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Generic content loaned from MissYourMum.com. My thanks to them.
Some Useful Info and contacts:
Banks
Cards
Loans
It is well known that students are often short of money. Here are some ideas on how to make yours go further...
Travel
Clothes
Household Goods
Food
Furniture
Other - textbooks, bills, presents, festivals and holidays
Travel
It is worth hunting around to find the cheapest way to travel, although it may take longer to get there! National journeys are often cheaper by coach, and National Express have a student coachcard scheme which offers further savings.
If you can't bear to sit in a coach for hours, cheap train fares can be bought in advance. An APEX fare is available up until a week before travel, although they often sell out sooner. They are often half the price of the next cheapest ticket, however they have limited availability so you may not get the exact train you want. You can only use the train you booked - they are not transferable or refundable - but the savings can be significant.
If you are in London, it can be cheaper to get a bus pass and spend a few hours going around the outer zones in a bus, than going through the centre in a tube.
Hitching is not recommended, the dangers are well publicised. Instead lift-sharing may be an option - see whether your university has a noticeboard for this purpose.
Top
Clothes
To get cheap clothes, try charity shops. The clothes really arent that bad - consider which areas they are in if you are choosy. Those in better areas tend to have nicer stock, as you would expect. Of course there are some appalling items but they are worth hunting through.
Shops like Primark have acceptable clothes at low prices - tracksuit trousers and t-shirts for about four pounds each.
Top
Household Goods
For household goods, try 'poundland' and similar. They sell a variety of items, including cheap toilet rolls and toiletries, stationary and so on. The shops may look tacky on the outside... but they are likely also to stock some goods you need.
Markets also should not be underrated, especially as you can haggle and many stallholders would prefer a cheap sale to no sale at all.
Look out for 'buy one, get one free' offers in supermarkets and change brands accordingly, share the extra with your friends if necessary, but don't be tempted to buy things you wouldnt normally need just because the offer looks tempting. It is easy to spend all your money on 'bargains' and come home without anything useful!
Top
Food
For fresh goods, turn up to the market or supermarket half an hour before closing, when fresh goods are being reduced for a quick sale. This is the best bet for salad, bread and sandwiches.
For dry food goods, it can be worth developing a rapport with the local shopkeepers. They may have items which are about to go out of date which they will reduce the price of or give away if asked politely.
Check out our page on how to eat for a week on a tenner for ideas on what to buy.
If you are desparate, soup runs for the homeless are often labelled as also being for those on low income. If you arent averse to a handout, they will provide a free meal. They usually have a set route, so find out where your local soup kitchen visits. (Churches are a good place to ask.) The Hari Krishnas also give free (vegetarian) meals to the hungry.
Top
Furniture
For furniture, try 'skipping' - check the skips outside buildings which are being cleared. This can also be a good source of firewood or materials for the garden. Also try walking down the local high street the night before the refuse collection - there can be old display cabinets and similar.
It is worth checking the small ads in newspapers and newsagent windows for cheap furniture. Also a set of perfectly good pine shelves can be bought as a kit in Sainsburys Homebase for a tenner.
If you are really desparate, most towns have 'furniture exchanges'. These sell second-hand furniture extremely cheaply but you do need to be referred there as they are for people on low income only. Ask your university welfare officer to refer you.
Top
Other
There is a website dedicated to saving you money on credit cards, phone bills etc, called MoneySavingExpert.com. Worth a look!
There is an online exchange for secondhand textbooks, called Student Books, where you can offer to buy or sell textbooks.
Make sure your utility bills are as low as possible. It is often cheaper to get your gas and electricity from the same supplier, and there are many different offers out there. Hunt around. However, beware of doorstep salesmen who may persuade you to sign up, always check that you are getting a better deal than you already have.
If you need some ideas for presents, try the free board games site. This site provides new games which are on trial at a cost of about four pounds each to cover administration and delivery. Also, many 'pound shops' have items like pen sets and candles which you could give as gifts.
If you need a holiday it is possible to get free food and accommodation in return for helping out on a working holiday, for example forest clearing or an archaelogical dig. BTCV have various conservation holidays available from £25.
Glastonbury Festival (and others such as Sidmouth Jazz Festival) take on stewards and litter-pickers in return for a free ticket. However you may have to provide the money for the ticket initially in case you don't fulfill your duties. You can usually find out more from the festival or their messageboards, but places fill up months in advance so plan ahead!
And finally if your parents are coming to visit, or you just want to cheer the place up, supermarkets such as Tesco often have flowers at half price or less. The flowers are guaranteed for a certain number of days, so they have a "sell by" date on them. If you buy lilies (as long as they still have some unopened buds) or chrysanthamums, you should get another week out of them.
