Your first student food shop will probably be the most expensive food shop out of them all, but that’s because you’ll be buying cupboard items and reserves that will last you a long time in case you ever run out of fresh food!
ALDI was labelled ‘Cheapest Supermarket of 2021’ – with that being said, if you’re wanting to do your shop on a budget, ALDI is probably your best place!
Closest ALDI’s to U-Student accommodation:
ABeleven (Aberdeen) – ALDI, 9-10, Boulevard Retail Park, Aberdeen AB11 5EJ (8-minute car journey)
The Forge (Sunderland) – ALDI, St Mark’s Rd, Sunderland SR4 7EG (9-minute walk)
U-Student Carlisle – ALDI, Dalston Rd, Carlisle CA2 5NP (8-minute walk)
Oh, and remember if you’re planning on splashing out on takeaways during your first few weeks at uni, you probably won’t need as many ‘fresh’ items!
Fresh items
Fruit >
Apples [£0.90 ALDI*]
Bananas [£0.71 ALDI*]
Strawberries [£1.53 ALDI*]
Vegetables >
Potatoes [£0.45 ALDI*]
Onion [£0.71 ALDI*]
Cucumber [£0.59 ALDI*]
Carrots [£0.24 ALDI*]
Broccoli [£0.53 ALDI*]
Lettuce [£0.55 ALDI*]
Tomato [£0.75 ALDI*]
Other >
Cheese [£1.99 ALDI*]
Yoghurt [£0.65 ALDI*]
Butter [£1.75 ALDI*]
Milk [£1.15 ALDI*]
Bread [£0.65 ALDI*]
Meat/fish/veggie alternatives [£3.99 ALDI*]
Eggs [£0.95 ALDI*]
Total for fresh items: £18.09
Fridge/Cupboard Essentials
Tins >
Baked beans [£0.35 ALDI*]
Tomato [£0.28 ALDI*]
Soup [£0.49 ALDI*]
Cooking sauce jars >
Chilli con carne [£0.69 ALDI*]
Curry sauce [£0.69 ALDI*]
Pasta sauce [£0.59 ALDI*]
Sauces >
Ketchup [£0.65 ALDI*]
BBQ [£0.89 ALDI*]
Mayonnaise [£0.75 ALDI*]
Seasonings >
Salt [£0.99 ALDI*]
Pepper [£0.99 ALDI*]
Herbs & spices [£0.55 ALDI*]
Other >
Tea [£0.89 ALDI*]
Coffee [£1.39 ALDI*]
Sugar [£0.65 ALDI*]
Cooking oil [£1.55 ALDI*]
Cereal [£1.40 ALDI*]
Pasta [£0.32 ALDI*]
Rice [£0.45 ALDI*]
Total for fridge/cupboard essentials: £14.56
Freezer Staples
Pizza [£0.85 ALDI*]
Garlic bread [£0.75 ALDI*]
Fries [£0.89 ALDI*]
Total for freezer staples: £2.49
Snacks
Chocolate [£0.85 ALDI*]
Biscuits [£0.40 ALDI*]
Crisps [£0.75 ALDI*]
Breakfast bars [£1.15 ALDI*]
Total for snacks: £3.15
Overall total: £38.29
If you choose to shop at ALDI, then having a budget between £50-£60 should be more than enough for your first student food shop! Although the total is less than £40, by the time you have doubled up on some items (such as herbs, spices & tinned items), the total will go up a little.
Remember with the fresh items, only buy as much as you’ll need for the week to prevent food waste – fresh food will usually go off much quicker!
If you want to save some serious pennies, check out mobile apps such as Too Good to Go and OLIO! Not only will you be getting a bargain, but you’ll also be helping to reduce waste! The concept of Too Good to Go is you’ll buy a ‘mystery bag’ for a low price from a business. You’ll collect that mystery bag at the end of the day and it will contain items that haven’t sold throughout the day. The concept of OLIO is similar, but you’ll essentially be getting free food items from people in your local area. As an example, someone might have some vegetables that they can’t use up throughout the week, so you can arrange to collect them and reduce any food going to waste!
*Prices were correct as of 22/08/2022 and could change
