8 Tips

Here are eight cost-cutting measures that may greatly help you save money while at uni. You'll probably want to take some of this advice and leave the rest, but hopefully there'll be something in here that will encourage you to save.

1) When it comes to food shopping, make a list, and know before you enter the shop which food items you want to buy. Don't be swayed too much by expensive food/treats; just buy the food that you know you would consume in a given week.

2) Don't shop more often than you have to; otherwise you will end up buying food to validate your shopping trip. Shop as infrequently as possible to reduce impulse buying. Try and make use of budget ranges which may have, say, fruit and veg but not the perfect size and shape, or just cheap packages.

3) Don't join too many clubs or societies at university. Choose a reasonable number - just a few - such that you are likely to keep up commitments all year. For example, think twice before taking out expensive gym membership - how often will you use it?

4) Stay in where possible, rather than always travelling on the bus and paying bus fare etc. When you want to be sociable, try inviting a small group of friends round - perhaps someone bringing the salad, someone the desert, someone the wine and you prepare the main course. Watch a DVD together and enjoy a cheap evening with your friends. Take it in turns and you will not have to cook so often.

5) If you usually cook just for yourself, team up with a friend or two and take it in turns to cook for each other, because with supermarket offers it is cheaper to cook for say 3 people, than cook 3 separate meals. It is also more enjoyable.

5) Do not feel compelled to buy every suggested text for your course; often the library will have several readily available copies of the book you desire.

6) Make your own lunches where possible, which is a cheaper alternative to buying a prepacked sandwich at a supermarket or coffee shop. Purchase a multi pack of small water bottles from the supermarket for when you are out and about, which are much cheaper than those on sale in coffee shops. The same applies to fruit such as apples and bananas which you can take out with you.

7) If you need to buy a text book, or equipment, look around for the cheapest available price. Don't forget about Amazon.

8) Consider finding a job. The best sort for term time is shift work in say a food outlet, coffee or juice bar, or hamburger shop. This will offer great flexibility about which hours you work and will enable you to change your hours as the timetable alters or your deadlines loom close. As for holiday jobs, if you enjoy travelling, you might like to find a job abroad for the summer. In any event, whatever summer job you want,you should probably be looking for it by about February. Do not wait until the summer holidays start. Don't spend money too hastily once you recieve it, but rather look to put some money safely into an ISA or other high interest account, which will act as a safety net should you suddenly need a large amount of money.