Money saving hacks for students
Want to make your money go further? We’ve compiled a handy guide of all the best money saving initiatives so you can make the most of your time at Edge Hill.
Use student discounts
One of the advantages of higher education is the discounts and deals eligible to you as a university student. Remember to keep your Unicard to hand, and always ask for a student discount when paying in store.
Discounts include:
- TOTUM – Access a huge range of student discounts with TOTUM. Visit the Students’ Union to buy your card online.
- UNIDAYS – By registering with UNIDAYS, you get access to lots of discounts for online and high-street retailers. You can even use their handy app to prove your student status – plus, there’s no charge for the service.
- Student Beans – Explore a range of discounts included cut-cost clothing, travel, food and drink, and entertainment.
- Save the Student – Not only does Save the Student offer great discounts, it also provides you with a wide selection of articles to help you manage your money at university.
Shop and sell second hand
Check out apps and websites that offer second-hand buys for a fraction of the original retail price. You can also sell your unwanted items and make some extra cash.
Apps and websites to try include:
When you study at Edge Hill, you’ll find lots of items donated by former students in Ormskirk’s local charity shops. See our Affordable Ormskirk webpage for more.
Cut your food costs
If you take the time to plan and prep your weekly meals, you could save £100s a year. See our Affordable Ormskirk webpage for cut-cost supermarkets close to our Edge Hill campus.
- Browse reduced food aisles for bargains. Food is typically discounted later in the day, so try shopping in the evening for affordable meals.
- Check if items can be refrigerated to extend their best-before date.
- It works out cheaper to buy things in bulk. Stock up on long-lasting items such as pasta and tinned goods.
- To find bargain buys, you can visit sites such as Which? to see what food shops are cheapest.
- Too Good To Go lets you buy food from businesses that would otherwise go to waste. We’re signed up to the app.
- Olio allows you to find people nearby who are giving away food to avoid waste.
- Approved Food sells food that is past its best before date (but not its use-by date) at reduced prices.
Reduce your utility bills
If you’re living in our halls of residence, your bills will be included in your accommodation costs. If you’re renting privately, you’ll probably have to consider the cost of water, gas and electricity. There’s lots of great advice and guidance available to help you reduce your utility costs.
- The Energy Price Guarantee offers a maximum daily fee and a maximum cost per energy unit used. Please note: this is per household and there is no maximum energy bill. If your household uses less, your bills will be less.
- Save the Student have lots of useful articles that cover ways to reduce your energy bills.
- Our Money Advice Team are always happy to help you understand your living costs and the ways you can reduce your utility bills. Book an appointment online or email the team directly.
Prepare a budget plan
Budgeting might seem boring, but creating a manageable plan will keep your finances in check. Plus, it’ll reduce any anxiety you might have about your living costs.
Here’s a few things to consider as you create your own budget:
- What is your total income?
- How much do you need to put aside to pay for essentials like rent, bills, your mobile phone, transport, groceries, textbooks, or equipment?
- How much money do you have left if you take away these expenses?
- If you divide your remaining income by 52 weeks, you’ll have a weekly budget.
- Think about how much you spend on other things too. This will include anything you spend on socialising, eating out, hobbies, clothes, haircuts, travelling, gifts, the gym and any subscriptions.
Once you’ve worked out how much you normally spend, and you’ve compared this to your weekly budget, you can look at ways to save money by reducing your spending or boosting your income.
Use our helpful budgeting sheet from the Money Advice Team, designed by our Edge Hill students.
Budget planner for studentsWork while you study
The best way to top up your income is working alongside your studies. Browse part-time student jobs through our Careers Vacancy Portal. Managed by the Careers Team, they’ve created a range of resources to help you find part-time work.
And you don’t have to leave campus to find great job opportunities. Many of our students support campus teams by working as student guides, student mentors, and student bloggers. We also need students to fill other roles such as lifeguards at The Sports Centre and customer service assistants in the on-campus Costa, Subway, and other outlets. Some departments employ their students for paid research internships to help academics with their latest projects. Take a look at our internal vacancies.
Money saving advice from our students
Who better to give you advice on saving money at university than our Edge Hill students? Below, you will find handy hints and tips on making your money go further.
Speak to our Money Advice team. They are fab and can help with all things saving from banking, budgeting and funding. You can also chat to them if you are having money worries and they will do their best to support you. They can give you more information about our Student Support fund which can be granted as an emergency support to students facing financial difficulty.
Katie – BSc (Hons) Educational Psychology
My top tip would be to make a budget and a list every-time you go for your weekly shop. It might be tempting to buy things you don’t need but sticking to a list would help to save money at University.
Amadee
