How To Live Based On A Student Budget

If you're on a school budget and it's cutting into your everyday life, this is the best way to live off a University budget. Yes, even the poorest Uni student can figure out how to save money while away at school!

As a student it is essential to know how to budget, where money needs to be spent and what you can live without. Your student loan only goes so far once you have paid your rent for your accommodation. For some it’s enough to buy food and more and for others, you have to know how to make a student budget last.

Tally Up Your Loan And Costs

The first thing you should aim to do as a student living on a student budget is work out how much you will have left of your student loan once you have paid for essential things such as your student loan and any other monthly bills you may be paying. Once you have done this you will be left with the amount you have to budget for the rest of the term. If you have a part-time job whist studying this will benefit you as you will have a little more cash to be thrifty with.

Shop Smart

As a student there are plenty of student discount websites and cards that you can sign up to. As you are living on a student budget it is probably the smartest thing for you to do, to sign up to them. The most well-known amongst universities is the NUS card this provides you with discount in Co-op and a variety of other places. Another good place for student discount is a little website/app called UNiDAYS this discount site provides discounts on food, clothing, technology, beauty and all sorts of latest bits and pieces that you’ll desperately want in your life to keep up with what’s trendy. As a student always ask if there’s student discount and carry your student card on you ALWAYS.

Freebies

Who doesn’t love some freebies? As a student there are some things that you don’t actually have to pay for, for example students 16-18 don’t have to pay for prescriptions. Once you are a university student and turn 19 that changes, however if you sign the HC2 form you may still be eligible for free prescription on the NHS.

Save On Travel

As a student you are constantly on the move and travelling, whether you’re living at home and commuting from home to campus or whether you’re living away from home at halls and you’re commuting from halls to home and then from halls to university. There is always a student option for travelling which will save you money. In London you have the 16-25 Railcard which gives you discount on train fares excluding peak times. There is also the Student Oyster Photocard Discount which gives you student discount on Transport for London. Furthermore, if you plan on travelling abroad there are plenty of travel providers who provide discounts for students STA Travel being one of them.

Be Money Savvy With Savings

As a student be money savvy, it is the best time to be putting money aside and to start saving. If you ever need tips on the best student accounts and the best deals out there for you as a student and when you leave education, Martin’s Money Tips will point you in the right direction.