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student money week
Wondering where your money goes, how it works and how to make it go further? Student Money week will talk about all these topics and more.
National Student Money Week is all about bringing students the best information and advice about financial support and budget management. The national scheme is run by The National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA) and aims to promote the free help and support available to all students and prospective students. Our local campaign hopes to demystify the world of finance and make it simpler for you to take control of your money.
National Student Money Week takes place each year and is designed to ensure that students, their parents, the media, politicians and the general public get to know about and celebrate the financial support and advice offered free of charge in universities, colleges and students’ unions across the UK.
A possible reason for this is that 74% of students feel that they could have had a better financial education (Save the Student, 2021).
money week
money saving tips
budgeting
- Give yourself a weekly budget and try not to go over it. There are lots of apps that can help you budget
- If you are not sure where your money goes, keep all your receipts so at the end of the week you can see where you spent your money.
- Take your weekly budget out in cash at the beginning of the week- it is a lot easier to see what you are spending.
- Check back to mobile phone providers regularly – you might be paying more for your phone than you need to!
- Claim back any months over the summer vacation of your T.V licence whilst not at uni.
- Choose your student bank account wisely. Beware of gimmicks and freebies banks will use to entice you it is often better to go with a provider that offers a larger interest free overdraft period both during and after your studies.
Food planning
- Make or bake 2 - eat one, freeze one. Saves time and money!
- Save take away containers to use for leftovers and for freezing.
- Plan weekly meals to prevent throwing food away, taking into account if you’re going away for weekends. You can download a meal planner here
- Make sure to check what you already have in your cupboards, fridge and freezer when writing your shopping list.
- Drop one brand level in the supermarket and see if you can tell the difference. Save £100’s over the year.
- Make sure to schedule time for food shopping. The Money Helper service found that when people are rushed or tired, they spend an extra £14.53 each time!
- Go shopping later in the day as items get reduced.
- Make a packed lunch instead of buying it - even a sandwich + a drink + crisps can easily cost £5 a day- £25 a week!
- Never shop when you’re hungry, you’re likely to buy more than you need.
- Buying a coffee on campus everyday can cost over £10 a week, take a flask instead and save hundreds over the year. Or you could get a subscription- if you have time to queue.
Food shopping
- Buy reduced to clear food to stock up the freezer.
- The University of Exeter offers a ‘Cup for Life’ scheme, where at all Students’ Guild outlets you can receive 10% off every hot drink purchased with a ‘Cup for Life’.
- Make use of store loyalty cards for money off and free gifts.
- Avoid in store temptations by shopping online. Be aware of high grocery delivery costs- to avoid this consider teaming up and doing a food delivery with your other housemates to reduce costs.
- Look for wonky fruit and veg, to help reduce food waste whilst saving money.
- Eat the Seasons and get the best out of local produce and avoid paying for food that has flown miles.
- Download the Too Good to Go app- this allows people to buy food from local cafes and restaurants that may otherwise go to waste at a discounted price. In Exeter, food/drink outlets such as Pret and Starbucks are part of the scheme.
- Swap fresh for frozen. Frozen ingredients can be cheaper and result in less waste.
- Sign up for student discount cards such as UNiDAYS or TOTUM to receive exclusive discounts and deals for students.
reuse, fix, and recycle
- Join the local freecycle network
- Shop in charity and second-hand shops or vintage. Use apps like Depop or Vinted to find clothes you love at a cheaper price.
- Look on Facebook Marketplace and join local Facebook groups to see a number of second-hand items being sold within your local area.
- Sell unwanted goods, for example textbooks no longer needed.
- You can buy price-matched and second-hand textbooks from Blackwell’s on campus.
- Many people replace an item when it is ‘broken’ without considering if it can be repaired. Check out iFixit which publishes free repair guides for electronics and gadgets.
- this Guardian article on how to handle the repair or replace dilemma when it comes to common household items.