With the cost of living in the UK hitting students particularly hard, looking out for good value is more important than ever before. Whether you’re a first year looking to find the cheapest phone contract, or a third year searching for hidden discounts, this article will benefit you. Here are five ways to save money at University that aren’t just ‘make a budget’.
Take advantage of travel cards
This is one thing I am very glad I did at the start of Uni. It might seem expensive at the outset, but buying travel cards like the 16-25 railcard can save you massive amounts of money if you travel often. It is £70 for three years, or £30 per year, and gets you a third off of all train tickets. You can also get 10% off the railcard if you are signed up to Student Beans (which I would 100% recommend).
Also, the 18-21 Zoom pass is free and gets you 80p bus and tram fares across South Yorkshire. If you use buses and trams a lot, this one is a necessity for you.
Find the cheapest phone contract that works for you
This is very important when you’re starting out at Uni – I made the mistake of choosing the wrong SIM contract in first year (because it was half off for the first year and a half) which has left me paying almost £30 a month. Thanks a lot, past me.
Websites such as Uswitch offer handy guides to help you find the contract that suits you without having to go into the shops and talk to the scary salespeople.
It’s also worth noting that the perks that come with some contracts are not to be ignored. For students, O2 arguably offers the most valuable perks; you can get a free Greggs coffee, sausage roll and breakfast roll for free every week. Additionally, O2 offers one free Odeon cinema ticket every week and you can also get a free Apple TV subscription in your first three months.
Sign up for student discount accounts
As previously mentioned, student discount accounts such as Unidays and Student Beans are a must-have for students. They are both free to join and can nab you all kinds of discounts on clothes, tech, food, makeup, and loads more. Every time I do an online shop of any kind I always check to see whether there are any discounts available on the Unidays or Student Beans app.
Hidden discounts can also be found if you use automatic coupon browser extensions like Honey or Pouch. They search for the best possible price for you so you don’t miss out on any promo codes.
Finding cheap food at the end of the day
According to Save the Student, the best food shop bargains can be found about an hour or so before closing time, or at about 7pm in 24-hour stores. Any food that goes out of date the next day will be heavily discounted, so keep your eyes peeled for those yellow stickers.
Or make use of websites like Too Good To Go, which offers unsold food from restaurants and take-out spots for a third of the price. This is also great for reducing food waste. You can buy bags of surplus food to stop them from being thrown away.
Make use of free trials
Save the Student has a great free trial page which shows the best free trials out there for students. Whether it’s a streaming service, food delivery, or washing up tablets, it’s definitely worth looking into.