Eating in the UK can be expensive. We have a few ideas…

 

• Make sure you get a loyalty card for supermarkets. Not only will you pay less for various items, you will also access money saving deals and sometimes collect ‘points’ for what you buy which will lead to monthly coupons (Co-op Membership Card, Tesco Clubcard, Nectar etc.).
• Totum: If you sign up for a Totum card, you will receive a year’s Tastecard that will give you money off certain restaurants.
• When you are buying lunch from a supermarket, you can buy a meal deal which includes a drink, main meal and a snack. These are discounted so you can save some money! Top tip: choose all the most expensive items in the deal to get the most money off!
• Student Beans and UniDays: There various discounts that are regularly updated on these apps, food and non-food related.
• Hello Fresh and Gousto are meal kit companies which you can subscribe to and receive recipes and the ingredients you need in the exact portions you need them. There are usually students discount deals such as money off your first few boxes.
• Simply Cook send you recipes and the spices you will need to create them. They list all the ingredients you will need for the recipe so you will just need to buy these at your chosen supermarket. This can be handy for meal planning. Similarly, there are usually student deals so check the apps!
• Clever Cuisine – See the eating section about our university meal plans. You can eat good quality food on campus for a discounted price.
• Use your Campus Card to get discounts on drinks and food across campus.
• Some supermarkets have their own card that saves you money through discounts, cash back or other rewards. These include: Morrisons More, Tesco Clubcard, Sainsbury’s Nectar, Lidl Plus and Asda Rewards.
• The website MySupermarket helps you compare supermarket prices and save money.
• Too Good to Go: A free app that tells you which local restaurants, cafés or stores have extra food that you can buy at a discount and pick up the same day. You get to help stop food waste and save money.
• Similarly, Olio is a link where you can find cheap food that people are selling/giving away, as well as many other items.
• Some restaurants at the Oracle shopping centre offer student discounts if you show your University ID. You can find which restaurants do this here.
• Supermarkets will usually contain both ‘own brand’ and ‘branded’. Own branded products are usually cheaper but quality can vary. E.g. Tesco’s ‘Every day Value’
• All the sushi and cold food in Itsu (Reading town centre) is half price after 7:30pm!
• Every Wednesday Mission Burrito in Reading town centre gives 30% off all food and drink to students!