We think of students as being strapped for cash and living on a shoe string… but actually there are lots of discounts and offers out there to help stretch those student finances a bit further. Here are some ideas of what to look for:
Banks often offer extras or discounts to students. Don’t choose a bank for its freebies, but do factor them in after you’ve read the small print.
* TSB – Three years free YHA membership plus 40 free music downloads and an MP3 speaker.
* Halifax – 25% discount on AA breakdown cover.
* Santander – Free mobile phone, gadget and laptop insurance if you deposit £500 each term.
* Natwest – Credit card with 56 day interest free credit on balances of up to £500 plus discounts on various items including CDs, travel guides and short breaks.
Insurance is another place you can save money. See if your parents insurance will cover you while you’re at Uni, if not, make sure you:
* Use a comparison site to get the best deal.
* Make sure things like laptop, ipod, mobile phone etc. are covered when you take them with you to lectures, the pub etc.
* Read the small print – is there an excess to pay? Are you covered just during term etc.?
Saving money on food doesn’t mean you have to live on just pasta and beans. A few tips to save on food items include:
* Fresh ingredients are normally cheaper than ready meals.
* Drink lots of water – It’s free!
* Look for deals online at places like mysupermarket.com and trollydolly.co.uk
* Get a supermarket loyalty card.
* Buy budget ranges – all the supermarkets have them and they’re normally just as good to eat and better value.
* Learn to cook! It’ll save you a fortune, and there are lots of free recipes online too.
Travelling while you’re a student is great, whether you’re planning on backpacking or just getting to and from lectures here are a few tips:
* Push bikes don’t need fuel, they don’t need taxing, and are cheap to insure! (They also help you stay fit without gym costs!).
* Cars newer than 10 yrs old with less than 100g/km emissions are cheapest to run and you pay no road tax on them.
* Gat a coach card/rail card – a young person’s coach card is £10 per year and gives you up to 30% off and a railcard costs £28 a year and gives you 1/3 off most train fares.
Other things you can do while you’re a student to help save money are:
* Learn to budget – set a maximum weekly spend and stick to it!
* If you’re renting make sure you’re ALL full time students and you won’t pay any council tax.
* Get an HC1 form and apply for free NHS dental care, prescriptions and eye tests.
* Sign up to money saving websites such as groupon.co.uk studentbeans.com s-k-i-n-t.co.uk and thestudentroom.co.uk.
* Upgrade to an NUS Extra card (£1.99) gives you discounts on 40,000 products in 120 countries.
*Students can save money on used textbooks and other necessities by browsing the Zaarly local classifieds to find who has the best deal.
