How to get free (or relatively cheap) food
As students we are always looking for the best bargains, partly because it’s in our human nature and also because we’re broke. So here are my saving tips for getting free or relatively cheap food:
Sign up for reward cards
If you haven’t done this yet, stop everything you are doing and sign up for all of them right now! Big supermarket chains like Asda, Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Sainsbury’s etc. all have their own points’ systems. Some give rewards through coupons and others give you free items. It may take a while to build up enough points, but if you’re shopping there every week anyway it’s a no brainer. At the end of the day it all adds up – or like Tesco says, “Every little helps.”
Too Good To Go
This app blew up in popularity last year and whilst it only seems to work best for students living in cities, it is a major saving tool! Towards the end of every working day lots of food businesses list items that they either made too much of or didn’t sell and you get them for a discounted price. You can even get surprise goodie bags from grocery stores and supermarkets.
Usually in the last hours or just when the shop has opened they will have a pile of reduced items on display, this is usually due to the Best Before Date expiring soon. Most of the time there are still a few days left before it needs to get eaten though, it just means it can’t be sold after that date!
Food banks
Some universities have food banks where you can pick up cans and dry food if you’re struggling. Others have food swaps where you can exchange items.
Coffee shops
Lots of coffeeshops offer you a free birthday pastry/sweet treat or hot drink, sign up to the apps and find out which ones are near you. Places like Costa also give you a free drink every 10 drinks if you get your card stamped.
Discount apps
I shouldn’t even have to say it, but download UniDays and Student Beans if you haven’t already got them. They both do great student discounts and usually have lots of offers like 20% off on major food brands like Yo!Sushi etc.
