As a student, balancing your studies, social life and finances is already a lot.
You come home after a long day of lectures and dinner is probably the last thing on your mind.
Instant noodles for a fourth night in a row it is. 🍜
But, learning how to meal plan effectively can save you money, time and stress, and keep you healthy while studying.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to meal plan as a student, with tips and ideas to create a cheap and healthy student meal plan that fits your lifestyle and budget.
Why meal planning for students is important
Meal planning can save you time and money, and help reduce stress.
By organising your meals in advance, you avoid that last-minute rush to grab unhealthy and often expensive fast food. Plus, fast food or ready-made meals generally don’t include the nutrients you need to maintain a healthy mind and body.
That’s why meal planning helps ensure you’ve got nutritious meals throughout the week, so you can maintain your energy and focus for your studies.
How to meal plan as a student
Whether you’ve never cooked in your life, or you’re looking for ways to up your meal planning game, here are some tips for how to meal plan as a student:
1. Assess your schedule and needs
Begin by evaluating your weekly schedule. Identify the days when you have more time to cook and the days when quick meals are necessary.
For example, maybe you have more lecture time on Mondays, so you need quick meals to bring on campus. But you tend to do deep work at home on Fridays so you can cook during the day.
You’ll want to figure out a schedule that works for you.
2. Set a budget
You then want to determine how much you can afford on groceries and eating out each week.
Like with any budget, you’ll first want to take note of how much you’ve got coming in and going out. List out all your sources of income such as student loans, scholarships or part-time work, and your outgoing expenses such as rent, nights out, groceries, etc.
A student budget meal plan typically ranges from £20 to £35 per week, depending on where you live and your dietary habits.
Use the Blackbullion app to track your spending and manage your budget - you can even create a custom category for meals out! For more tips, check out our budgeting guide.
3. Plan your meals
Planning your meals is a key part of…meal planning. 🧑🍳
So, find a time that works for you and your schedule to plan your meals for the week. It can be as simple as saving a few recipes on Instagram to come back to, or as sophisticated as writing out your whole meal plan from breakfast to snacks to dinner.
The most important thing? Find a method that you’ll actually stick to.
When in doubt, stick to the basics:
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Breakfast: Keep it simple and nutritious. Options like overnight oats or scrambled eggs with veggies are quick and healthy.
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Lunch and dinner: Prepare meals that can be cooked in bulk and stored for later. Dishes like stir-fries, pasta, soups and casseroles are perfect for this.
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Snacks: Stock up on fruits, nuts, yoghurt and granola bars for healthy snacking.
4. Make a shopping list
It’s good to have a shopping list so you stick to your budget and avoid impulse buying.
You know that feeling when you’re starving and shopping and suddenly your cart is filled with crisps or a delicious ready-made mac & cheese? 🤤
Having a list handy will help keep you on track - healthwise and financially.
5. Prep in advance
Dedicating a few hours each week to meal prepping can help make cooking a lot easier.
This might mean chopping vegetables, cooking grains and portioning snacks into tupperware. Having ingredients ready to go will make cooking during the week much easier and faster.
It’s much easier to stick to your meal plan when you’ve done the heavy lifting in advance.
Sample student weekly meal plan
Here’s a sample cheap, healthy student meal plan with costs to get you started:
Breakfast items
Oats (1kg) - £1.00
Milk (2 pints) - £1.30
Bread (Wholemeal loaf) - £1.10
Eggs (6-pack) - £1.25
Bananas (5-pack) - £1.00
Lunch items
Tortilla wraps (8-pack) - £1.00
Ham/chicken slices (150g) - £2.00 or vegetarian filling (e.g., Quorn slices, 150g) - £2.00
Cheese (200g block) - £1.70
Lettuce or spinach bag - £1.00
Tomatoes (6-pack) - £1.25
Dinner items
Chicken breasts (1kg) - £5.50 OR tofu (400g block) - approximately £1.80
Minced beef (500g) - £3.00
Pasta (500g) - £0.80
Rice (1kg) - £1.20
Tinned tomatoes (400g x 2) - £1.00
Frozen mixed veggies (1kg) - £1.00
Potatoes (2.5kg) - £2.00
Snacks & extras
Yogurt (4-pack) - £1.50
Crisps (Multi-pack) - £1.50
Apples (6-pack) - £1.50
Chocolate Biscuits - £1.00
Essentials
Tea Bags (40-pack) - £1.00
Instant Coffee (100g) - £1.50
Sugar (500g) - £0.65
Cooking Oil (1L) - £2.00
Salt & Pepper - £0.50
Total estimated cost: £39.25 - £41.25
This is just a sample meal plan, so adjust for your own preferences and budget!
Tips for sticking to your meal plan
Now’s the tough part - actually sticking to your meal plan.
It can sometimes feel like you start with the right intention, only when things get busy for it to fall by the wayside.
Remember to go easy on yourself either way!
Here are some times to stick to your meal plan:
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Be flexible - Life as a student can be unpredictable. Allow yourself to swap meals within the week as needed.
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Take advantage of leftovers - Incorporate leftovers into your meal plan to reduce food waste and save money. If you don’t have time to do a big meal prep, simply make an extra large portion for dinner to have as multiple lunches throughout the week.
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Repeat meals - If you don’t mind having the same thing often, it can be easier to repeat the same meals each week. You don’t have to overthink your shopping!
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Stay organised - Keeping your meal plan and shopping list handy, either on paper or in a meal planning app, will help reduce those impulse purchases.
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Cook with friends - If you absolutely hate cooking, try doing it one evening with friends. If you live in a shared flat, you could suggest everyone in the flat cooks a different meal one night - you can learn new recipes and get to try new things.
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Multi-task - Got a recorded lecture to catch up on? Why not chop some veggies at the same time? You can kill two birds with one stone. 🤓
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Shop in bulk - Shopping in bulk can also help reduce costs. For example, you might want to buy staple non-perishables like rice and pasta in bulk as you know you’ll eat them with lots of meals and they don’t go bad.
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Track your spending - Tracking how much you’re spending on groceries and eating out can help give a realistic picture of your finances. You might notice that as you incorporate meal planning into your routine, you’ll end up saving a lot more money.
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Look for discounts - Lots of supermarkets will have discount offers, especially towards the end of day. Student Beans and UniDays also offer food discounts.
You can also earn cashback on your groceries through easyfundraising in partnership with Blackbullion. Learn more here.
Meal planning for students on a budget doesn’t have to be complicated.
With a bit of organisation, you can create a student meal plan that is both affordable and nutritious.
So, follow these steps and start with our sample student weekly meal plan as a guide - you’ll be eating well without breaking the bank in no time!
