How To...A Students Guide

HOW TO... A Students Guide

Featuring

How To...Avoid Being Broken Into

and

How To...Avoid Being A Poor Student

Hello!

We hope you enjoy this week’s issue of ‘How To…A Student Guide’. Inside you’ll find out all about the best ways to save your money and budget as a stu-dent…and even how things can go wrong if you don’t! This week we’re also featuring an interview with some students whose house was burgled on bon-fire night, and a guide of how to avoid being broken into yourself.

Enjoy!

We love to hear from you!

A Letter

From The

Editors...Hi Sophie and Emma,

After reading your article about cheap eating last week, me and my mate went to TGI Friday’s for their 2 course for £10 offer. Thanks for the tip!

Adam RichardsLiverpool

Hi Sophie and Emma,

We dressed up as grandads and schoolgirls for a friends birthday. We had a really good night and everybody looked awesome!

Lee DavisGlasgow

01: How To...A Student Guide

We love to hear from you!

Hey Sophie and Emma,

We loved the 2 for 1 cocktails at Slug and Lettuce. There were so many to choose from, it was the perfect place to go before a big night out!

Jess MartinChester

To Sophie and Emma,

I had a great time at Tropi-cal World in Leeds with my flatmates. We loved the meer-kats!A fun and cheap afternoon!

Grace ThompsonLeeds

Hi Sophie and Emma,

Me and my girlfriend tried out the lasagne recipe you included in your last issue. It was great! Really cheap to make too!

Dave JordanManchester

Hi Sophie and Emma,

It was my 21st birthday last week so me and my friends dressed up and went out. My birthday was amazing and I had a really good weekend.

Jenny CrewsonLondom

Hi Sophie and Emma,

We were on our way to a houseparty the other night and we got this photo taken on the train there. Shots for everyone!

Nichola Smith Leeds

Hi Sophie and Emma,

Here I am with my friend who dressed as Clockwork Oange for halloween. My mask scared her all night, so but she seems quite chilled out here.

Carl Chapman Sheffield


For many students, one of the most exciting parts of coming to university is mov-ing into a house with their friends. After living in Halls with people they’ve probably never met before plenty of students relish the opportu-nity to choose who they want to live with and the house they want to live in. But there is a darker side to student liv-ing, aside from all the parties and fun to be had, student houses can often be a target of crime.

Let’s think about it, if there are four of you living in a house, that probably means there are also four laptops, four mobile phones, four iPods, the list goes on! So, often student houses become a gold mine for thieves. The areas most likely to be target-ed are ‘student areas’. Most cities have at least one area that is densely populated by students, so the burglars can safely assume if they choose a house to break into, it will most likely be a student one. We interviewed James Smith and Chris Edmonds, two of the residents of a student house that was broken into on bonfire night.

HOW TO...Avoid Being Broken IntoBy Sophie Bambra

So what happened on the night you were broken into?

Chris – Well we were actually out at the fireworks in Hyde Park and we got a phone call from our landlord saying we needed to go home because our door had been kicked in and the police were there.

Were any of your other housemates home?

James - No they weren’t, thank god. We were all out at the fireworks. The police said that whoever broke in will have been waiting outside the house. Watching from a safe distance for when we went out.

What happened when you got back to the house?

J- Well the neighbours were all outside and the police met us at the door, or what was left of it.

C- yeah the door was completely kicked in, hanging off the hinges and everything.

J- They took us upstairs and showed us the rooms that had been broken into. It was my room and Chris’s.

James Smith and Chris Edmonds, victims of a student burglary.


How their front door looked after it was kicked in.

Was anything taken?

C- Both of our laptops yeah. We weren’t allowed to touch any-thing because the rooms would have to be forensically exam-ined. It’s so weird not being allowed to touch stuff in your own bedroom.

Was there much damage to the house?

C- Not too bad, apart from the front door of course. I was daft enough to leave my room unlocked, so the burglars literally just walked in, took my laptop, and walked back out.

J- My room was a bit worse, my door was locked so they’d kicked it open, but the forensics only uncovered one footprint from my door, so I guess it was pretty easy to kick in. They’d also knocked my bookshelf over for some strange reason.

Have the police got any leads?

J- Kind of, they’ve been quite good actually, they’ve rangus two or three times to keep us updated with what’s going on.

