Hej Allihopa – hello everyone!

Sweden is associated with many things. It could be a way of living (lagom), beautiful nature, long and bright summer days, and for some, it can be pretty expensive cost of living. At this point, I have lived here for over 1.5 year and let me confirm, monthly expenses do add up to a significant sum, especially if you come from a relatively low-income country. I personally come from Georgia and I know I wouldn’t be able to afford living here if not the amazing scholarship by Swedish Institute.

Despite the fact that it is quite expensive here, there are still ways to save money. First and foremost, that can be done by using the student discount options. A lot of shops will offer at least 10% discount on every purchase for students; applications such as Mecenat have different offers each month, which can help reduce the costs significantly. You can also shop second-hand as much as possible. I personally got most of my kitchen items from second-hand shops: pots, pan, bowls, and a really good knife.

But what about grocery shopping, you might be asking? You can’t buy groceries second-hand.. or can you? Today, I want to share with you my favorite low(er) cost places and ways to shop groceries for cheap(er) in Norrköping.

  1. Willys

Willys and Lidl(below) are two cheaper grocery stores in Sweden. Some of you might be familiar with these names, but if you are

not, make a note, these places will save you significant amounts. Out of the two, Willys is the best place for me to do food related shopping. I notice that their prices are usually cheaper than other chain stores in Sweden, such as ICA, Coop, or Hemköp, but still they carry almost all the same products. Willys also has a really good assortment of fresh produce, such as vegetables, fruit, greens, fresh bread. You can also sign up for their card, which will give you access to member discounts. My personal favorite Willys store is the one in Mirum mall, in Hageby area, but there is another big store in Ingelsta too. Either of the two are amazing options if you like to do large shopping for the week or even two weeks.

  1. Lidl

I don’t often go to Lidl, but when I do, it’s for shopping non-food related items, such as shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste, household items. For me, Lidl does not carry as many groceries as Willys does, but non-perishable items have amazing prices there. To give you an example, I bought a pack of really good floss in October and still have some left in February. Lidl also has good options for cheap appliances, such as coffee makes, pans, pots, etc. The store is also close to the student accommodations, only 10 mins biking distance, which makes is super accessible.

  1. Locally Owned Stores

There are several small, local stores in Norrköping that often carry items or groceries from specific parts of the world. In my experiences, princes in these stores are very good and often cheaper, compared to the quality or uniqueness of the products. Here are my favorite places:

Polish Store

If you come from an Eastern European country, you might be missing some local food items, such as pickled goods, sour creams, sodas, etc. Polish store on S:t Persgatan has wonderful assortment of these staples. It’s a small place, but the owner is lovely and will even give you recommendations if you can’t find something. You can also give them your number and they will notify you when new items arrive.

Arabic Store

If you are looking for good lentils, spices, lavash, hummus, this is the place to check out. They are located quite centrally, on Hospitalsgatan and have a very large assortment of fresh produce, as well as non-perishable items. I like to get lentils and other dry ingredients from them, as well as spices. The prices are much cheaper for these items, compared to other stores, and you also
get a lot for the value.

Asian Stores

There are several small stores that carry Asian cuisine items. On S:t Persgatan you will find Ila Papaya, which has a large assortment of tofu, sauces, spices, noodles and ramen, as well as frozen fish. Alternatively, you can also check out Mixmat, which is located closer to the university campus, on Luntgatan. They offer a good variety of fresh produce, good canned food option, and a lot of different sauces, for cooking or otherwise.

  1. Too-good-to-go

Aside from specific places, there are also different applications that can help cut down on grocery prices. Too Good To Go is an application that helps waste less food, by sharing bundle offers from local stores. You simply register and check what is available for pick up a day before. Sometimes you can get huge box of fruits and vegetables, sometimes you can get a pack of deserts. Either way, this is a smart way to spend waaay less on food!

  1. Sign up for Memberships!

Lastly, but definitely not the least important tip is to sign up for membership. Everywhere! All stores have some discount for members and all stores have special deals for members. It doesn’t cost you anything to sign up, you don’t have to carry a separate card, you simply tell them your personal number at the checkout and the discounts will apply automatically.

I hope this list helps you in your budget planning or in preparations for the move. It can be overwhelming at first, but very soon you will get to know the prices and you too will have your preferred ways of saving money.

Until next time – Gvantsa

 

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