Living on a student budget requires a lot of forward thinking and tact. While you may not have a full- time job or any job for that matter, the bills still have to be paid. Good time and money management are some of the greatest assets as a student. Planning and making good choices are essential in both cases. One area I make good savings on, is grocery shopping.
Most times we are just hard- pressed for time, in a rush and not planning adequately would rob me of the great savings I could have made had I been more strategic. In Germany, shops can spring a surprise with 1/2 price on groceries at anytime but the most consistent times one is likely to find great reductions on perishable food items are Saturdays and Mondays. Most shops are closed according to law on Sundays and logically, shops will be trying to prevent wastage on Saturdays and to get rid of old stock on Monday. And it is on such days that it is most ideal to shop for those groceries.
The hard part could be buying what you don’t need just because the price was right. Being strategic would lead you to pick those things which you do need and for some items, that need may be a later date. I don’t shop every week, so I like to stock up on the well- priced items that I can store well till I need them.
One such item is Spinach. This has recently been expensive and so when I strutted into the shop and found it going for half price, I grabbed that bag quickly. Of course I didn’t have any plans for cooking a spinach meal but I knew exactly how I would store it for when I need it later. I simply cut it up, pack it in portions in freezer bags and pop them in the freezer. It is fast and it keeps so well and works perfectly with sauces and smoothies.
Give it a try.
Dear Future Me 