Student life on a budget: How I make my money go further
Katie Boyer
Psychology
Hi, I'm Katie! I'm a second year psychology student at Huddersfield. In my latest blog, I share how I manage my budget as a student.
After living in Huddersfield for my first, and now my second year of uni, I think I’ve figured out the perfect ways to go out, do things and enjoy student life without breaking the bank. Huddersfield is a relatively inexpensive area, making it perfect for students. There is genuinely so much to do for very little cost, and often even for free.
Get involved with sales and events
There are always events on in the Students’ Union, whether it’s sample sales, cultural events or societies putting on an activity. These are advertised on posters around campus, and online, so it’s easy to plan which events you want to go to and get involved with.
These are really good as they’re easily accessible, and often don’t cost anything at all - unless you decide to go crazy at the sample sales! One of my favourite pop-ups I’ve been to was the Urban Outfitters sample sale.
Look for cheap ticket offers
I love going to Huddersfield Town football matches. The Students’ Union often partners with Huddersfield Town, offering tickets for students for just £5. Even when these tickets have sold out, or aren’t available, tickets are still just £12.
I’m a huge football fan, so I love being able to go to games, and even sometimes watch Barnsley away, especially when the cost of tickets is lowered. I always bring my own drink and snacks, though, as it helps to keep costs down as much as possible.
The stadium is within walking distance from uni, so there’s no added cost of buses or taxis, which can cost a small fortune.
For any other football fans, I also 100% recommend visiting the Xwall at The Light, just across the road from uni. It’s an interactive football game with loads of different modes to play, and you can choose the difficulty level. It costs around £25 to hire the court for an hour, so if you go with your friends it works out pretty cheaply, and it’s so much fun.
Make a night of staying in
Another way I enjoy myself without spending a lot, is having flat nights in. We do things like baking, cooking together, or even just watching a film and chatting for hours. There’s also a pool table in the reception area of my accommodation, which we’ve been down to play on before. I really like doing things like this, especially in the winter, as you don’t have to brave the cold, and it doesn’t really cost anything to do.
Recently, we did a flat Christmas day, where we did secret Santa, made a Christmas dinner and played games together. Although this might sound like an expensive day, we set budgets for the gifts, shared the cost of the food and played free online games, like Trivial Pursuit.
Save money by joining societies
I also definitely recommend joining a society. Lots of societies have the option to join as a social member for less than £10, so even if you don’t play a sport, or have a particular interest in one of the societies, you can still join.
This is really good because societies frequently host free events and partner with lots of different places in Huddersfield to put on activities at a reduced cost.
For example, I’m a social member in the swimming society, and last week we all went bowling at The Light. It was completely free – all we had to do was book our place on the SU website and turn up.
There's also been lots of other swim socials, such as a games night, pumpkin carving, and a quiz night, which were either free or cost very little to attend.
If you do fancy going on a night out, each society will have a QR code for their members to scan at the bar and get drinks for less.
Treat yourself with a discount
There are also so many cafes and coffee shops in Huddersfield, with some on campus and some in the town centre. It’s nice to go and treat yourself to a drink or a sweet treat, whether you go alone or with your friends.
I like to go during my free periods between lectures, instead of going back to my flat. Lots of these places offer student discount or offers just for students. Just don’t forget your student ID!
Personally, I think that although it’s very easy to spend lots of money as a student, here in Huddersfield there are so many discounts, offers and free activities that make it easier than you might think to save money.
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