Managing your money at university

Immediately when we hear ‘money’ and ‘university’ in the same sentence we usually think the worst. To be honest it is hard trying to manage your cash whilst studying because you’ve got to take into consideration food, rent, laundry and most importantly, ‘how much is socialising going to cost?’

It’s all well and good when your student loan comes in but then when you get a bit ‘generous’ with your money let’s say, you might find yourself in a bit of a tight spot…

So here are some tips I’ve learned throughout my two years at university so far:

1. Stick to the list!

As they say you should never go shopping on an empty stomach…but when you do go shopping it’s always a good idea to have a list prepared so then you know exactly what you need and aren’t likely to pick up loads of stuff from the shelves that you’ll never end up eating.

 

2. Try own-brand products

This is something I’ve only realised recently. I spent all last year buying branded products because that was just what I was used to, but after switching to shops’ own products I’ve ended up saving more money every month. I understand that shop-own products don’t necessarily taste the same as branded ones, but it actually isn’t too bad (here’s a tip within a tip - Sainsbury’s own bourbons are 40p a pack!). Even if it is only a few shop-own products, this still saves you a little bit off your weekly shop.

3. Put some in your savings

A lot of students at university tend to get a part-time job and it is really handy to have two bank accounts – one for your savings and one for your rent/other university funds. For some people who don’t get the full maintenance loan, it can be quite a shock when you have to dip into your savings a little bit, but if you do get a part-time job you can fill your savings back up in time if you contribute a third or half of your wage from your job back into your savings, and use the rest for other university funds. This avoids you worrying about having no savings at the end of the day!

Any extra change I have I put it in here and when it's full you'll be amazed by how much you've actually saved!

4. Student discounts

Everybody loves a good discount don’t they?! If you are a student then you can download an app on your phone called ‘UNIDAYS’, this gives you access to thousands of discount codes to popular student shops such as; PRETTYLITTLETHING, Boohoo, Topshop, JD, pretty much anything! Not to mention discounts are included on food and drinks also, including; Revolution and Pizza Hut. I can already smell my pizza cooking…

 

Get more info on cost of living while at Huddersfield