Top
Generic content loaned from MissYourMum.com. My thanks to them.
Some Useful Info and contacts:
Banks
Cards
Loans
It is well known that students are often short of money. Here are some ideas on how to make yours go further...
Travel
Clothes
Household Goods
Food
Furniture
Other - textbooks, bills, presents, festivals and holidays
Travel
It is worth hunting around to find the cheapest way to travel, although it may take longer to get there! National journeys are often cheaper by coach, and National Express have a student coachcard scheme which offers further savings.
If you can't bear to sit in a coach for hours, cheap train fares can be bought in advance. An APEX fare is available up until a week before travel, although they often sell out sooner. They are often half the price of the next cheapest ticket, however they have limited availability so you may not get the exact train you want. You can only use the train you booked - they are not transferable or refundable - but the savings can be significant.
If you are in London, it can be cheaper to get a bus pass and spend a few hours going around the outer zones in a bus, than going through the centre in a tube.
Hitching is not recommended, the dangers are well publicised. Instead lift-sharing may be an option - see whether your university has a noticeboard for this purpose.
Top
Clothes
To get cheap clothes, try charity shops. The clothes really arent that bad - consider which areas they are in if you are choosy. Those in better areas tend to have nicer stock, as you would expect. Of course there are some appalling items but they are worth hunting through.
Shops like Primark have acceptable clothes at low prices - tracksuit trousers and t-shirts for about four pounds each.
Top
Household Goods
For household goods, try 'poundland' and similar. They sell a variety of items, including cheap toilet rolls and toiletries, stationary and so on. The shops may look tacky on the outside... but they are likely also to stock some goods you need.
Markets also should not be underrated, especially as you can haggle and many stallholders would prefer a cheap sale to no sale at all.
Look out for 'buy one, get one free' offers in supermarkets and change brands accordingly, share the extra with your friends if necessary, but don't be tempted to buy things you wouldnt normally need just because the offer looks tempting. It is easy to spend all your money on 'bargains' and come home without anything useful!
Top
Food
For fresh goods, turn up to the market or supermarket half an hour before closing, when fresh goods are being reduced for a quick sale. This is the best bet for salad, bread and sandwiches.
For dry food goods, it can be worth developing a rapport with the local shopkeepers. They may have items which are about to go out of date which they will reduce the price of or give away if asked politely.
Check out our page on how to eat for a week on a tenner for ideas on what to buy.
If you are desparate, soup runs for the homeless are often labelled as also being for those on low income. If you arent averse to a handout, they will provide a free meal. They usually have a set route, so find out where your local soup kitchen visits. (Churches are a good place to ask.) The Hari Krishnas also give free (vegetarian) meals to the hungry.
Top
Furniture
For furniture, try 'skipping' - check the skips outside buildings which are being cleared. This can also be a good source of firewood or materials for the garden. Also try walking down the local high street the night before the refuse collection - there can be old display cabinets and similar.
It is worth checking the small ads in newspapers and newsagent windows for cheap furniture. Also a set of perfectly good pine shelves can be bought as a kit in Sainsburys Homebase for a tenner.
If you are really desparate, most towns have 'furniture exchanges'. These sell second-hand furniture extremely cheaply but you do need to be referred there as they are for people on low income only. Ask your university welfare officer to refer you.
Top
Other
There is a website dedicated to saving you money on credit cards, phone bills etc, called MoneySavingExpert.com. Worth a look!
There is an online exchange for secondhand textbooks, called Student Books, where you can offer to buy or sell textbooks.
Make sure your utility bills are as low as possible. It is often cheaper to get your gas and electricity from the same supplier, and there are many different offers out there. Hunt around. However, beware of doorstep salesmen who may persuade you to sign up, always check that you are getting a better deal than you already have.
If you need some ideas for presents, try the free board games site. This site provides new games which are on trial at a cost of about four pounds each to cover administration and delivery. Also, many 'pound shops' have items like pen sets and candles which you could give as gifts.
If you need a holiday it is possible to get free food and accommodation in return for helping out on a working holiday, for example forest clearing or an archaelogical dig. BTCV have various conservation holidays available from £25.
Glastonbury Festival (and others such as Sidmouth Jazz Festival) take on stewards and litter-pickers in return for a free ticket. However you may have to provide the money for the ticket initially in case you don't fulfill your duties. You can usually find out more from the festival or their messageboards, but places fill up months in advance so plan ahead!
And finally if your parents are coming to visit, or you just want to cheer the place up, supermarkets such as Tesco often have flowers at half price or less. The flowers are guaranteed for a certain number of days, so they have a "sell by" date on them. If you buy lilies (as long as they still have some unopened buds) or chrysanthamums, you should get another week out of them.
Top
