On food

Here are some ways I’ve found save money without much extra effort, and without negatively affecting your health.

Partner up
Pick a flatmate with similar eating habits and budget and pool your resources. Two people makes for easy cooking (especially if you have a small kitchen), easy cleaning, and more fun in the kitchen.

Buy as much as possible at supermarket alternatives
Markets, greengrocers, butchers and health food stores offer a greater variety of foods and usually stock many things cheaper. Check out the food outlets on the side – they’re all well priced and stock quality, fresh ingredients.

Buy in bulk
…and use your freezer, sealable containers, and the fridge to prevent bulk-bought items going off. Also, buy from bulk bins – you get exactly how much you need. Binn Inn has a fantastic selection of bulk buy-able foods, and you can bring your own containers (they take off the weight of them when they measure). Piko also this option (but their bulk stuff is pretty fresh). I’ve got a post here about storing cheese in bulk without it going off.

Buy unpackaged food as much as possible
Not just because it saves stuff going straight to your bin (and costing you more in rubbish bags), but also because it tends to cost less – I’m referring to stuff with extra colourful, multi-layered plastic or aluminium packets. It tends to be more processed, which is not as good for you, and also more expensive (particularly if they make ridiculous or misleading health claims).

Re-use packaging as much as possible (no. 5 plastics are safely microwavable).
…prevents you having to empty your bins as often, and gives you free containers for storing stuff! Also, buy as little gladwrap as possible by reusing old plastic bags to cover food (and transport it) or by simply covering bowls of leftovers with plates. Takeaway boxes are always useful, for plant trays or for storing leftovers or preserves or stock.

Avoid getting lunch at cafes
That means making your own – but this doesn’t have to cost you much extra time (a batch of scones for example takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, and they’re customisable and fresh).

Make your own snacks and junk food (as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner), including bread.
Check out this recipe for bread in 5 minutes a day – it works, and it’s so delicious! Things like crackers, cookies, scrolls and cakes don’t have to take much time, and they’re almost always tastier because of their freshness. Cookies also take next to no time, and should only require one bowl, one spoon, and one tray to clean up after.

Grow your own veges and herbs
Especially herbs, which are expensive fresh. If you can’t find seeds, get seedlings in small pots and replant them into bigger pots or even directly sow them in a sunny area (Wiki first). I’ve got a quick and brief guide here, which also has tips on growing while renting.

Choose a flat with fruit trees or herb bushes etc (particularly lemon and rosemary bushes)
If you can! They save bundles of cash and require very little care usually. Don’t underestimate how awesome they can be – lemon, ginger and honey makes a great drink when you’re sick, lemon rind is an instant flavour booster for many many meals, and lemon can be used for cleaning too. Rosemary is fantastic with lamb, roast vegetables and mashed potatoes, or even steeped in hot water for a refreshing drink. I’ll move on now :)

Work at the Community Garden at University (Canterbury) every now and then
It’s free, there’s no commitment, and you can get your share of the harvest at the end of the day, or gather some fresh herbs to take away! Plus it’s all organic :)

Drink water, or buy fruit juice concentrate* instead of coke
You’re getting more goodness per dollar this way and there are good concentrates out there – Baker Halls do some really nice flavours (Pak’n'Save don’t stock them though last time I checked), and you get 5-6L out of a 1L bottle. *Make sure you check that it’s fruit juice concentrate, not just flavourings!

Get the most out of your food
Rethink what you throw out – broccoli and cauliflower stalks for example are totally edible in stir fries (or anything else), just peel off the tough bottom skins if you’re fussy. Cauliflower leaves are edible too. If you’re growing your own, the leaves have more goodness in them, so why would you throw them away?! Chicken carcasses make great stock, better than anything you could buy, and you can freeze it for future use – check here for a quick and easy guide.

Buy with the seasons
In-season veges always cost less, because you can get them locally, or the natural weather conditions (which are free) grow the veges, rather than excessive applications of costly fertilisers. Not only will you be exploring a greater variety of food that tastes at its best, but by buying fruit and veges that are in season, you’ll more likely be supporting your local farmers. This Australian guide gives a pretty comprehensive list for the months.

Store stuff you buy in season
Love blueberries? If you buy lots when they’re in season, you can freeze your own in containers or bags so you have them on hand when they go out of season (although frozen berries really only work in baking or smoothies, and always straight from the freezer, not defrosted). You could also try pickling, drying out (see this cute post on drying out apples for apple rings) stuff, making it into jams or marmalades, or sauces (like tomato sauce! I like the look of this 15-minute one). Preserve those herbs you watched grow up by drying them, or laying them in salt for your own herb salt! Also if you have vodka or spirits lying around, make your own vanilla extract (it’s ridiculously easy).

Buy stuff on special, especially…
Loo roll, cooking oil (if you use lots like me), and all other stuff that doesn’t go off quickly (like cleaning products). Because, frankly, why not? If you’ve got the money, try and buy two or three lots more than you think you’ll need – this will not only save you money later on but will mean a nice, well-stocked pantry etc for when you change plans and suddenly need some canned tomatoes.

