Saving money at university is a vital part of student life. From food and clothes to social outings and supplies for university, student life can be very expensive. Therefore, it is worth learning a few tips to save money and get the most for every penny you spend.

The obvious place to start is with food:

Fruit and vegetables are a necessary part of our diet. However, they can be expensive items on your shopping list. Morrisons have helped students to combat this with their ‘Wonky’ range, in which fruits and vegetables that aren’t the perfect shape are sold for a much cheaper price. Shopping this range enables you to save a few pounds on your food shop every week. What’s more, it tastes the same and it is an affordable way to get nutritious and fresh fruit and veg! Furthermore, shops like Aldi, Lidl and Asda all provide great packs or discounts on food at different times, so shop around! What may cost £3 in Morrisons may be on sale in Asda, or you may be able to get a great deal in the cheaper supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl. 

Always write a shopping list, so that when you go to do your shopping, you’re not buying any unnecessary items. Also remember buying own-brand items is a great way of getting your favourite foods, without the extra charge.

Another great way to save money is to check the expiry dates on foods. Most commonly, meat products like mince, burgers, and sausages will not entirely sell out in supermarkets. If you go to do your shopping on the day that these products are going out of date, you can get them for half price, or more! 

As long as you have some Tupperware, you can freeze all the food that you don’t think you will be able to get through. Any food that you purchase in terms of meat, fruit and veg will be able to be frozen, so make sure to take full advantage of the food on its expiry date! Cut up any veg that is going off, if you make too much, freeze and use it for another meal. The freezer will allow you to make the food you purchase last a lot longer than it would if you constantly buy fresh.

Student life is more than cooking though. You will want to buy some new clothes whilst you are at university, however, buying from the shops can be very costly. The best way to get clothes cheap is to use charity shops or to buy them second hand online. Bangor has many charity shops that all have a large amount of clothing, but also books and homeware! Apps like Depop allow you to purchase second-hand clothes that are fashionable, and even designer for a fraction of the previous price. Take full advantage of eBay, charity shops and Depop and you will be able to get a fresh look at a price you’ll be happy with.

When travelling home, many students will need to use trains. A railcard is a great start, and whilst it may be an expensive buy at first, it will pay for itself very quickly. Make sure to book any tickets in advance and if the price of the ticket is still high, try to split your ticket. There are many sites that will do this for you, and although split ticketing sets you to a more rigid timetable for your journey, it can save you a huge amount of money and may lower the cost of your ticket by tens of pounds. 

Grab the best student deals, using Unidays, Totum card and always remember to show your student card and see if there’s a discount or offer for students. Freshers’ week is the best time to take advantage of bargains in shops, bars and restaurants. However, there will also be offers throughout the year, so keep an eye out.

Whilst many of these points are useful, don’t be afraid of treating yourself or stop yourself from having fun. You should enjoy yourself at university, it just helps if you have some money!

 

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