Student savers
Friday 8 September 2006
So you're heading to university and you've heard that all students are skint.
While it's not quite that bad, you may have to put your designer clothes shopping on hold for a while.
Here are some ways you can be a student saver and hang on to your cash.
Eat cheaper
Brand name foods are all very well when someone else is paying for them, but it's a different story when you realise how much they cost.
For most of the general grub you'll need, supermarkets do their own brands which usually come in much cheaper than their posher counterparts and they still taste pretty good.
Another good way of saving money on food is to go to supermarkets later on in the evening, when the good old 'reduced to clear' stickers come out.
Some of the price cuts can be amazing and there's nothing wrong with the food at all. If you don't think you can manage to eat all of it in one night, just freeze it and use it later.
Dress cheaper
Full price threads are now your wallet's biggest enemy, so to make sure that you still look good and stay solvent, get yourself round the second hand shops and jumble sales for bargains galore.
The clothes may be a little less, er, fresh than what you're used to but think of it this way: at least nobody else will be wearing the same style. Students can pretty much get away with wearing what they want, so enjoy it.
Shopping online can also reduce costs. Internet auction sites often have dirt-cheap clothes that are still in fashion and even if they aren't, start your own trend!
Party cheaper
Naturally, you're going to want to make sure that you've still got the chance to go out and shake your stuff every now and again, but socialising costs money.
Check out for university organised events and take a look at the student bars. There's bound to be at least one on campus and while they're hardly star-studded hangouts, they're a decent enough place to relax. Just make sure that if you're drinking alcohol, you drink responsibly.
A good way of boosting your social life is to join a particular group or society at your freshers' fair, be it a sports team or just a group with a common interest. These groups usually run social events and some are part-funded by the uni meaning mucho cheapness for a night out.
Study cheaper
You're likely to be given a reading list as long as your arm when you start your course, but before you head down to the high street bookshop to spend your cash on pristine new tomes, check out the noticeboards around campus for second years getting rid of all the books they used in their first year.
As textbooks tend to be pretty big, the second years are usually desperate for space and so sometimes flog the books for less than half price.
You can also buy secondhand books online or find them in charity shops near your university. Just check with your tutor that the edition you've got is still going to be OK for this year's studies.
