Now, this one is a little different, but I hope it will interesting/useful to any like-minded pals of mine that are looking to get the most out of their weekly shopping budget, whilst eating a balanced diet.

Firstly, I had a brainstorm about dishes I love to eat, meals I want to learn to cook, and also what would be the best value for money. My plan for Monday-Friday is as follows…

Day 1- Chicken Biryani
Day 2- Winter Vegetable Casserole
Day 3- Veggie Stir Fry
Day 4- Roasted Ratatouille Pasta
Day 5- Grilled Chicken with Roasted Veg

For the remaining 2 days of the week, I will use the leftovers to the best of my ability, but I will be slightly winging it as I go.

So today I went to my favourite, and most trusted supermarket, Aldi. Although I know some people turn their noses up at this store, the shelf life of their veg and prices of their pasta and meat are hard to beat. Sadly, on my student budget I cannot afford lovely butchers meat, or fresh pasta, but I try to make the most of what I can afford!

£10.82 later, I emerged from a rather busy Aldi with almost all of my ingredients for the week ahead. This included: chicken, courgettes, penne and bananas. With a quick pop into Co-op for the last couple of bits- lentils, fresh basil and vegetable stock- I was loaded up like a donkey, ready to take all my ingredients home.

Overall I spent just under £13, and this is what I got…

The meals I am going to make are not necessarily for one person only, therefore they’re all suitable for freezing/storing for leftovers- every student’s dream! They are a mix of my own cooking flare, as well as some recipes I found on the internet. BBC Goodfood is my personal favourite, but I also used Allrecipes UK as well.

I am not sure how this will go, or if I can actually keep up and write a blog a day, but lets see. If nothing is posted, I have either burnt it, or I am too embarrassed to post it. However, I hope this is a helpful blog to show that you can eat well for less (wow corny slogan).