After coming to a foreign country for university, cooking became a crucial part of my life. I still remember how nervous I was the week before moving to York, not only because of leaving my family but also because of the daunting task of cooking for myself all the time!
All I had been doing was looking up on Google Maps, finding grocery shops near my accommodation, and comparing prices, locations, and distances. Sounds dreadfully exhausting, right? But you won’t have to go through all that, as I am going to provide some tips for grocery shopping and budgeting in this blog.
What do I need to know about grocery shopping in York?
In York, there are a good number of major supermarkets to choose from, and they are all easy to get to from the University’s campus (walking distance or a short bus journey). Here are some tips on grocery shopping:
1. Bring your own shopping bag
After you finish shopping, you will need a sturdy bag to carry all your groceries. Supermarkets usually sell carrier bags at the checkout, which you can buy there and then reuse. Or to be even more eco-friendly, you can bring your own shopping bag instead.
2. Don’t overbuy
When shopping for yourself, it can be difficult to decide whether the amount of food is enough for a certain time period. Overbuying is a common mistake that many university students, including me, have experienced. However, shopping for an excessive amount of food can be both wasteful and risky. Imagine discarding an unopened bag of mouldy bread or getting food poisoning because of contaminated food. Therefore, I highly recommend getting smaller portions of groceries instead of a massive bulk, especially for fresh food.
3. Split delivery costs with your housemates
Sometimes, the most annoying part about grocery shopping is not the shopping itself, but the journey where you carry everything back! There is a solution to this problem: get your groceries delivered.
Most major supermarkets here – such as Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons – offer groceries delivered direct to your door, as long as you spend over a certain threshold. The threshold is usually between £25 and £50, and if you don’t meet the threshold, an additional fee of around £3 to £7 might be added. Standard delivery slots cost around £1 to £7 , which is worth it if you’re ordering heavy or bulky items.
You can do a group shopping order with your housemates or friends, and split the delivery cost. Saving you money and also leaving you with more free time to devote to other matters.
4. Sign up as a supermarket member
All you have to do is download the supermarket app and sign up as a member for free. Once you are a member, it’s much easier to receive offers and get discounts. For example, you can become a Clubcard member at Tesco and then enjoy Clubcard prices! A digitalised platform also makes price comparison more convenient.
5. Look out for the “Aldi Price Match” sign
Aldi is one of the “standard lowest price” supermarkets in the UK. Therefore, many other supermarkets put a tag under their products specifying that it is the same price as at Aldi. When you see those tags under the product, it simply means that it is the lowest price you can get among all supermarkets – and it is a sign for you to go for it!
International flavour
As an international student myself, I understand the feeling of a midnight craving for your hometown dish. For me, I have always missed a good dim sum and char siu pork. Therefore, I have been trying to find ingredients to recapture the original taste of “home”. Here are some ways I find international food in York.
1. Supermarket sections
Due to rising demand, supermarkets in the UK now always have a section for international food. There is a wide variety of Asian and European food, including some pre-made meals or basic ingredients. Lidl even has International Weeks that sell food from a specific country or culture. For instance, I bought a pack of sushi rice from Lidl during the Japanese week.
Diversity in the UK allows access to a greater variety of foods around the world, which supports international students in integrating and feeling included.
2. Explore different restaurants
Despite being a smaller city, you can find a wide range of cuisines in York. From Japanese to Thai, or Italian to French, many restaurants in the city centre offer a fresh exotic taste. Although it’s not economical to eat out all the time, I’d suggest trying different things from time to time and not sticking to the same restaurant.
Conclusion
As Virginia Woolf once said, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” I hope these tips can assist you on your journey to find food in York, considering it is a valuable experience not only to take care of yourself, but also to explore a broader world through food.
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