10 Ways To Save Money At University
Its always hard to save money, no matter where you are at life. When you are studying, the last thing you want to think about this the stress of money. While most people get a job, this can be even stressful. If you don’t have the time for a part time job at university, here are 10 ways to save money at university.
1. Budget
Sit down with everything you have to pay and what you get. Then stick to a certain amount of money each week/month for things such as food and bills. By being mindful of how you spend your money, you can find where you spend the most of your money.
2. Shop at Aldi or Lidl for food
Although they don’t deliver, most of their food is cheaper than other supermarkets. Despite their different brands of foods, they taste just as good. They also do a random selection of things to buy from arts and crafts to bed sheets, which is always at a great price and good value for money.
3. Stop buying take-aways and meals from supermarkets
Over times, getting these things can get quite pricey. Although it helps when you are having a bad day and need something to eat when you’re tired after a long day, this can be quite pricey if you pay for these regularly. If you have days during the week where you come back home late and feeling tired, make a meal with a large amount of portions during a day when you have little or nothing on. Then, when you are having a bad day, all you have to do is reheat the meal.
4. Cook food from scratch
Although it takes more time, you can save money by cooking food from scratch. A lot of ready-made meals and sauces contain a lot of sugars. By making you own meals, not only can you control the amount of sugar and add your own twists to your favourite meals, you can save money at university by switching too.
5. Go to charity shops
Although these shops sell a random selection of items, you can some amazing things for an extremely cheap price. Plus, you get to help a charity out.
6. Round expenses to the nearest pound
A little trick that helps me save money is rounding up small expenses to the nearest pound. If you bought some chocolate for £1.59, I round that expense up to £2 so I can save money. Although its not a lot, you can save a bit each week.
7. Use the library for books
If you have modules which only require a book for a really short amount of time, check it out from the library. Particularly if you’re not going to read it after your degree, there’s not much point keeping it if you need it for a few weeks. Try to get it out of the library. If not, try Google books, which sometimes have excerpts of books.
8. Take advantage of the university
As a student, universities usually have events which involve getting free samples. Take advantage of these to get you hands on some great goodies. If you want to go for a night out or a cheap meal, a lot of the meals and pubs that are run by the university are always slightly cheaper than most places when you go out. Also, a lot of universities do markets and events during term time where you can buy things at a discount.
9. Use railcards and NUS cards
Although you have to pay to get these cards, you can get discounts with them. If you shop and go traveling a lot, you’ll not only get your money back, you’ll also be saving money when you do. The NUS card covers a range of shops from Staples to New Look, so if you need to buy something, you can save a bit whilst you do.
10. Walk to places
If you live within walking distance of places, instead of taking the bus or driving, just walk to it. Not only will it save money at university, it’ll keep you healthy too.
