April 29, 2017, by Lucy

Ways to Save Money at University

Budget: Simple but it works. Work out how much money you have to spend on accommodation, food, uni supplies, entertainment etc and stick to it. Give yourself an allowance to stop yourself falling into a cycle of drifting in and out of your over draft, it will save you the stress of being broke as well as teaching you valuable lifelong skills.
**Tip: physically withdraw a weekly budget from your bank account at the beginning of the week and limit yourself to only spending this. I find that using my card makes me feel as though I haven’t really spent any money and this inevitably isn’t great.

Cook everything from scratch: as well as being expensive, ready made pasta and curry sauces contain vast amounts of added sugar and salt. Save your wallet and body the damage and make your own sauces and marinades. All you need is some chopped tomatoes, purée, additional herbs and/or spices and a little motivation and willpower. **Check some good recipes out here**

Find those discounts: next time you go shopping try to save yourself some cash. Websites such as UNiDAYS and Student Beans offer loads of student discounts, ranging from clothes shops to travel agents. Additionally, signing up to brands’ mailing lists can also save you £££. Not only do they give you information on sales, but they often send you exclusive discounts, think 2 for 1 meals, 20% of clothes and even birthday deals including free meals and gifts.
Check the library or flog your books: find out in advance what books are really worth purchasing and which ones you can loan from the library. Get on top of your reading and get books from the library prior to it becoming the area of focus in your studies since it is inevitable that other people on your course are going to be trying to get their hands on the same book too. If it is necessary for you to buy a certain book, look at prices on Amazon Marketplace or eBay where second hand copies are significantly cheaper than first hand editions. When you no longer need the books, see if your course has book sales where you can sell your unwanted stuff to other students in need.
Unitemps: if you’re looking for work but are worried about it taking over your studies, Unitemps is the place for you. Here you can find work to fit around your studies, rather than fitting your studies around work. From Student Ambassadors to Student Models, the range is vast, plus you get to represent your uni in the process.

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