Wednesday, 7 December 2016
How To Save Money As A Student
1. Plan Meals & Do Online Shops
Unless you are lucky enough to live next to a supermarket or superstore, it's a good idea to do your food shopping online. Plan out your meals for the week (head to Pinterest for some good healthy inspiration!) and make a note of all the ingredients needed for your next week of meals. Order your ingredients online (via Tesco/Asda) and have them delivered straight to your door while saving money! In smaller shops, such as Tesco Express or Sainsburys Local, prices are bumped up and you can end up spending much more - so always opt to show in large supermarkets. Planning meals in advance also means that you are shopping with a clear list - making it easier to stay away from unnecessary food and snacks. Another helpful tip is to always shop on a full stomach; don't let your hunger get the better of your money!
2. Take It In Turns To Buy Necessities
Take it in turns with your flatmates to buy the necessities for your flat. Things like toilet roll, washing up liquid, shower gel and bin bags can all add up if you're buying them weekly, so come to some sort of agreement with your flatmates and sort out who will buy what and when. It's also a good idea to all put some money together when you move in to stock up on essentials - sponges, washing up gloves, scourers, bleach, cleaning detergent and washing machine tablets will not come with your flat so put a little bit of money aside at the start to get them instead of having to buy them throughout the year.
3. Make Lots of Food & Freeze It
If you're a student attempting to save money, your freezer is pretty likely to be your new best friend. Making single meals for yourself can be quite inconvenient and wasteful (spaghetti bolognese for one, anyone?), so it's a good idea to make a few extra portions and freeze them. This means you can stretch out your meals and get way more out of them - and effectively save money and time! Making more portions also means that you can take a packed lunch out with you, saving you money that you may have spent on buying lunch. It's also a good idea to cook joint meals with your flatmates too, which will save you all money. Cooking up a big casserole dish will only cost a couple of pounds each and can feed four of you four an evening.
4. Walk & Cycle Where You Can
Investing in a bike will save you a LOT of money as a student. Cycling to and from Uni will save you spending money on catching the bus (which can add up to as much as £12 a week) and will ensure you squeeze some exercise and fitness into your time too. Cycling also means you can avoid waiting around for unreliable city busses! If you don't have a bike, try to walk as much as possible instead of taking the bus. It may seem like you're only saving a couple of pounds here and there, but in the long run it will make a huge difference. It's so easy to just catch the bus into town to do your shopping, but if it's within distance then try to walk instead.
5. Only Use What You Need
This may seem very obvious, but it's an easy thing to forget. Only use what you need in your house and make a conscious effort to save energy. Turn the lights off when no one is in a room, do not leave the television on standby and only put as much water in the kettle as you need. Don't spend obscene amounts of time in the shower (difficult I know!) and unplug phone chargers, electric blankets and speakers when they are not in use. It's a good idea to put your heating on a set timer too, so that it only comes on in the mornings and evenings - the most important times of the day to heat up your house.
For more student advice, read my Things To Consider When Renting as a Student and So... You're Going To Uni? posts.
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When I visited Cambridge I was amazed at how much cycling occurred and was informed it was a lot of the students. I loved that. So many pros to that.
ReplyDeletePlanning meals is honestly the best way to save money. Limiting how many times you go out definitely helps as well!
ReplyDeleteMy sister just started uni and even though she has her own room so not exactly needing to share with anyone she would definitely benefit from planning meals and also freezing food too. Great post and I'll pass it on to my little sister. 😁
ReplyDeleteThese are all really good tips! I used most of these during my BA since I was on a campus in Exeter, but I had to cave in and get a monthly travel card for my MA since I was in London. Needless to say, being a student in London is never cheap but these still helped a fair bit!
ReplyDelete- Elodie x
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I agree about on-line shopping. I pick up so many items I don't need when I go into the shops. A great way to save money x
ReplyDeleteI found when I started on-line shopping I saved so much money! Its amazing how all the little things add up!
ReplyDeleteI think being a student teaches you so much such as budgetting and helps so much!x
ReplyDeletei wish i did these whilst i was at uni. i had wasted so much food. freezing food didnt really cross my mind back then
ReplyDeleteMeal planning & freezing food is a good tip for everyone to save some money! xo
ReplyDeletePlanning your meals out can save so much money. Also, cooking as a group, so you can cook in bulk.
ReplyDeleteBatch making food and freezing it is always a good idea as you always know there's something there for you to eat x
ReplyDeleteVery good ideas and some of them are useful no only for students ;))
ReplyDeleteThere are some really good ideas there. I'm no longer a student but I do still make large portions of some foods and freeze them. Not only does it save money it also saves time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with cooking during the weekends and then freeze the food, to have it for the entire week. This will save you money on coming home late from school and ordering take aways, knowing that you have a lovely meal already waiting for you in the fridge.
ReplyDeletePlanning meals makes such a difference saving money, I always do this and it saves time too
ReplyDeleteThis is great advice and we lived in a shared house of 6 at Uni and had a house kitty for food x
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd had the chance to read this when I was at uni x
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, from a fellow skint student!
ReplyDeleteSuch a good ideas, and perfect for my niece. I will share this with her
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great post! I always struggled to save money as a student.
ReplyDeleteSuch good tips, I used to love to plan my meals and buy everything online every Sunday when I was a student! I miss those days :)
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