Four ways to save money as a student

Four ways to save money as a student when you want to buy EVERYTHING after loan day

We covered the trials and absolute tribs of trying to manage money when you’ve been skint for an entire millennia (read: How to manage money as a student).

But what about if you already got a little trigger-happy with the ol’ debby card?

If you need to make some major cutbacks in your spending, to make sure you can cover rent, bills and textbooks etc., we’ve partnered with some hella talented finance bloggers to bring you the best ways to save money as a student.

Keep reading for their four top tips.

Spend money to make money

We’re not happy about it, but there are some things you just HAVE to buy, like food. Fuming that we have to eat.

When our parents were food shopping, we didn’t really think about the cost. So yeah, it’s a hard pill to swallow. Katy Stevens (otherwise known as Katykicker), has the answer. Turns out you can get money back while you shop!

“Check out shopping apps like Shopmium and GreenJinn to help you earn cash back on your groceries and daily spends.

“You can receive reimbursement in full, or part, for purchases that you make in a variety of different supermarkets and even online in some cases.”

You could probably impress your mum and dad with this little factoid actually, then you’ll really feel like a big cheese. Just get your budget sorted before you start spending – otherwise you might find yourself buying for the sake of it!

What a batch!

You’ve already earned back some money when buying scran, why not make sure it goes the extra mile? We spoke to frugal budgeters Jo and Leisa about batch cooking – great tip, ladies!

Choose your favourite recipes – our guide to food hacks will help you to nail the basics – and pick up some cheap Tupperware; you’ll be able to freeze your leftovers for lunch the next day.

Who wants a gross sarnie from the shop anyway?

Beg, borrow and steal

Lynn James is a personal finance expert, founder of the Mrs. Mummypenny brand and a big advocate of finding freebies as a student. Why buy if someone already has one they don’t want?

Here’s what she said:

“Beg, borrow and nicely ask as many people as you can for stuff before you leave for uni. People will help and give you kitchen stuff, an old TV, maybe a tablet they don’t use anymore.

“Never be afraid to ask. People will be so proud that you’re off to uni they will want to help you. And this is all free stuff! It’s cool if nothing matches.”

Know someone who loves to change the colour scheme in their kitchen? If they can give you a red tin opener, some blue cutlery and a silver toastie machine, you’ll have the most colourful student house around – much nicer than budget supermarket buys and if they’re better quality, they might last longer, too.

Best bit – you’ll be showing the planet some love. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Make sure you know your stuff about bank freebies

You’d be surprised what banks will give away to make sure you open your student account with them. Between them, Jo and Leisa have three teenagers and the eldest just started uni, so they know all about the perks you should keep an eye out for:

“Look for what rewards are available from your bank account provider and make use of the ones that will actually benefit you, for example, discount rail fare or discounts on restaurant meals.”

We’d also suggest shopping around – if your current bank doesn’t satisfy ya needs, another one might have all the benefits you’re dreaming of. Think twice before you open an overdraft too, because you will have to pay the money back at some point. If you decide that you do want one, make sure it’s interest-free until after you graduate.

Do you have any other inventive ways to save money as a student? We love championing tried and tested insight from our tenants, so let us know on Twitter and we’ll credit you right here in this post. Head back to the #YouGotThis hub for more handy student hacks.