However, when thinking about what to actually write about, I had some inspiration. I'm a student and have been for about a year and a half. A couple of friends have been moaning about their lack of money and I realised, I'm quite good at budgeting! So, I thought I would share my advice as a student about how to spend and save money cautiously, where you can still splash out and afford things for yourself but are not left in your overdraft at the end of every term.
- The first tip is an obvious but sometimes not practical one. Get a job. Some people do this whilst at uni, and there are plenty of part time student friendly jobs. Club promoters recruit students to hand out flyers for student nights, although word of advice, you will annoy everyone that walks past and may not be liked as much! The uni will offer jobs for students as well. I was a student ambassador in first year where I would show people around on open days and visit schools to promote the university. The pay was very good, I think it was around £8 an hour which is very generous.
- If you don't want a job while at university, theres always the chance to work over summer. You have about 3-4 months off depending on your course, and many events companies hire students. There are dedicated student websites that only advertise student jobs so they are worth checking out.
- Sometimes a job is not always possible, so the next few tips are about saving on things associated with lifestyle.
- One way to save money on food is to look out for offers and only buy say crisps, or cereal, when it is on offer. This applies to fruit. I only buy the fruit thats on offer as it's quite expensive!
- Also, avoid big brands to cut down costs. Things like pasta are perfectly fine when they are value brands, however some people aren't keen on using value meat. I used to buy meat, divide up the packet and freeze into portions. That way I would get 3-4 meals out of one packet which is a lot!
- Another thing I would do is make my own pasta sauce by using half a tin of tomatoes for one meal, and flavouring with paprika or garlic powder and adding vegetables. This is so much cheaper than buying a tin of branded sauce, not to mention healthier!
- When out and about, buy packed lunch foods when spending a whole day in the library. I see a lot of people buying lunch or dinner from the local supermarket, which overcharge for food anyway, or buy it at the library which takes advantage and increase their prices. Buy a packed lunch box or plastic sandwich bags and make your own. It doesn't take long and will make a difference to your bank account.
- Apply this to hot drinks as well, buy a thermal flask and make your own tea, instead of spending up to £1 on what is effectively a small cup of hot water and a tea bag. Fine for every now and then but it does add up if you buy it frequently.
- Next, shopping! Get good use out of student discounts, although note that sometimes it doesn't make a ton of difference (e.g. topshop and 10% is not that good on some items of clothing). Sign up to websites such as studentbeans.com and they will email when companies are doing discounts specifically for students.
- Onto the main part of students lives- alcohol! My advice, don't splash out on Smirnoff vodka when you can buy Tescos own! I certainly can't taste any difference. And make use of bringing a hip flask into clubs (as long as they don't check your bag) to avoid buying drinks out.
All these little changes can make a big difference. By being a little more cautious with money, you can save a lot and get through uni without racking up too much debt. Too many people are reckless with money but if they were more careful, they wouldn't be left empty handed everytime they go home!
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