C- They haven’t caught anyone though. On the night of theactual break-in one of the policemen got a message through his radio sayingthey’d caught some guys matching the descrip-tion of the guys who broke into our house. Turns out it wasn’t them though.

How were you feeling at the time?

C- Shocked I suppose, pretty angry. Typical guys reaction, we got quite territorial and stuff. We do have a girl living with us, Hannah, and she was pretty upset, it’s a relief her room wasn’t touched.

J- yeah, I just remember think-ing ‘why didn’t the neighbours do something?’ they must have heard the door being kicked in…

C- we brought that up with the police actually and they said the neighbours would have just thought it was fireworks. Apparently loads of break ins happen on bonfire night be-cause the burglars know that the sound of them breaking in would just be mistaken for fireworks.

Did they give you any advice on how to avoid another break in?

C- Well they said we had been unlucky because it was bonfire night. But they told us to just make sure our rooms and the front door were al-ways locked.

J- They taught us a little trick for if we were the last person leaving the house, just in case someone was watching. They said to shout ‘bye!’ or ‘see you later!’ so it looked like we weren’t the last to leave.C- yeah we’ve all been using that one!


However, there’s no need to be frightened of living in a student house, if you take the correct precautions you should be able to protect yourself and your stuff with no problems at all. Here at ‘How To…A Student’s Guide’ we’ve compiled a list of things you can do to improve your safety…

Lock Your Doors And Windows

It sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many student break-ins happen just because a door or window has been left unlocked. Try and get into the habit of locking the front door every time you either en-ter or leave your house, even if there is someone in. It’s also a good idea, when you’re choosing houses, to pick one that has locks on the bedroom doors. Just for a bit of added security!

Don’t Show Your Stuff Off

Leave your valuables out of view. Put purses in drawers, keys out of sight, and your laptop under your bed if you have to! Just make sure you never leave them in full view, it’s like an open invite for a burglar to come and help themselves! This is especially important if you have a basement bedroom as often your window will be on street level.

UV Marking

Just in case the worst happen and some of your stuff gets sto-len you’ve got much more chance of getting it back if you have marked it with a UV pen. These are available in hardware stores and often in student unions.

Beware of Bogus Callers

‘Distraction’ burglary is on the rise. This is where someone will keep your attention while someone else will have broken into your house with you completely unaware. Always ask for iden-tification before letting someone in and don’t be afraid to ask people to leave if you feel uncomfortable.


Holidays

Something else burglars are aware of is that often students will go home over Christmas, Easter and Summer, leaving the house empty and often full of valuables. If you can’t take your valuables with you, arrange to leave them with a friend or in a secure storage unit. It’s also a good idea to set your radio and lights on timers so they go on and off intermittently while you’re away. This will create the illusion that the house is not empty and will help to deter anyone from breaking in.

Insurance

The average cost of a student burglary is £900, so just make sure you have insurance in case the worst happens. Insurance companies are notorious for being difficult and avoiding giv-ing you the money you have the right to. However, if you make sure you get a crime number from the police there should be no problem with the insurance companies. If you don’t have any proof of purchase of your things that were stolen then they will most likely give you vouchers as opposed to cash.

Useful Telephone Numbers

If you’re feeling down...

The Samaritans: 08457 90 90 90

Find out your rights...

Citizens Advice Bureau:01983 520594

If you or your property are not in immediate danger...

Non-Emergency Police Number:101

For support after being a victim of crime...

Victim Support:0845 30 30 900

To find out any UK phone number...

Directory Enquiries:118 500

Stolen Card Lines:

Barclays 01604 230230HSBC 08456 007010Halifax 08457 20 30 99Lloyds 0800 096 9776Nat West 0870 6000 459Royal Bank of Scotland 0870 513 3550

It will also be useful to make a note of your local locksmith number.


By Emma Quinlan

you get your loan/grant. This way you don’t have to worry about paying something late or getting fees on your account because you don’t have the money to cover something.

Having two accounts can sometimes be a blessing, as you can manage your money between them both, but if you’re careful with your money, then having two accounts isn’t always necessary. Giving your par-ents some money to look after, can also be a good way to avoid spending too much money, just make sure they don’t spend it instead…

...Buy Cheaper Food Alternatives

When you live at home and your parents are footing the food bill, brand names are always on your list. However, when you come to living on your own, you will quickly learn that these products cost a lot more than you think. This is where cheaper alternatives come in and even though you may not think it,

Stephanie Mann, 18, a student from Leeds says,“I’m always checking how much money I have and setting budgets for the week. I also keep all my rent and bills money in a separate account to en-sure I don’t spend it and it’s there when needed.”

