Loans, budgeting, spending – as a student, you’ll likely hear a lot about money and for many it can be a worry. Below we’re sharing some really handy tips to help you save, which are easy to implement into your daily life and will help your budget stretch further. One less thing to worry about for sure!
Round-up pots
If you have a banking app, you might be able to turn on round-up pots. This makes it super easy to save without noticing; each time you use your card, anything below the next pound threshold will be automatically saved to a separate ‘pot’ within your bank account. For example, if you spend £7.57 in the shop, it will take the remaining 43p (rounding up to £8) and save that for you. Over time, these small and barely noticeable savings really add up! If you try not to dip into it for the rest of the year, you can build a really healthy savings pot.
Shop around
It can be time consuming, but it’s worth shopping around when making purchases. With your food shop, for example, head to the budget supermarkets to keep the cost down – but do look out online to see what’s on offer in the bigger supermarkets. If there’s something you eat a lot of, like a particular yoghurt brand, you might be able to find it cheaper somewhere else if it’s on a special offer. This allows you to stock up for less!
Utilise freebies
Many shops and brands offer various freebies, whether it’s your birthday or because you’ve previously spent over a certain amount with them. If you shop at Lidl, for example, you can download their app and get a free bakery item with every shop – if you’re doing your food shop there anyway, why not get a little sweet treat completely free? It’s worth looking into brands and shops you already spend money with, to make sure you’re not missing out on ways to make your money go further.
Check for student discounts
Again, many brands know that students like to shop – whether you’re getting a new laptop for your studies or replacing your worn out running shoes, make sure you check for any student discounts available before your purchase!
Get cashback
There are various apps, like TopCashback and Quidco, which you can sign up to – when shopping online, you can go through these sites before purchasing and you’ll get a percentage of the price back. Again, try and leave any cashback in your account until you really need it, like for Christmas shopping or just before the next loan drops…
These easy ways to save won’t take a lot of time or effort, but can make a big difference in ensuring you have more money for the things you want and need as a student. From freebies and student discounts to cashback, there might be some things you’re really missing out on!
