video (or TikTok scrolling session), it can be a really enjoyable lunch.
These noodles surprised me. The seasoning had tons of flavour and the noodles themselves were very nice. Lunch was an easy 7/10.
Dinner
Unfortunately, by the time dinner came around, I was starving. The noodles did not keep me satiated, and I had to fight the constant urges I had to snack.
I once again boiled some water, chucked half my packet of egg noodles into the bowl and waited for the magic to happen. You do get quite a big portion of noodles for £0.95p, which can definitely be stretched to feed you for three days.
While my noodles were boiling, I stared at them longingly and thought about how plain this meal was going to be with the absence of vegetables or meat.
Luckily, the Stir Fry sauce reassured me it was there to help, which really put me at ease. After about 10 minutes, the noodles were al dente, so I drained the water and added them to a frying pan.
I then added the sauce to the noodles and waited patiently until everything was piping hot. This meal was the best of the three – cutting back on spending for breakfast and lunch really worked in my favour here.
The sauce oozed with flavour and complemented the noodles like Ocean and Wednesday or Unit and Monday. A meal I am definitely going to re-visit, 9/10.
It is possible
This challenge has taught me that anything is possible. I did not expect to be ending the day with a full stomach, three square meals under my belt for the price of a delivery fee.
But I have discovered that budgeting is easy when done right, and I encourage you to try your own version of this challenge. You might even come up with something better (which I don’t doubt).
This meal plan is not the most nutrient dense, or calorific, or any of those fancy terms you hear being thrown about like a possessed frisbee.
One thing it is though, is budget friendly, and it may really help if you are a struggling student.