Student living can be tough. There are lots of things to pay for and not a lot of cash to play with. You might consider a job in your spare time but even those with jobs can struggle. Saving money is just as important as making money. Let’s look at 10 ways to save money as a student.
Figure Out Your Food Budget
Firstly, our list of 10 ways to save money as a student starts with food. Student stomachs need to be filled. Being hungry doesn’t help you study. You need to budget for food and cooking from scratch is much more affordable than buying takeaways and ready meals. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that. Especially if you can get yellow stickered discount food when supermarkets reduce their prices, or use fast food apps to get special offers on food. You could try going vegetarians for a couple of days each week to reduce the cost of meat. Get to know your freezer, batch cook and remember to never shop when you are hungry. Find ways to make your food budget stretch further.
Buy Second Hand & Used Books
As you start university, there will be others who move up the years and students who graduate. They might not need their books anymore. If they are selling them, this is a great way for you to get the texts you need without having to buy them brand new. You might even be the benefit of added notes on the pages which could help you out as you study.
Use Your Student Discount
Students get usually grab at least 10% discount at a number of retailers. If you are going to buy things, you might as well get them at the best possible price. By using your student discount you can sav a decent amount of money whilst still enjoying those things you love to purchase. You can perhaps justify buying them because of the discount too. This is great when you are shopping for family Christmas presents too as you can save some cash but still treat the ones you love.
Grab Freebies
Next up on our list of 10 ways to save money as a student is free stuff. Students also get freebies! There are lots of ways to find freebies and with a simple online search you can discover retailers who give students free stuff. You can get freebies at KFC, grab free coffee, enjoy a free cocktail and lots more! This helps you to enjoy treats whilst saving some money. Everyone loves freebies!
Get A Railcard
How are you going to get to and from university? Train travel has shot up in price over the last few years however you can save money by getting a railcard. Some student bank accounts give you a free railcard or you can buy one which will pay for itself in just a couple of trips. Spend even less by comparing rail tickets before you then save with your railcard. Sometimes you can save further by splitting your tickets. Your railcard isn’t just for getting home for Christmas either. You can use it on your summer holidays too. If interrailing is on your bucket list during your student summer, a rail card could save you 25% on your travel!
Look For Free Or Discounted Software
We spend a lot of time on our laptops when at university. A lot of our work is done on the computer. Depending on your course, you might need certain and specific software. Many software companies give student prices for software, which you can then use forever. Perfect if you go into a career where you’ll be using it! You can find free versions of the software you need. Why pay for Microsoft Word when Libre Office Writer does the same thing?
Play The Free Trial Game
We continue our list of 10 ways to save money as a student with free trials. Entertainment is a huge part of student life. Streaming the latest box set or listening to music on the way to campus. The likes of Spotify and Netflix can add up when you pay for them every month. However many of these streaming companies offer a free trial. You can bounce from one free trial to another and get months worth of entertainment for nothing. Just keep track of when you need to cancel by or you’ll find yourself charged for that first month!
Do You Need A TV License?
If you love watching TV, do you actually need a license? Paying £150+ for a TV license is a lot of money. However some students might not need one because they will be covered by their parent’s license at home. If you only stream catch up from the likes of ITV Hub and 4OD you won’t need one either, however BBC iPlayer requires you to have one. If yo watch live TV you will need one, unless you find yourself in a loophole.
Discount Cinema Tickets
There are loads of fantastic films released at the cinema, we’re spoilt for choice. Getting a bunch of mates together for a cinema trip before going to the pub is a great night out! Some mobile phone contracts or bank accounts give you free cinema tickets. Meerkat Movies gives you 2 for 1 tickets every Tuesday and Wednesday, just buy a cheap annual insurance policy for a couple of quid and make big savings on your cinema trips!
Go Foraging
Our final idea on our list of 10 ways to save money as a student flips back to food. Foraging is the ultimate free food experience. Not only that, you get outside, reconnect with nature and enjoy some exercise. You can’t beat finding wild grown blackberries and raspberries! Make sure you know what you’re picking, give it all a wash and then enjoy some healthy and delicious free food.
As you can see, there are lots of ways to save money on student life and these 10 ideas only scratch the surface. Grab your freebies, use your discounts, find ways to stretch the student loan you have. You can even save money on your mobile phone! It’s important to keep an eye on our finances when we are students but it’s also important to use these three or four years to have a great time.
