Kathleen Gallagher
Staff Writer
It’s nearing the end of the month, and the budget is a bit tight, so what’s the first thing to skimp on? Alcohol? Partying? Clearly, it’s food. But just because you can’t afford to buy every meal at Fallon and Byrne doesn’t mean that you have to be stuck with canned tuna and beans (not a bad combo, actually). Your saviours can be those little yellow labels that indicate that expiring food has been marked down in price. There is no shame in taking the food that no one else wants, especially if it’s a bargain. In fact the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is advocating that Greek people do the same. Yet another commonality between the Greek and Trinity students, along with living in financially crippled countries!
While buying discounted food can be a fun and cheap way to shop, certain foods (notably meats) should be avoided. True, the ‘best before’ dates are a precaution only and a lot of food doesn’t expire until well past the date stated on the packaging. However, If you’ve gone to the Tesco or Dunnes Stores expiring food section you will have seen a less-than-tantalizing chicken that is a little bit gray or those sausages that resemble meat even less than they normally do. Technically, they pass safety requirements, but at the same time saving those extra pence isn’t worth making yourself sick over. However, if you do end up eating some bad food without realising (maybe you thought you would risk having a bit of slightly dodgy chicken), then it might be better that you try and make yourself throw the food up as quickly as possible. The reason behind this is that self-induced vomiting may help save you from getting food poisoning and this is something which you don’t want to happen. A few slightly off-colour vegetables or fruits are fairly innocuous. Just remember that there is a real-time constraint on eating all food. If you keep it in the fridge for too long it will inevitably start to stink up your apartment and attract flies.
So where is the best place to shop for discounted foods? In Dunnes Stores and Tesco it tends to be in an out of the way in a corner of the refrigerated section by the juices and yogurts. So, next to the nicely packaged in-date food, which is being purchased by Yuppies and Moms, there are starving students crowding round an odd assortment of food, scrambling for the best pick. If you get there on a Sunday morning the shops will have just restocked, meaning the goods have just been marked down so there should be a lot of choice. Also, a tip: go for the ready-made meals and soups, you can easily eat them that night or freeze them and bring them out another day.
However, the cornucopia of discounted goods is to be found at Marks and Spencers on Grafton Street. While normally a little pricey and a store only to go to for a rare treat or a deal, you can get some of their delicious food at a reasonable price if you’re smart about it. The store marks down twice a day, once after the lunch rush at about 3pm and again right before closing at about 7pm. The 3pm markdown tends to be a have a bit more choice and the store itself is normally empty, leaving students to roam the aisles grabbing anything with a yellow tag. Again ready-made meals are the key here and Marks and Spencers does them amazingly. Just stock up and throw them in the freezer. Here the going off meat still looks delicious so grab it, cook it and keep in the fridge for the week or divide it into portions and freeze some. Canned peas aren’t so bad if you’re having them with a lovely piece of chicken right? If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you can check out their baked goods which are shoved into bags and only cost about two euro for five pastries right before closing.
Getting good mark-down food really can be the luck of the draw and it does depend when you go shopping. But if you’re clever about it, discount shopping can be a fun way to ensure you stay somewhat well-fed. A meal with slightly less fresh-looking food might not initially be as appetising, but if it is looking a little off-color, just cover it with a bright sauce- it’ll probably be fine. Out of sight, out of mind!
As well as eating well and saving money, discount-food shopping can make you feel a little better about your environmental habits. A new survey by the Environmental Protection Agency recently revealed that households are throwing away up to 1,000 euro worth of wasted food a year. As a poor student, you’re actually helping your nation. Who knew?
Disclaimer: The University Times takes no responsibility to those who suffer from food poisoning due to expired food…
