After splurging on books, booze, rent and fancy dress costumes, chances are you'll be left with a little more than a rattling jar of change of which to feed yourself. Grumble not as we've got ten top tips on how to fend off empty bellies and wallets.
To hold off the infestation of a powdery-green species emerging on your loaf, buy foil packaged bread and keep it in the fridge or freeze it. Frozen bread defrosts in minutes in the toaster.
Don't shop when you're hungry. You'll only come back with three trifles, a tub of ready-cooked chicken that will taste like paprika coated rubber and a French stick that you'll have eaten half of before you get to the checkout.
Shop at the end of the day and pick up some of the reduced bargains. Remember you can always freeze what you won't eat that night.
Don't neglect any local fruit and vegetable markets you may have. You can usually pick up bowls full of fruit and veg for a quid and get bargains on seasonal produce.
Frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables are great as they are low in price and last longer.
Go shopping with a mate and take advantage of the buy-one-get-one-free offers. Then split the cost.
Don't buy too far in advance. As well as clogging up the fridge, you'll no-doubt end up throwing some stuff away due to the looming expiry dates. Anything that is about to go out of date could always be swapped or shared with your housemates.
Buy substance foods like rice, lentils, pasta and potatoes. Not only do they contain essential carbohydrates needed to concentrate during lectures (plus giving you enough energy to stay up late playing drinking games), they are extremely cheap and versatile.
Read the papers and look for coupons and free meal offers. Also make sure you sign up for any members' cards that will offer vouchers to loyal customers. When you're on your last fiver, that £2.50 voucher could mean the difference between scrounging off your flatmate and feasting on a fish finger sarnie.
Don't buy fast food (or microwave meals). You may think it's cheap, but think how much pasta and sauce you can buy for £3.80! Plus, what you eat today usually determines how you feel tomorrow. A doner kebab laden with chilli sauce will not make you feel on top of the world the next day. And at least you'll save on toilet roll..