As a student living in London, knowing where to buy your groceries can help you shop better. We have compiled a list of the most affordable supermarkets for students to get their groceries from to help you better navigate shopping in London, especially if this is your first time living in the city or in the UK.
Things to keep in mind
A recent survey from Save The Student highlighted that on average, students spend about £34 on groceries alone, which is about 30% of their monthly budget, so here are some useful tips to keep in mind before you start going about your weekly shop.
It’s useful to have one day for your weekly shop
Having one day you can choose to have your weekly shop really helps to keep your week organised: for example, you can choose to dedicate a Sunday afternoon to going out and buying groceries.
Have a set budget to keep in mind to spend when you start your shop
This could look like having a maximum spend in mind that you stick to before heading out on your weekly shop. This is another tactic to help you stay organised and in budget before you head out to your weekly shop.
Bring your own bags with you to shop
Most shops now charge 5-10p per bag, so bringing your own bags with you when you shop helps you save money on groceries. Take 3-4 shopping bags or a granny trolley, a large savers bag or a reusable bag to make carrying your shopping easier as well as being more environmentally conscious.
Apply for a loyalty card
This is a great way to keep in budget as a student doing your weekly shop. Some of the best loyalty cards include:
Tesco Clubcard
One of the most popular loyalty cards in the UK, especially for students: this is a loyalty card that offers points on purchases and can be redeemed for vouchers, discounts and experiences. Click here to apply.
Sainsbury nectar card
This is another loyalty card that acts as a rewards card that offers points on purchases and is something that can also be redeemed for vouchers, discounts and experiences. Click here to apply.
Asda Rewards
This is another loyalty card that offers points on purchases, which can be redeemed for discounts for future shopping trips. Click here to apply.
Morrisons More
This loyalty card offers points on purchases and can be redeemed for discounts on future shopping trips.
Lidl Plus
This loyalty card is available on the Lidl app and acts as a digital coupon, saving on basic groceries.
Create a weekly meal plan
This is a great way to help you stay organized as you’re able to plan the meals you’ll be eating for the week ahead and helps to avoid impulse buying.
Most Affordable Supermarkets For Students:
In this next section I will be listing the top 7 most affordable supermarkets for students to help you be more cost effective with your next weekly shop:
Aldi
It’s also the most ideal for students with a tight budget. With students spending an average of £20-£30 on average on a shop. Aldi is a supermarket known for being very low on prices and most efficient for shoppers. Aligning with its slogan, being a shop that makes for a “better everyday”.
Lidl
Lidl is ranked as one of the cheapest supermarkets in the UK, offering phenomenal prices on all types of everyday items, so you know you’ll be getting your money’s worth. Students spend an average of £30-£40 on a weekly shop there. Lidl also offer their Lidl Plus app, so there’s even more price reductions for students to earn!
Tesco
Tesco offers a Clubcard loyalty programme, and students who use the Clubcard spend an average of £22-£28 a week on groceries.
Asda
The loyalty scheme, Asda Rewards is quite popular and they offer branded items as well as their own value range called Just Essentials. Students spend an average of £30-£40 a week on groceries.
Morrisons
Morrisons is popular for its fresh food, especially its ‘Market Street’ counters like the butcher, fishmonger, and bakery, as it prepares more than half of its fresh food in-store. The supermarket chain is also known for competitive pricing, a wide range of groceries. Student’s can expect to spend an average of £20-£40.
Sainsbury
On average, students can expect to spend around £30-£50 a week on groceries, which is significantly higher than the other shops mentioned.
Ethnic food shops
The best part about living in London is access to many cultural shops across London where groceries. Here are some favourites:
East London Food Centre
Located in Stepney Green, this supermarket features a large international food center stocking a variety of ingredients including many Asian, Halal, and Turkish groceries.
Ridley Road Market
Located in Dalston, East London, this supermarket is a more traditional food centre as it’s based outdoors, with the market selling much more affordable Caribbean and Asian groceries and caters to a wider demographic of students.
Tian Tian Market
This supermarket has multiple locations, including Algate and Brunswick Centre and is another ethnic food shop that focuses on east Asian groceries in addition to being known for its bubble tea and halal meat as well as being known for being most popular among students.
Bims African food store
This supermarket is in Rye Lane, Peckham and is known for being a store that caters to more West African and Nigerian groceries.
Kumasi Market:
This is another supermarket located in Peckham that offers a wide range Caribbean and African groceries in addition to being a popular spot among students as it’s known for being a particularly cheap place to buy groceries.
You can go to more than one shop for your weekly shop and mix and match between all the shops, all on the same day, to complete your weekly shop to help stay within your set budget.