Attending university can be a daunting prospect for recent college graduates. The thought of moving out of the family home, standing on your own two feet and managing your own finances can seem like a mammoth task, especially with the cost of living continually rising year on year. In this article we’ll look at the top 4 ways you can start saving money right away.
Get a student discount card
NUS Extra cards cost £12 but offer you discounts from a huge range of stores, both online and in the high street, all year round. The amount you save varies but usually it’s around 10-20% but can sometimes go as high 50% off the total price. Take a look at the website for more information – http://www.nus.org.uk/en/nus-extra/
Don’t pay for a T.V license
Whilst this may seem somewhat controversial the BBC state that a T.V license is only necessary if you watch programs as they are broadcast. Therefore if you only ever watch T.V on your laptop or desktop computer through things like BBC iPlayer or 4OD you technically don’t need a T.V license, which will save you a whopping £145 per year!
Work where you shop
If you find yourself in need of a part time job and you frequent your local Tesco more than any other supermarket it may pay to apply for a job there. Most shops offer staff discounts, places like Topman, Burton and Dorothy Perkins offer 25% off their clothing and generally give you a small budget to buy yourself some outfits to work in.
Get a student travel card
Cars and motorbikes require constant maintenance and monthly bills so for the majority of the time university students tend make use of the public transport system. The 16-25 Railcard is designed for young people in full time education and offers a whopping 1/3 off your rail tickets anywhere in the UK. They can be purchased for one year or three and only cost £28 or £65 respectively.
So as you can see, using your head and constantly trying to stick to your budget can prevent huge amounts of stress further on in your studies, leaving you to knuckle down and get the degree!
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