Money Saving Tips

· Use University facilities such as the gym which are far cheaper than elsewhere. If you join a private gym not only will you have to pay a lot more money but you may end up locked into a contract you cannot afford.

· Join societies – they will enhance your CV, help you make friends, and may provide cheap fun.

· When you go on nights out take out the money you can afford to spend then - don’t take any cards out with you .

· Go out on weeknights to 'student' places for cheaper nights out.

· Buy supermarket own brands. Some 'value' foods are only cheaper because they haven't spent their revenue on marketing.

· Instead of going out to buy a lot of heavy items (tinned items, potatoes, bags of rice, etc) order online. Then you only need to go shopping to buy fresh stuff, which is usually available locally, which also cuts down on travel costs.

· Find the closest Aldi/Lidl.

· For fresh produce, if possible go to your local high street or market. You may find that the produce is not only fresher but cheaper and if you go at the end of the day you can often pick up some bargains.

· Don’t buy every book on your reading list. Buy some photocopy credit, get into your library early and make copies of key pages.

· The library usually has at least 10+ copies of core text books and some on 24 hour loan so get in there first to borrow them.

· Use the core texts in the library rather than buying them and working at home.

· Buy a sandwich box and a thermos flask. Use them every day.

· Save a deposit in the first year for your second year house.

· Go to the cash machine every Monday morning and take out your weekly limit – then stick to this.

· Treat outings to expensive coffee shops as a treat. £3.50 on a coffee and £2.50 on a cake quickly adds up.

· Plan well ahead and make a budget.

· Put aside money for unexpected costs.

· Don’t follow the example of friends who spend loads of money. They may be funded by rich parents.

· Shop around for your Gas and Electric. Do this as soon as you get in your house as contracts can lock you in for one year.

· Always check your gas/ electricity bills to see if the meter reading is accurate. We moved into a house that had been lived in by single person before us so estimated bills were nice and low. Then we had to find hundreds of pounds - that none of us had - at the end of the year when the gas company realised that we'd used a lot more than we'd paid for!

· Use the computers at University - it's their electricity not yours! Also spend time in the library etc. rather than having your heating on all the time.

· Think carefully about whether you need a telephone line and expensive internet package in your house.

· Walk or cycle rather than paying for public transport or driving – its cheaper and healthier.

· Only have a car if you really need one.

· Get a railcard.

· Megabus or the National Express funfares are very cheap especially if you book in advance.

· To save money on going home for Christmas and Easter, it may sometimes be cheaper to travel on the Monday or Tuesday after breaking up, instead of just starting the journey the instant the weekend starts. Compare prices to see when is cheapest to travel.

· Put your overdraft in an ISA and don’t touch it.

· If you can afford to save part of your loan put it in a high interest savings account.

· Don't just go with your current bank account; shop around for the best student deal.

· Be prepared to join a temping agency, especially for holiday work.

· Be enterprising. There are often jobs around campus which offer a little money, book vouchers, Amazon credit, etc. If you can't find anything around campus go slightly further a field. You may not have the time for a fixed part time job, but there are always people looking for a little help around their office a few Saturdays a month.

· Jobs in call centres can pay quite well and if you do night shifts you can sometimes take in your notes with you and work at the same time.

· Make sure part time work is not at the expense of your degree.

· University hardship funds are for all UK students in financial hardship. Try applying and you may be surprised and actually get awarded some money.