30 Ways to Save a £1 - Student Style

As a student I treasure every penny, let alone the £'s! So I thought I'd give some of my student tips to keep your pocket full (as full as a students pocket gets!) whether it's £1 or much more!

1. Take snacks to the library with you

When you're aiming to do some hardcore revision or finish up that blasted essay, you're likely to work through your usual food breaks, so instead of taking a trip to the shop and spending a few quid on a meal deal, take some lunch from home.

2. Share washes

Most students will understand the pains of using laundrettes, and I've always found it more convenient when I have a small load, to pair up with someone who also doesn't have too much to wash. That way you'll half the cost and both of you have clean clothes!

3. Avoid catching taxis unnecessarily

If the place you need to go is on a bus route, use the bus! If the weather's nice and it's in walking distance, walk! It's as simple as that. There's no need to catch taxis unless you've got a lot of luggage or the place you're going is a treck (by that I mean miles not minutes) from the bus stop - it'll save you pounds!

4. If you do catch a taxi, share it

Everyone knows sharing a taxi is the easiest way to save money, and I have before shared with a stranger (she was a very friendly girl from Russia) and saved myself £2.50. Just make sure everyone puts their part of the fare in!

5. Get a bus pass

Next year, I'll be living in the town next to my uni which will mean I'll be catching the bus a lot more than I do now. Rather than getting my usual £1.75 single student ticket (one way as students can't get a return) I'll be buying a bus pass, a 3 month student bus pass with first costs £125 meaning that if I use a first bus twice a day (to and from my house) it'll be just over 70p each day!

6. Don't get roped into buying takeaways

You'll be surprised how much you can spend on takeaways as a student, there are some great deals but even Domino's 'Two for Tuesday' usually comes in over £20 - even between 4 of you that's still one expensive meal!

7. Cook from scratch

I'm not a huge fan of ready meals and believe they're a waste of money. Learn to cook and make yourself a lovely meal! You'll be surprised how much you can save by avoiding the ready meals!

8. Learn to freeze

When you're eyes are bigger than your belly, it's always best to freeze the leftovers and you can use it for another day, saving you having to fork out for another meal the next day.

9. Arrange cheap days out

Rather than splurging on a big day out so your entertained for the day and end up spending £40 why not grab a few friends and all chip in a few quid for a picnic at the park, or a BBQ - especially when it's good weather!

10. Never ever ever take your bank card on a night out

So you take a tenner in cash on a night out, you drink that down and you grab your bank card to drunkenly withdraw another ten pounds. We've all done it, right? But stop! You can save yourself so much money by leaving the bank card at home and limiting yourself to a small amount of cash - not only will your pocket thank you, your liver will too!

11. Voucher deals
Signing up to various restaurant mailing lists and also things like Groupon and Wowcher can save you loads of money on things for special occasions or just a treat!

12. Keep an eye out for alcohol deals

Most of the students I know can't bring themselves to buy the paint stripper named 'own brand vodka' so we still buy big(ish) brands (to be honest it's often still Glenn's or Russian Standard), but never at full price! It'll usually save you £2-£3 by keeping an eye out for the deals.

13. Find a shopping and cooking partner

I know many students who often eat due to boredom so if you partner up with a friend and all the food you have is food to share, you're less likely to pick at something that's not all yours! My shopping always comes to a cheaper total when I share with someone too, it's easier to plan what you cook and stick to it with a friend to share it with.

14. Which leads to...DO NOT impulse buy

You may not even know you're doing it, but when you sneak several cream eggs into your trolly because they were on a '2 for 1' deal you don't realise you've wasted money. How much did you really need those cream eggs? and how much money would you save if you took that cheeky bit of chocolate out? £1 or £2?

15. Look out for deals on meat

Meat is quite expensive, so look out for good offers on both fresh and frozen. Sainsbury's do a brilliant '3 for £10' offer which meant that this week I got pork chops, minced beef, and a whole chicken at £3.33 each. Buying them on this deal saved me £3.51.

16. Learn to portion correctly

Students will buy a 1kg bag of pasta for just over a pound and within 2 days half of it's already gone. We're rubbish at portions and I'm sure plenty of people can put their hand up and agree they are too. So I usually say a handful and a half of pasta per person usually does the job. Not needlessly debilitating your stocks will save you money on your next shop!

17. Avoid the yearly gym membership if you're never going to use it

If you use it, great! If you don't, stop kidding yourself. You can save over £100 by not buying a membership in the first place!

18.  Avoid the addiction of campus coffee breaks

If you don't have that 'before lecture coffee' on campus each morning you'll save yourself £1-£2 everyday! Instead, take a travel mug with coffee from home.

19. Dry your clothes in your room

Dryers are usually available in the laundrette but buying a clothes horse is a much better investment. Yeah, your room may smell like wet clothes and fabric softener for a few hours, but you've just saved yourself £1-£2! (be sure to keep the room well aired though!)

20. Don't waste money on big brand fizzy drinks

Okay yes, they do taste different to the cheap stuff but most brands these days tend to be really expensive, you can save yourself £1 or more by buying own brand fizzy drinks.

21. Get a soft drink with your burger at 'Spoons

The offer they give is amazing none the less, but buying a soft drink rather than a beer when you get a burger in Wetherspoon's can save you exactly £1.

22. Drink tap water

I drink about 2 - 3 litres of water a day these days so I never rely on buying bottled water when I'm out, unless I have a long day and have forgotten my trusty bottle in the first place! Buying a fresh bottle of water on campus everyday can total up to £5-£7 a week! So ditch it.

23. Don't buy into Graze boxes

Don't get me wrong, I love these ingenious little boxes and I originally suggested they'd be a fantastic idea to help you have nibbles rather than spending loads on snacks and I know many students who buy them. However, Graze boxes are £3.89, so cancelling your weekly box - as I have now done - saves £3.89 a week!

24. Go for the early bird

There's always a lot of events at our university and many, very gratefully, offer an early bird ticket with between £3-£5 off. So we always try our hardest to get in early to save those extra few pounds!

25. Hop on a mega bus

This is most definitely the way I've saved money since being at uni! Living in Cornwall, 307 miles away from Keele, it's costly to get back home. So I save well over £20 - £30 travelling on the mega bus.

26. Shop cheaply

I often buy from Primark and almost always shop in the sales. I'm not brand crazy which is helpful to my spending, so buying a £4 top in Primark beats spending £16 on a Hollister vest!

27. Do it yourself

I haven't tried it myself, but I know of many people who accessorise their own clothes by going to Haberdashery shops. So the difference between those plain wedges (that you can stick your own studs on) and those studded wedges, is £4 - £5! And you'll even have plenty of studs left over to redesign your next item!

28. Control your make-up splurging

I know how easy it is to want the best make up you can possibly buy, but I still stick to cheap make up so I don't feel guilty spending over £20 on something that I wipe off everyday! The current make up I use has saved me over £10 after switching from Maybelline.

29. In general, buy own brand in the supermarkets

I don't usually go for the 'saver' brands at supermarkets, but just their own brand affordable products. This tends to mean you save a few quid on your shop overall!

30. Make a meal plan

I've left this until last to keep you thinking! Many people I know go shopping with no idea what they're about to buy or are going to cook for the week and this is the easiest possible way to go overbudget by much more than just a £1, so make sure you meal plan and you can save much more than you think!

I hope my student saver tips are helpful, possibly to more than just students!

MissIsGoode

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