Savvy Student Guide: The Best Freebies & Money Hacks
If you’re after money saving tips and advice, we’ve got it. Times are tough and money is tight, especially for students, so if you’re struggling to save money, here are some small, practical ways to reduce your spending.
We’ve also put together useful guides on everything from the cheapest energy and broadband providers to the cheapest supermarket delivery, highest paying degrees and cheapest cities to live in.
The Best Student Discounts and How to Get Them in 2022
In this guide:
- Cheapest Online Supermarkets For Delivery 2022
- Cheapest Student Energy Providers 2022
- Best Cheap Student Broadband Deals 2022
- The Best Cheap UK Cities for Uni Students in 2022
- Free Student Eye Tests 2022: NHS, Specsavers and More
- 50 Best Cheap or Free Days Out For Students
- The 40 Best Birthday Freebies and Discounts
- The Highest Paying Jobs & Degrees In The UK in 2022
- 21 Online Jobs For Students In The UK
Money saving tips for 2022
Wondering how to save money as a student? We cover saving money at home and on the go, preparing for unexpected expenses, setting budgets and more!
Set a weekly budget (and stick to it)
Setting a weekly or monthly budget for yourself will help you keep better track of your spending and more easily find areas where you’re maybe splashing your cash too much. Budgeting at uni also sets you up well to be more financially responsible when you leave higher education. There’s also a tonne of apps to help you get started on making a budget.
Plan your meals ahead of time
Plan your meals for the week! This will save you a tonne of money if you find that you overshop and end up throwing food away. If you plan your meals, you’ll have a slicker handle on your finances, as well as your diet, which will also save the time most of us spend stressing about what to make for dinner.
Save money for special occasions & unexpected costs
As you get older, the amount of money – in theory – should go up, but so do your expenses. And there’s almost nothing that hurts more than a large, unexpected bill. It’s smart to get your loved ones’ birthdays and special event in the calendar to preplan your budget, but it’s also important to save for the unexpected expenses. Replacing a laptop of phone suddenly, high energy bills, car or home repairs, tax increases etc can all rock the boat in a big way if you aren’t prepared. While it isn’t possible to be ready for anything, having a little extra money saved in the bank will certainly help.
Keep bills down
Do full loads of washing every time so you get the most bang for your buck. Don’t leave laptops and mobiles on charge. Avoid food waste by preplanning meals and freezing groceries that are about to expire. Take turns cooking and make larger, batch meals with housemates to save multiple lots of cooking.
On that note, eating and drinking at home is often the number one thing that students can save money on as it’s super tempting to go out in a new city all the time instead of staying in. On a night out, eat before you leave the house.
Getting your hair cut by a a trainee or at the local college will save you a lot of money versus a hairdresser. Booking travel, especially trains, in advance – as well as using a railcard is a big money-saver. Always ask and check for student discounts. And, finally, buy secondhand if you can – tech, cars, books, clothes and most other things lose significant value once they’re no longer new. Depop, Vinted, eBay and a host of other swap or used sites are your friend.
Cheapest Online Supermarkets for Delivery in 2022
The cheapest online supermarkets out there can really help you save cash on your online food shop. Yes, shopping online comes with a slight premium (thanks, delivery), but we’re here to help you find out the cheapest supermarket to shop online from.
Besides the cheapest online shopping supermarkets, we’ll list out the cheapest food delivery too, so you know exactly what you’re in for when shopping online for groceries.
Cheapest Online Supermarkets For Delivery 2022
Cheapest Student Energy Providers 2022
Dreading the thought of trying to find the cheapest student energy providers in the UK? Prices are rising, and energy usage in the average household is unpredictable. In fact, The average electricity usage in the UK is around 2,900kWh (correct as of March 2021). We can only expect this to get lower as prices increase.
Fortunately, we’re here to give you the low-down on the best energy companies to consider when setting up your student house utilities.
Perhaps you’ve read up on the best broadband deals and want to save extra on other utilities. If so, read on to find out the best energy providers, the differences between fixed and variable rates. Plus, we’ve got you covered on ways to save money on your gas and electricity bills to stretch your student budget even further.
Cheapest Student Energy Providers 2022
Best Cheap Student Broadband Deals 2022
Students need the cheapest deals they can get to stretch their budgets as far as possible. There are tons of student broadband deals out there, and it can be pretty overwhelming trying to find the best one,
Below we’re going to dive into the best student Wi-Fi deals to keep your student bills as low as possible. We’ll include brands such as NOW, Virgin Media, BT, Sky and much more, so you’ve got a variety to choose from.
Best Cheap Student Broadband Deals 2022
The Best Cheap UK Cities for Uni Students in 2022
It’s no secret that living costs are rising and that some areas of the UK are vastly more expensive than others.
If you’re trying to make an informed decision about which uni city to move to based on living costs, how much the average student spends or where to move to after graduation, we’ve got everything you need to know about the cheapest places in the UK and how much you can expect to spend.
The Best Cheap UK Cities for Uni Students in 2022
Free Student Eye Tests: NHS, Specsavers & More
Eye tests are important, you only get one pair in your lifetime!
Did you know you can get free student eye tests in selected stores (and on the NHS)? We’re going to show you how and where to get free eye tests, student discounts at the opticians and information on why getting your eyes tested regularly is super important.
Free Student Eye Tests 2022: NHS, Specsavers and More
50 Best Cheap or Free Days Out For Students
Looking for cheap things to do to pass the time while you’re studying? University isn’t all about partying and studying and you’ll probably find yourself with a lot of time on your hands.
While you’re not busy with your degree, university is actually one of the only times in your life when you’ll have plenty of free time to explore and try new things before you get into working full-time and have rare time off, so you’ll want to make the most of your uni weekends and free afternoons!
Obviously, students are on a budget and it can be tricky to think of cheap things to do but we’ve got it covered with 50 cheap (or even free!) activities you can plan to do on your weekends or during your spare time.
50 Best Cheap or Free Days Out For Students
The 40 Best Birthday Freebies & Discounts
Birthdays are a time to celebrate and luckily, when you’re celebrating a birthday loads of your fave brands, restaurants and shops will give you a bunch of birthday freebies and discounts to help you enjoy your big day. All you have to do is sign up to newsletters and mailing lists or download apps and you can expect to receive some very exciting emails landing in your inbox on your birthday.
So, read up to find out all of the best birthday freebies available and how to claim them at the link below. As for student discounts, Student Beans offers 25% off of Crocs, 20% exclusive discount at Gymshark and many more.
The 40 Best Birthday Freebies And Discounts
The Highest Paying Jobs & Degrees In The UK in 2022
Who doesn’t want a good rate of pay for their hard work? If you’re planning what degree to study, or what direction you want to take after university, then looking into the highest paying jobs out there is a fantastic place to start.
Below are some of the top-paying jobs in the UK to inspire which degree you study, or your next career move if you have transferable skills and each position’s average salary, plus the highest paying degrees in the UK at master’s level.
The Highest Paying Jobs & Degrees In The UK In 2022
21 Online Jobs For Students in The UK
Being a student can be financially tough. Find out which online jobs are the best for students. Making extra money as a student can be tough if you have a busy schedule or you’re unable to work in traditional jobs like hospitality, office work, or retail. Fortunately, there’s a way around this.
Tons of jobs online for students exist and are getting more accessible year after year. Below are 32 of the best online jobs for students in the UK, as well as how much you can get paid for these online jobs.
21 Online Jobs For Students In The UK
