When you’re a student, you’re always looking for something easy, quick and cheap to eat. To be honest, it’s not just students; everybody’s a lot more savvy when it comes to food these days. We’re always on the lookout for advice, and cheaper, healthier ways to eat. The problem is that a lot of the advice you may be given – well-intentioned as it may be – is useless. At one end of the scale, you’ve got Jamie Oliver, promising you can make a meal for a couple of quid in half an hour, forgetting that not everyone – especially students – has a fully stocked spice rack and 10 kinds of expensive oil. At the other end, there’s slumming it. Eating out of tins, ordering takeaways or just not eating at all once your bursary runs out. What you could do instead is be smart and follow these ‘food hacks’.

1 Cook in Bulk

When you make something, make a lot of it. It saves on time and energy bills if you make too much food to start with and keep it in the fridge or freezer. You can store them in the tubs you get from a (once-in-a-blue-moon) takeaway. Pasta and rice dishes are great for this, but be careful you let them cool down properly; you should be careful reheating rice as well – it’s likely to make you ill if it’s not hot enough or has been sitting out for too long.

2 Don’t Buy Bagged Fruit and Veg

When you see a bag of onions or bananas for £1 at can seem like a great deal at first glance. Remember that fruit and veg being in a bag is for your ‘convenience’. Supermarkets mark-up bagged fruit and veg by up to 200% and most people don’t realise. Pick and choose stuff you’re actually going to use rather than getting lots and letting it go off.

3 Stock up on spices

Sauces and stocks can be pricey, but if you’re smart with what you buy, it can go a long way. Also, I’m aware I said you didn’t need a spice rack. BUT: For a higher initial cost, you can create great tasting, healthier food. If you can’t afford to pick up tons of spices at once, just buy one or two every time you shop. If you make a roast chicken, boil the bones with some herbs (dried is fine) to make stock, and freeze it in ice cube trays – a typical tray will hold 400ml of stock, and you can always concentrate it by cooking for longer/cutting the bones up smaller and putting in a smaller pot.

4 Take Sell by Dates with a Pinch of Salt

Most ‘sell by’ and ‘best before’ dates are there to increase turnover – if you thought that something was out of date you’d go back to the shop and get another one, wouldn’t you? Excessive buy one get one free offers can cause people to throw out a lot of food. Although it is useful to use the dates as a guide, you shouldn’t take them as gospel. If it looks alright, smells alright and (a wee bit of it) tastes alright – it’s probably alright. There’s no shame in the ‘reduced bit’ as well. If you freeze something while it’s still edible, it should be fine as long as you eat it straight away when you defrost it. Be warned – you may need to dodge some elbows from the reduced section regulars.

5 Eat Healthy and Cheap

Fresh meat can be expensive and cheap meat is usually horrible. Try having a few veggie meals a week; there are lots of different beans and pulses you can buy in cans that cost less and are better for you than meat. Try cooking curry with lentils and chickpeas – you’ll be surprised by how tasty and filling it is. It helps to switch to wholegrain rice, bread and pasta as well; low GI foods like this will release energy slowly and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

There’s tons of information out there; Google is your friend. Do some research, experiment, have fun with it. There’s no reason being poor (or just thrifty!) means you have to eat poorly.

Note: I originally wrote this for a college assignment but I’ve changed it a bit.