Students = Cheapness

[mr jones]

I am a student, as many others on here seem to be... As my loan has STILL yet to clear im feeling the pinch so thought I would start a thread where people can put thier money saving / making idea's and pick up tips...

To start with:

Try and make a friend with a car... saves on Taxi's to the shops...

Make the most of drink promotions and cheap nights... even if the event/music that night isn't to your taste, get a big enough group of people and you can still have good fun

Be creative with food - 2 eggs, some left over colslaw and tuna+maya sandwitch filler makes a good meal!

... not a good start i know but thats why I've made this thread ~ to get your idea's x

[Hydralisk]

Don't get the subway or bus if you know you can walk at least part of the way home. Additionally, look around for student discount cards and take some time and calculate if it's worth buying one or not. Finally, on the bus home, I don't need to pay the full fare if I have a sufficient amount of smash - the bus driver has no electronic way of counting the amount of money I put in, and thus takes an approximation. This leads to occasional overcharging, but its worth it in the long run.

Bring a packed lunch like you did in primary school - cheap and you get to decide what you eat!

Don't always be above buying supermarket own brand food - most of the stuff tastes identical to the more famous brand, expensive stuff, so be sure to shop around (note: Vodka and Rum is an exception to this rule. Super-market brands of those are not as consumable as you might expect.).

Try to resist snacking all the time. Conversely, Do you really need lunch or can you wait an hour or so until you get back home before getting stuck in? Don't make it a bigger lunch than you need to though!

Consider you habits - how much TV do you and your flatmates watch? If the answer is "very little", then should you really bother getting a TV license?

Finally, if at all possible don't use dish washers or tumble dryers if you have moved out of your parent's house - those things seriously chew up electricity, and you can just hang clothes/handwash dishes nine times out of ten. Similarly, don't expect to be able to have a bath every night - not only is this costly in terms of water, and a nuisance to the environment, your flatmates probably won't approve of you hogging the bathroom for upwards of half an hour every night!

[Tweekish]

Big bags of pasta, cheap tomato soup and tins of tuna = meals for days.

Cook proper food (spag bol, pasta bakes) and put a few portions in the fridge or freezer for later.

Buy loaves of bread and freeze half if you dont get through them quickly.

Walk everywhere!

I used to get Icelands deals with pizzas etc for a fiver. That would last for a while.

[Luna_1985]

Ditto on learning to cook
It's a lot easier than you think and it's more satisfying/healthy/cheaper than eating out depending on what you make.

Drink water more often! You'd be shocked how much money is spent on drinks

Don't buy shit you don't need. This should be obvious...but apparently not for some. If you can go on with out it, then you can go further without it.

Borrow movies/dvds/cds from friends when you can (and if you're unable to go the "alternative" route)

If you need to buy clothes, investigate the clearance racks firstly. You never know what you will find that is still in season and what you're looking for. If that doesn't work try to wait until a retail holiday to buy clothes.

Most importantly, carry your uni ID everywhere!!!! You never know where a student discount can save you here and there.

[gembird]

If you're going to go out drinking, go to a Wetherspoons if there's one in your town. The drinks are as cheap as a students union bar and you get more choice, plus you can get yourself a meal there for about three or four quid if you're out for someone's birthday and want to do something more special.

Supermarkets often have deals on their own-brand cheese. Buy lots.

Get your books second-hand from independent or charity bookshops, Amazon or older students.

If you commute to uni (or to a school for your teacher training), visit home a lot or have a long journey home, it's worth investing in a Young Person's Railcard. It's £26 but you can get the money back really quickly- I can get that money back with one return ticket from Reading to Suffolk and one day trip to London. Speaking of trips to London- if you're travelling in a group of four/multiple of four people for the day (a trip to Camden Market, for example) you can get a group ticket for around half price, which includes travel on the Underground. That might only apply when you live reasonably close though, but it's probably available for other big cities.

Keep all your 1, 2 and 5ps in a container of some kind, save them up, and count them into those coin bags (you get them at the counter in the bank) when the container is full. You'd be surprised how much money you have, and you can take your coins down to the bank to get them changed into notes and pound coins.

[mat-tracteur561]

Ok guy's what do I do for food if the only thing were allowed is a kettle?

this is all very useful though.

Also I have one always try to tag along when a friend is buying a crate of beer you get more beerage for your money than going down to the pub

[gembird]

If you're a student and the only thing you're allowed is a kettle, I would assume that's catered halls and that you'd have food provided in a canteen thing. Otherwise, you're being expected to starve, and that makes no sense.

[mr jones]

Kettle = cuppa soups, pot noodles, instant mash, custard....

[Hydralisk]

Originally Posted by mat-tracteur561

Ok guy's what do I do for food if the only thing were allowed is a kettle?

this is all very useful though.

Also I have one always try to tag along when a friend is buying a crate of beer you get more beerage for your money than going down to the pub

Pot noodles, duh!

[Tweekish]

Originally Posted by mat-tracteur561

Ok guy's what do I do for food if the only thing were allowed is a kettle?

Not even a toaster?

[Swirl]

its all about the prelash. suddenly a £8 bottle (70cl) of vodka doesn't sound so bad when you realise that at t' pub its like £2 for a double (0.5cl). save £20!
also if you're still choosing which uni and you want to limit costs go up north, stuff is well cheap here in Durham! £1.60 for a guinness, some pints are like £1.10. Bath was like £3 for a pint or something.

[mr jones]

Hatfield (outside london) is generally pretty expensive, even more so as the uni bar is now open to the public!!! but fri/sat/sun s £1 pint between 7 and 11 so this works out very cheap!
cheap way of drinking before hand is every one bring a bottle of spirit and mx into a cocktail.. as long as u get the mixers rght it can be very tasty!

[Purple Wabbit]

I have to agree on the pre-drinking - it is soooooooo much cheaper to buy a bottle of wine/crate of beer and get a bit tipsy before you go out than to buy drinks while out - I can do a night out for around £15 now just by buying a bottle of wine and drinking it before we leave, then all I have to pay is taxi and entrance costs. It's a lifesaver when you're low on funds.

[Zhyl]

Originally Posted by Purple Wabbit

I have to agree on the pre-drinking - it is soooooooo much cheaper to buy a bottle of wine/crate of beer and get a bit tipsy before you go out than to buy drinks while out - I can do a night out for around £15 now just by buying a bottle of wine and drinking it before we leave, then all I have to pay is taxi and entrance costs. It's a lifesaver when you're low on funds.

I knew it!

The bargain line applies to other areas as well, especially games. Don't buy games that are fresh on the market unless they are games you know you will enjoy. Or unless they are Indie (which tend to be cheap anyway). Or are made by Ninja Theory.

[BlueIncaPilot]

Get a 16-25 railcard if rail is how you travel between uni and home. Pays for itself very soon, I save about a fiver everytime I travel.