General living

General living costs will account for most of your outgoings whilst at university, so it’s a good idea to get to grips with how to save on essentials. First and foremost, use your student ID card to its full potential. As you will quickly become aware, it is accepted in numerous places such as shops, restaurants and book shops as a discount card, entitling you to a money off or a set student rate. If this gets stolen at any point, you may be entitled to a free replacement as opposed to paying for a new one, if you report the incident and provide your university with a crime reference number from the police.

If you plan on keeping fit and healthy, you may prioritise joining a gym. An increasing number of universities include a gym membership in the rental price of your halls, and it may even be in the same building. Some private gyms will have student rates too, so this is worth investigating to get a good deal. When studying, buying the required course materials can seem daunting when you realise that large, new books carry large price tags. Try asking members of your course in the year above if they had the same books, as they may no longer need them and be grateful to find someone willing to pay a discounted price for them. Your university might have its own subsidised book shop that will stock the books you need cheaper than high street or online retailers.

Accomodation

If you’re living in rented accommodation such as a shared house or flat, you may not have bills included in the rental price. In this case you will need to keep an eye on how efficiently you use your utilities. On the boiler controls, set the heating to come on twice a day using the timer. Two hours in the morning heating the house up while the first person gets up, and two in the evening starting around 5pm will keep the house a comfortable temperature. It will also stop water pipes freezing, which will more than likely be an obligation for keeping your home insurance valid too.

Getting about your local area for study and socialising is an important financial aspect to consider. Hopefully you will be lucky enough to be able to walk to and from the majority of your daily destinations, but if this is not the case due to distance or disability then look at the best transport options. Look at season tickets, as well as weekly and monthly options. Some may be subject to peak time restrictions so be careful not to rush into anything without thoroughly investigating. Often your university will have a section on it’s own website to advise on what’s best for your area. Essentially, if you travel home to see family throughout the year then invest annually in a student rail card (available for 18 – 25 year olds), as it will save you plenty of money