1. Freezer Storage…
Students from the beginning of time were destined to struggle with freezer space and with 8 or more people often sharing only 4 drawers, it’s inevitable that claiming space can become a bit of a Game of Thrones type competition!
If you find that you’re struggling for freezer space, make sure to remove everything from its outer packaging to cut down on wasted space. Foods often come in plastic wrapping once the cardboard is removed so there is really no need for you to keep it. Foods that don’t, like Chicken Steaks or Burger Patties can be placed into plastic freezer bags to fit snugly in the smallest space!
2. Fancy a toasty, but your bread has gone off…?
One thing I definitely struggled with in my first year was managing things like bread and milk. The amount of bread I wasted just by it going out of date before I could use it, is ridiculous.
If you are the same as me and find that you are always having to buy more bread, then buy a loaf of your favourite bread, grab two slices and place them inside a freezer bag. Do this for the entire loaf so that you have two slices in each bag and then put them into the freezer. This keep your bread fresh for a much longer time than the use-by date on the packaging.
Freezing your bread like this means that you only have to pull out enough for what you want to use.
3. Got Milk?
Along with bread, I found that there was never any milk in my fridge when I wanted it. Then I found UHT (Ultra Heat Treated) / Long Life Milk, available in all major supermarkets – and for cheap! This milk has a longer life on it, often a few months and it doesn’t have to be stored in the fridge until you open it. Once opened, it usually lasts around a week.
This means you can keep a stockpile of milk in a cupboard and only pull out a carton when you need to, ensuing that you always have milk when you want it!
4. Takeaway Storage…
One way to cut down on wastage and save the valuable pennies for ‘Spoons, is to make a large batch of curry, spaghetti bolognese, carbonara or whatever you fancy, and portion it up into the takeaway boxes and then freeze them.
This way you stretch out the cost of one meal into three or four meals, plus they make for easy storage as they are stackable!
5. Wasted Cupboards…
Student cupboards can often have a lot of wasted space, one way to take advantage of this is to purchase under-shelf baskets. These are perfect for bin bags or other light items such as coffee or even tea.
They could even come in handy for putting your phone on when cooking so nothing gets spilt on it!
