| For some of you, this may be the first time that you have had to look after yourself when it comes to food. This can be very stressful, especially on a small budget. Here are some pointers from other students who have walked this road: Try to eat more fruit and vegetables than anything else. A slice of brown bread is good, but don’t make a meal of white bread and chips. It will give you a sugar high and then leave you exhausted, and over time it will make you fat. Many universities have support systems for students who need help in this regard. Wits has dining halls with reasonably priced meals; UFS has a bursary scheme called No Student Hungry; UJ has a feeding programme that provides meals. Go to the student support office and ask. |
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| Find a few friends and buy and/or cook together. It is cheaper to buy 24 tins of fish that you can share than to buy one at a time, for example. If you have storage space, buy the basics at the beginning of the term: rice, oil, maize meal, coffee, tea, sugar, dried beans, soup powder, etc. If there are people selling loose fruit and vegetables on the pavement in the CBD of your city, go there to shop rather than using the chain stores – it’s cheaper. If you are worried that the CBD may be dangerous, take a couple of friends along. Take only cash, stashed in small amounts in different pockets. If you have access to a fridge or freezer, cook some sugar beans or lentils and keep them cool. They make a good meal when eaten with bread or rice and a fried onion. Drink water, tea and coffee, NOT expensive sugary soft drinks. Before you go to the nearest fast-food chain, check out the deli counters at the big grocery stores. For more or less the same price as a burger or fried chicken and chips you can get rice, stew and vegetables – more variety, more filling food and less fat, white bread and potatoes. A whole grilled chicken cost R80 in February 2025. Add rice, chakalaka and vegetables from their deli counter and share it among four people. |
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| If you want to cook for yourself and you have no experience, the basics are easy. Buy one solid cooking pot rather than a number of thin cheap ones. Slice or chop some onion and fry it in oil. Add your meat and fry it until it’s browned on all sides. Add vegetables like tomatoes, green beans, carrots and potatoes, cut into chunks. Add some water, perhaps with a spoonful of soup powder or stock, and some salt. Close the pot, turn the heat down and cook for half an hour to 40 minutes. Stir now and then so that it doesn’t burn. This makes a very good meal. **UKZN has a very good online guide to help you get started. Over time you will become more confident and start enjoying cooking. There are thousands of recipes on the internet. Look for “one-pot meals”, they are easy and filling. Happy cooking! The GRAD team |
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| GRAD – your guide to university success is a partnership project of Ruda Landman, StudyTrust, Van Schaik Publishers and Capitec Bank |
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