Base your meals on vegetables rather than meat (but make sure to keep eating dairy and some eggs, and marmite if you like it)
Vegetables are usually cheaper per kilogram than meat (I mean real meat, what are you holding sausages up at me for?!). Nuff said. Of course, don’t be foolish and just cut out meat without replacing it with other sources of protein. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, make sure to get your B12, artificially found in Marmite, not found in non-animal food naturally.

If you like going out for food often, invest in something like the Entertainment Book.
The Entertainment Book is a book made up of vouchers – usually buy one get one free or 25% off for some services, but mostly food places. It’ll save you heaps if you like going to more expensive restaurants, plus it encourages exploring new places!

Brew your own beer
Far cheaper, better tasting if you do it right, and really interesting to try. My flatmate will be posting his experience with this, so stay tuned, but there’s plenty online about it already if you want to get started now. Summer is the best time to do it, because the warmth means you don’t have to pay to keep your brew at a reasonable temperature, and you’re probably going to drink most of it then.

On cleaning

Yes, we students clean, if rarely, but when we do, we shouldn’t have to pay a bucketload for ineffective, petrochemical-laden, 90% water solutions, right? Here are some cheap as, effective and natural cleaning solutions (more are at the National Geographic site, but some of the ingredients require some hunting).
Baking soda and white vinegar – cleans ceramic (toilet bowls, basins, non-glass parts of showers, countertops, stained cups and mugs), stainless steel (benches, pots and pans). Baking soda provides grit, vinegar reacts and disinfects.
Lemon and salt – Halve a lemon, dip in rock salt, and scrub pots and pans – lemon dissolves grease and deodorises, salt disinfects and provides grit.

Make your own shampoo and conditioner
It really does work – check out this post for a good shampoo recipe (Dr Bronners, which is a fair trade organic castile soap, is available at Piko), and here’s a good post about vinegar wash for your hair for conditioning. I’ve used both and they’re great, although the vinegar wash smells up the bathroom a bit (not your hair though once dry), and needs a bit of getting used to as it’s liquid.

Misc stuff

Buy everything you can second hand – visit school/church fairs, garage sales, markets (Riccarton Market Sundays), op shops, sallies stores, online. Kitchen stuff especially is much cheaper second-hand, and not having matching stuff can actually be a good thing if you’re flatting as stuff can get broken.

Swap stuff, or get it free – try U-exchange or Trade to Save or ChChFreecycle (free stuff being given away in Christchurch), or bookmooch for book swapping internationally.

If you’re a girl – consider washable pads and/or the mooncup/divacup (the healthier alternative to the tampon). They’re an investment but will last you for years, and usually come in cute prints. The mooncup is especially great as you don’t need to carry tampons with you and there’s no need to worry if there’s a bin in the bathroom you’re using (you can still swim too). Both are available at Piko as well, but the link above is to a local (Christchurch) business that does them. Personally I’ve used them and they’re pretty good, plus they’re not as hard as you’d think to wash (and they don’t look like pads).

Use Healthline (0800 611 116 free call NZ) before running to the doctor. I know students get free healthcare but sometimes this is a time saver (and lets you know if you need to see a doctor during the weekend, which can be expensive).

Consider biking to Uni. If Uni is far away and you don’t think you’re fit enough, or you’re not confident on the road, start biking to the dairy or somewhere closer and use small streets rather than main roads. Also, UC offers FREE bike maintenance Wednesdays 1-3pm at the top of the amphitheatre at the UCSA building (near Ballroom, outside Foundry).

Try carpooling/Ridesharing – Here’s the UC site where you can be paired up with someone. Rideshare parks are also closer to Uni!

If flatting, ask your landlord about insulation and heating.
Insulation is possibly more important than how energy-saving your heating device is. Pink Batts is pretty awful (but it is better than nothing), but if you’re low on options there at least make sure the ceiling is insulated and all windows in areas like the bedroom and living have thermal curtains. Also, ask your landlord about installing a heat pump or better insulation, and offer to contribute to a certain part of the cost (give them a definite number).

Share your warm room
If flatting with friends, see if you can share their room with them during the day in winter to save heating up more rooms.

Use the internet!
…now, normally students don’t need to be told this, but I’ve seen some interestingly willy nilly spending on things that are free online. You know that you can find pretty much ANY information on the internet, right? Even academic journals. So before you go get that magazine or newspaper subscription, before you buy that cookbook that is “not that great, but it’s got 50% off” (it’s ok, we’ve all suffered from that one), check them out online! Cookbooks don’t tend to have an online presence, but food blogs more than make up for that. Also, check for online versions of articles (I mean ones for your course!) before rushing to the library to photocopy a zillion pages of something we both know you’re going to read 5 words of and proceed to pick an out-of-context quote for that essay due tomorrow.

Got more tips or want me to link to your own blog post? Send them in to pale.rain[at]gmail.com and I will mention and link to you :)