How To Save Money At University And Stretch Your Student Loan

See how to save money at university and make your student loan go further. These money saving student tips are MUCH more reliable than trying to win the lottery.

Just been paid your student loan? Your bank balance looks great on the first day, but it doesn’t last long and you have to think about how you are going to manage the next few months of food and fun! These money saving tips for university students are just for YOU.

Get the TOTUM student discount card

TOTUM is the #1 student discount card. It’s the only student discount, proof of age ID and campus life card and platform recommended by the National Union of Students. It’s great for saving money on essential technology and food shopping, as well as fitness, eating out, travel, entertainment, fashion and everything else.

Available with the extra goodness of Home Office and Police endorsed proof of age ID, your TOTUM + age ID card is accredited by PASS and proves your age and name.

It doesn’t cost much, and will save you huge amounts of money in the long run. If you decide to buy a two-year membership card today, they will add an extra year for free.

Get the Young Person’s Railcard

Aged 16-25? This railcard is a huge bonus, especially if you have moved to a different town or city to go to university. It can really help with trips back home to see friends and family – and it will help you get around to festivals and the like if you can’t afford a car, too.

PLUS: You might be thinking about careers and getting a job while at uni, and that railcard can help you get to careers fairs, conferences, job interviews and assessment centres. Discounts of a third off train travel are nothing to be sniffed at!

Get the best student deals and discounts

The world of student discounts moves fast. A good way to keep up is to bookmark the Student Discounts And Deals page from Money Saving Expert.

PLUS: Every time you buy an item online, remember to google first for [ITEM] “discount code” or [BRAND] “discount code” to see if there are any money saving codes out there before you put your money on the line.

Check out cash-back sites

Ever used cash-back sites? Before you purchase anything, you can look whether the shop is on cash-back sites like Quidco or TopCashBack. These are free to join and give you cash-back on purchases that you can have back as supermarket points, Amazon vouchers (good for university books) or straight-forward money.

Learn to cook cheap, tasty student recipes

A frozen pizza might cost a few quid at the supermarket. That’s one meal. Once you learn to cook, you can save LOADS of money by making multiple meals from scratch. Once you get into (delicious, obviously) student recipes that you can freeze or reheat, you will see what a money-saver cooking is.

Cooking is fun. It’s creative, it’s you-time, and it can be a social affair where you cook for other people or have shared meals. Pasta or rice dishes with beans and vegetables are endless in their variety – so once you learn a few basics, you’re all set to make hundreds of tasty, cheap student meals for yourself and/or friends.

Student fashion is all about great clothing on the cheap

We won’t tell you what to wear. That would be rude! However, there are several ways to have a regular turnover of amazing clothes on the cheap…

Check out your local charity shops on the regular. The quality of clothing in charity shops can depend on the local region, so explore all the charity shops in your area and make a note of which ones most interest you.

Have you ever done a clothes swap event? It’s simple – invite a bunch of friends round and tell everyone to bring clothes they like but don’t want anymore. Grab your own unwanted (but nice) stuff, then you can all start swapping clothes. Your cast-offs are another student’s treasure – and vice versa.

Avoid broadband bills

If you’re in halls of residence in your first year of university, you’ll get broadband for free as part of the rent for your accommodation.

If you’re in a houseshare, check to see if your uni has free internet access or WiFi. Get to know your local high street hotspots (like cafes) that offer free WiFi, too.

If you’re paying for your own internet access and you go back home three months of the year, check to see if it’s cheaper to go for a shorter thirty day contract that means you pay every month, but only for nine months of the year.

Double-check the price of any ‘student offers’ you see for broadband. Sometimes these can work out more expensive than the cheapest offer, so do your homework!

Register to vote

Voting is fundamental. You have a right to have your say and make your opinions count. Registering to vote and getting on the electoral roll has a lot of other financial and lifestyle benefits, too – especially when you want to get a mobile contract or credit card, or you want to rent.

As a student you can register to vote at both your home and term-time uni address. You can vote in local elections at both places, if they’re in areas run by two different local authorities. You can only vote in one general election, though.

Not sure if you’re registered to vote yet? Checking in with your local authority is simple – enter your postcode to find your local electoral registration office, and get in touch with them to find out. It only takes a couple of minutes to register to vote in England, Scotland, and Wales – so get cracking!

Calculate your student budget

You might be groaning as you read this. Really, it should be music to your ears. Yes, of course you can and should enjoy having fun and being spontaneous while at university. You need space to enjoy your new freedom as a student. But it’s much easier to enjoy life when you feel like you’re controlling your spending, instead of money worries controlling you. Feeling desperate about finance is not fun.

Learning how to budget and save money while you are studying can help your student loan go further – and it’s surprisingly easy to do.

Budgeting means figuring out roughly how much money goes out in a month, and how much money comes in. Once you know how much you spend on regular things like rent and travel and bills and food, you know how much you’ve got to play with.

The UCAS Budget Planner is a great tool that helps you keep track of your money. UCAS also have some useful student budgeting tips to help you get thinking in the right direction.

Save money – and enjoy yourself!

University is a great time to spread your wings and fly. You’ll discover so many ways to enjoy yourself on the cheap, and with these money saving tips you will hopefully be able to make your student loan stretch further, too.