If you aren’t a culinary wizard it might be tempting to skip the whole cooking thing altogether and stick with instant noodles and beans on toast. But after a week or two of living without your parents you’ll realize that the whole eating thing is getting a bit expensive.
So here at the Scene we’ve come up with the healthy alternatives to achieving tasty food on a tight budget:
The Italian alternative:
- Tomato paste
- Dried oregano
- Garlic
- Tinned tomatoes
These four will make a standard sauce for pasta. Its up to you what you chuck in there, the possibilities are endless. If you have some bread and cheese to hand then you can make a tasty poor mans pizza, thus averting the extortionate 4am dominos bill.
The Indian alternative:
- Curry paste
If you like curry then curry paste is pretty much essential. Don’t bother buying ready-made curry sauces. It might seem convenient but it’s a massive waste of money. Money that you wish you had when everyone else is going to the SU and your wallet is full of tumbleweed. A jar of curry paste will keep in the fridge for months and make about 6 or 7 sauces by adding tomatoes or coconut milk and whatever tasty meats and vegetables you fancy.
The sugar binge alternative:
- Cocoa powder
Cocoa powder, combined with sugar, is a substance which has the awesome power of making anything (within reason) chocolate flavour. This method of chocolate relief is economical and effective in this terrifying modern age of 20p Freddo bars!
- Porridge oats
Porridge Oats make porridge of course but you can make so many delicious deserts and snacks with them too! A Kilo of Oats will set you back about £1.50 and last ages. They are super cheap, super tasty and super good for you!
The healthy side dish alternative:
- Eggs
Seriously they are so cheap and incredibly versatile.
- Frozen vegetables
They are tons cheaper than fresh vegetables and don’t threaten you with mould. They’re also really good if you just can’t be bothered with peeling and chopping.
Written by Tess Gray
