How and where to buy groceries in Milan when you are a student
The cost of groceries is one of the heaviest items in a student’s off-site budget. But how and where to buy groceries in Milan to save money and not to tilt your wallet?
We have tried to make use of the experience gained with our off-site students living on In-Domus campuses to take stock of this important topic.
How to shop to save money in Milan
Milan is certainly not known for being the cheapest Italian city. However, with a few small tricks, this does not mean that you cannot do the shopping and save. But how?
First of all, you can wait for the supermarket offers or proceed with the purchase of those products that are about to expire and, for this reason, are sold at heavily discounted prices. If you also have the opportunity, remember that fruits and vegetables cost less to the market, rather than in local shops: one of the cheapest places is certainly the fruit and vegetable market in the Porta Vittoria area. The same applies to fish: it is better to buy it directly at the market, on Saturday morning, in the same area Porta Vittoria.
Also keep in mind that the best way to save is to avoid waste: recycling leftovers can lead to great savings on spending!
Where to buy groceries in Milan to save money
If you have read carefully the lines above, you should have realized that in order to buy groceries in Milan and save money it is always better to cut the intermediaries. So, green light to some strategic excursion to the fruit and vegetable markets, meat and fish.
If you prefer to shop in supermarkets, try to favor the big signs, especially when they offer discounts and scheduled price reductions. It also recalls that expenditure in the periphery is normally cheaper than in the center.
How to split the budget spent for groceries in Milan
La suddivisione del budget spesa per vivere a Milano non segue regole ben precise ma un buon modo per cominciare è certamente quello di effettuare una ripartizione giornaliera o settimanale: procedendo in tal senso avrai di sicuro la possibilità di tenere meglio sotto controllo il tuo budget, adattandolo poi settimana dopo settimana a quanto necessario.
The breakdown of the spending budget for groceries in Milan does not follow very precise rules but a good way to start is certainly to make a daily or weekly breakdown: by doing so you will beyond doubt have the opportunity to better control your budget, and then adapting it week after week to what is necessary.
It’s better to cook or buy ready-made foods?
If your intention is to save money, it is certainly better to cook than to buy ready-made foods. In this way, not only you will be able to reduce your food expenditure, but you will also have a better control of what you cook and you will develop a skill among the stoves that could end up winning you over!
By the way: we remind you that on our In-Domus campuses you will have the opportunity to use shared kitchens, as well as many other services that you can touch with your own hands with booking a guided tour in one of the available facilities.
How to manage time to cook when you have to study
Is cooking and studying compatible? Of course, yes! Provided, of course, that you have a good organization that allows you to reconcile the time needed for university and for cooking.
For example, there are a lot of last-minute recipes that you can make when you feel you do not have much time for cooking, as when you are finishing preparing an important exam. Furthermore, there are lots pf opportunities for conviviality that you can choose to take advantage of on our campus: thanks to the possibility of establishing a relationship with hundreds of other students away from home, in the days you are particularly busy you will have no difficulty in asking a colleague of your study if he can cook for you!
What are the foods that should never be missing in the house
That said, we can only conclude this brief study with a list of groceries that must never miss at home.
In this area, at the first place we naturally find water: keeping you constantly hydrated will also allow you to improve your study performance!
Speaking of pro-study foods, we can only advise you to keep real energy mines at hand: dried fruits and legumes are useful to generate positive effects on your body, and can be cooked and taken in many different ways.
Do not forget to always have at hand the queen of Italian cuisine: pasta. It takes two or three types, between short and long pasta, to have a good range of carbohydrates always at hand. And what about the condiments? From garlic to onion, through herbs, a different dosage is enough to give your dishes a new taste.
