Economical cooking for international students: menus and shopping tips

🔄 Cập nhật lần cuối: 08/10/26

Eating out regularly is the fastest way to blow a hole in your budget while abroad. Economical cooking for international students does not require high skills, just a weekly plan, a clear grocery list and a few flexible recipes. This article shares how to plan menus, shopping tips and preserve food safely so you can eat well and save money.

Why should you cook for yourself when studying abroad?

In the table Cost of studying abroad in other countries, food is always one of the biggest expenses after rent, but it is also the expense you have the most control over. A meal out in Australia, the UK, the US or Canada is often several times more expensive than a home-cooked meal with equivalent ingredients. Besides money, cooking yourself also helps you:

• Eat enough vegetables, protein, less fat and salt than fast food.
• Preserve the taste of home, reduce the feeling of homesickness.
• Make friends through cooking meals with housemates.

Tips for economical shopping

The student guide pages of many British universities such as Imperial College London advise very simple but effective principles:

1. Make a menu and list in advance. Spend 15 minutes on the weekend to plan your meals for the week, only buy according to the list.
2. Don't go to the market when you're hungry. When you're hungry, it's easy to buy snacks and processed foods.
3. Choose large supermarkets or cheap chains. Small convenience stores are usually more expensive; Cheap chains (like Aldi, Lidl in Europe and Australia) have many private label products of good quality.
4. Prioritize supermarket brands (own-brand) for rice, noodles, canned foods, milk, and eggs.
5. Buy seasonal and frozen vegetables. Frozen fruits and vegetables are often cheaper, use as much as you like, and are less likely to spoil.
6. Stock up on dry and canned foods: beans, canned fish, canned tomatoes, noodles, rice are the basis of many dishes.
7. Watch for end-of-day discounts at the meat and bread counters; Buy and freeze portions immediately.
8. Take advantage of Asian markets for fish sauce, dried noodles, and spices; Buy in bulk with friends to get a good price.

If you want to optimize further, combine these tips with the suggestions in the article 15 ways students save money on studying abroad.

Suggested 7-day menu for international students

The menu below revolves around a few main ingredients (rice, eggs, chicken thighs, ground meat, tofu, frozen vegetables, canned tomatoes) to buy once for the whole week, limiting excess.

Breakfast can be simple with oatmeal, yogurt, banana or egg toast. This is the frame of reference; Please change according to the ingredients on sale and your taste.

Cook in batches and store safely

Batch cooking is the "weapon" of busy students: cook a large pot on the weekend, divide into boxes, eat later or freeze. However, food safety principles need to be followed:

• Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking (in very hot weather, within 1 hour), as recommended by the Mayo Clinic.
• Leftovers in the refrigerator should be used within 3–4 days; If not eaten yet, freeze as soon as possible.
• Frozen food stays safe for a long time, but tastes best in the first few months. Label the box with the cooking date.
• Reheat thoroughly, do not defrost and refreeze multiple times.

Tools and spices should be prepared

Many people want to bring rice cookers, knives, and spices from Vietnam. Consider carefully for two reasons: luggage weight and quarantine regulations. Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Canada have very strict controls on meat, eggs, milk, seeds, and many types of dry foods; You must declare truthfully when entering the country. See more articles Customs declaration when entering Australia, USA, Canada.

• Should buy in the host country: pots, pans, knives (knives are not allowed in carry-on baggage), cutting boards, rice cookers (avoid voltage and plug differences).
• Can bring (if allowed, sealed, declared): a few industrially packaged dry spices, compact utensils.
• Do not bring: dried meat, sausage, salted eggs, seeds, fresh fruit.

A list of things you should and shouldn't bring is in the article study abroad luggage. When booking via VeDuHoc, the Booker team will advise on choosing a suitable itinerary with 40–46kg checked baggage and provide guidance on regulations. International checked baggage for international students, helps you carry all the necessary items without worrying about extra fees.

Frequently asked questions

Don't know how to cook, where to start?

Learn 5–7 basic dishes in advance while in Vietnam: rice, fried eggs, vegetable soup, braised meat, braised chicken, fried noodles. This is the skill group on the list Independent skills needed before studying abroad.

How much money should be spent each week on shopping?

Depending on the city and eating habits. The best way is to record your food spending for the first 2–3 weeks, then set a weekly limit and adjust. Official “study in” pages for each country often have living cost estimates for reference.

Should I buy frozen food instead of fresh?

Frozen vegetables keep their nutrition quite well, are cheap and have little loss. Combining seasonal fresh and frozen foods is a reasonable choice for students.

Can I bring fish sauce and instant noodles abroad?

Each country has its own regulations and changes over time. Check the official customs/quarantine page, pack tightly and always declare when asked.

Just maintain the habit of planning menus and cooking in batches for a few weeks, and you will see your food costs decrease significantly. If you are preparing to leave, contact VeDuHoc via hotline/Zalo 090.1800.918 for ticket and luggage advice.

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