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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

How much does your DC spend on food while at uni?

35 replies

Ineedcoffeenow · 03/08/2025 13:57

Trying to work out costs for when DD (hopefully) goes off to uni next month. She’ll be in Edinburgh. How much does your DC spend on food each week?

OP posts:
TianasBayou · 03/08/2025 18:25

Impossible to say:
cook from scratch or ready meals?
Aldi or Waitrose?
Steak or mince?
Alcohol or not?
Sending them with a starter shop of basics?

AdoraBell · 03/08/2025 18:27

Does she cook from scratch, and does she have food preference?

DamsonIcecream · 03/08/2025 20:31

Yes please share! I’d budgeted for DS to live on £40 per week but watching him heap his plate over the last week I think it might be unrealistic. Hope he gets a job early on…

PearlStork · 03/08/2025 20:52

My DD vegetarian and small/slight spent around £50 per week including coffees. Shopped at Aldi/Lidl and used the app where they get rid off food at end of day. Also conned a massive supermarket shop from us at beginning of each term.

LynetteScavo · 03/08/2025 20:54

I was giving DD £50pw, when she wasn’t at home. Apparently I was being very mean, so I now give £60. She lives very to an Aldi, but also very much likes steak.

ShanghaiDiva · 03/08/2025 20:57

Dd and her boyfriend spend £50 per week. They cook from scratch: chilli. Chicken tray bake, soup, stir fry etc. They shop online with Tesco which makes it easier to stick to a budget.

idril · 03/08/2025 21:49

£50 per week for my gym loving son who eats a lot of meat. He was sceptical that it was enough but he now says it’s ample. He shops at Aldi and buys as much meat he can fit in his freezer wich makes it cheaper. I was open to increasing it but said he had to provide receipts so I knew he wasn’t wasting it.

idril · 03/08/2025 21:50

Oh and I bought him a huge bag of rice and pasta and stocked up on herbs and spices that lasted a while.

TianasBayou · 04/08/2025 07:44

If they don’t live in walking distance of a supermarket, budget for deliveries. Especially if they share an order with flatmates it can be more economical than using express-type stores, and encourages meal-planning.

BellissimoGecko · 04/08/2025 07:49

3 years ago when she started uni we gave dd £35 per week for food. This year it was £50…

Honeytoucan · 04/08/2025 07:55

This is quite a useful website when looking at budgeting
https://www.savethestudent.org/money/student-budgeting/what-do-students-spend-their-money-on.html

Original poster
Ineedcoffeenow · 04/08/2025 12:00

We have provisionally decided to give her £50 per week for food. From this thread, it sounds about right.

OP posts:
theysayimthespitofyou · 04/08/2025 16:00

Durham say an average of £40ish - it was somewhere on their website. A small girl who doesn’t eat meat (like my dd) will be around that but I’d imagine a big rugby playing boy will eat a lot more. I’m planning on sending her with a big supply of stuff to start off with each term too.

mrsm43s · 04/08/2025 17:11

We give our two £100 a week after rent and utilities, but this is to cover everything (except phone and car insurance which we continue to cover). I think they spend around £50 on their main supermarket shop. This seems to be in line with what most of their peers have to spend.

WaffleParty · 04/08/2025 17:20

We give ours £75 per week for food and social life - up to them how they divide that up!

milkandhoney2 · 04/08/2025 17:28

I live alone, shop at Aldi and spend £240pm including some toiletries, cleaning stuff etc

WombatChocolate · 04/08/2025 17:30

£40 should be fine for most.
I’d assume we all hope they will learn to budget a bit and make choices, rather than always have exactly what takes their fancy in the shop.

If they’ve been started off with a good shop of staples and some basic cleaning products, £40 should be fine in all the standard supermarkets.

Knowing that shopping daily is more expensive, as is using small local supermarkets and shops, is something many don’t know to start with. Nor is the benefit of cooking a couple of portions and saving one or simply cooking with friends.

Most kids get an amount which is for food and other spends. Their choice - spend more on food and less on beer or vv.

Surprisegifts · 04/08/2025 17:32

Ineedcoffeenow · 04/08/2025 12:00

We have provisionally decided to give her £50 per week for food. From this thread, it sounds about right.

Edinburgh uni is well placed for reasonable supermarkets. Tesco and Lidl are right by the main buildings and there is a huge Sainsburys a short bus ride away. £50 per week was heaps for DD who likes to eat well and has recently finished at Edinburgh.

OneInEight · 04/08/2025 18:00

ds2 managed an impressive £20 with the help of LIDL freebies. I am pretty sure they make a loss on him as a customer. I am not sure it was a very healthy diet though so would recommend if you want her to eat at least some fruit and veg giving more than that.

clary · 04/08/2025 18:45

As you see @Ineedcoffeenow it does vary. Veggie DD who is not a big eater managed on about £25 pw - admittedly 5 years ago and actually that’s made a big difference with inflation.

Ds2 (big meat eater, protein fan, gym goer, sporty) eats a lot more and includes steak and chicken. He’s actually a good budgeter but he has found his Aldi basket has shot up in the last couple of years (he is in his 4th year) and he struggles to eat for £50 pw. That’s not a bad starting point tho.

AbitmoreBert · 04/08/2025 18:51

It depends on their diet. DD spends £40- £50 a week.

DS spends at least £20 a week more than her, his breakfast is a protein bowl made with fruit, nuts & Greek yoghurt etc lunch is tuna/chicken bagels/wraps and fruit and evening meal is fish/chicken/steak with rice and huge amounts of veg. Plus a lot of snacks. Even shopping in Aldi & lidl it’s difficult to do that cheaply. He does save by not drinking alcohol though.

mrsm43s · 04/08/2025 19:02

Don't forget that as well as money for food they need money for Uni supplies, social life, laundrette, household items and toiletries, transport, prescriptions, dentist, haircuts, clothes and shoes, sports equipment and clothes, clubs and societies etc.

Parents are expected to top up to the full loan amount, and in areas of high accommodation costs, even that often isn't really enough. It's generally quite hard to find jobs, especially term time only ones.

Skybluepinky · 04/08/2025 19:04

Totally depends what she’ll eat, what shops are near, if her lectures mean she’ll have plenty of time to cook, how many she will be sharing the kitchen with as that will influence cooking times, if she is allowed to an air fryer etc, too many variables for anyone to give a correct answer.

Alwayswonderedwhy · 04/08/2025 19:06

I give my DD £100 per week and I think around £40-50 goes on food.

FullOfMomsense · 04/08/2025 19:13

£50 is about right. If she needs help budgeting she could do a sainsbury's delivery- that way she won't be tempted by other things in shops. They do £40 minimum deliveries so she'd be left with £10 for a top-up shop. Also helps if she doesn't drive. Tell her to get a clubcard, nectar card, Lidl plus and if she can drive or get around to different shops while at Uni, she'll be able to save some money and find what works.