When you leave home for university your first thought is normally, how exciting be-ing away from your parents reign will be. You can drink when you like, do pretty much anything you want and stay in bed until afternoon Jeremy Kyle begins. There’s no rules, no parents to nag you and no constant questions. It’s free-dom and your first taste of it is a sweet one. However, after a few weeks of constant drink-ing and splurging of money, you soon come to realise that being away from home means being an adult and being an adult means paying your way in life. For many this can be a daunting realisation and one that can come too late for some students but there are a few things that you can do to avoid large overdrafts and one meal a day situations. Below is five of our top tips to avoid super-skint-times, along with some handy advice from students that have done it all before…

...Prioritise Your Money

When you’re in charge of paying your own bills and your own rent, you have to manage your money and look at what you need to pay each month. The best way to do this is to keep money aside, either

HOW TO...Avoid Being A Poor Student

Any 1p noodles for sale...


many cheaper foods taste equally as good as the branded names. Things such as beans, bread and meat are all foods that can be bought for half the price, along with many basic foods.

Food such as pasta and rice can be a blessing to students, especially as they taste just the same when you buy the cheaper supermarket versions, but if you like your coffee and sauces, then as Nichola said, a little splurging may be necessary. If you have saved money on other things however, these little indulgences wont seem as bad and they can be used to spice up your other more basic foods. Other than food, everyday items such as toilet roll can also be bought relatively cheap and seeing as though your are going to wipe your arse on it anyway, there really is no point buying the expensive stuff.

“Being a serial budgeter I’m well versed in where to scrimp and where to splurge,” ex-plains Nichola Smith, 22, a stu-dent from Manchester, “Pasta, Rice etc. Go basic! However, Coffee and condiments need a little more expenditure.”

...Get A Job

This may seem like an obvious choice to some people, but there are many that come to university without a job or without the inclina-tion to get one. If you get a grant and a loan then you may think that getting a job wont be necessary but you will spend your money quicker than you think and when this happens you could be left with a few months of serious scrimping and utter skintness.

If you don’t get a grant, then you will defiantly need a job or you will be missing quite a few of those pre-cious nights out. Even worse you could find yourself with serious debts or money issues and be forced to ask for help, which can sometimes be a little awkward.Even if you have someone to bail you out, when you make the decision to move away from home, you are deciding to stand on your own two feet and that means no more relying on mummy and daddy. It may seem like a harsh reality, but it is one that you will have to get used to.

Money down the toilet.

...So the staff don’t forget who they are.


The best way to get a job is too look before you move to your city of choice, at what shops and clubs they have around, come down a few weeks before you move and hand some CV’s out. Pubs and clubs are usually the best bet to get a job, as they don’t have the luxury of transfers like shops do. Applying for jobs online can also be another way of getting work, especially if you are unable to come to the city before your move.

...Don’t Blow Your Loan/Grant

Again this may seem like an obvious one, but it is so easily done, especial-ly when you’re a first year. There’s fresher’s week, which involves lots of drinking and therefore spending money and then there’s the little purchases that you make here and there that you don’t think matter. They do, quite a lot, especially when you don’t keep track of them and be-cause your money is given too you in one lump sum, you always think you have more than you have actu-ally got. Then, it gets to next month, you’ve blown all your money and

Sam Forsyth,19, is one of many students who would not be able to live if they did not have a job. “I work at McDonalds and it is my main source of income,” he says, “I could not get by without a job as I have no one who could help me out.”

Ready Steady Cook wasn’t looking promising.

“When I first went to uni and I got my loan/grant, I was so excited to be away from my parents and with all this cash, that I just blew it in the space of a month on clothes and go-ing out,” remembers former student Jade Knowles, 23, “Then I was skint for the next two months until my loan came in. It was awful.”


...Don’t Take Your Card On A Night Out

If you want to ignore the other tips in this article, then go ahead, but DO NOT take your card on a night out because you will wake up with the world’s largest hangover and no money left to live on. Many people have woken-up to the balance of nought before and had no recollection of when or where they took their money out.

.

Thousands of students across the county can relate to Ryan and Sara’s stories and they will probably all say the same thing: it wasn’t worth it. So, take your money out before you start drinking, give your friend your card and get them to hide it, that way you can’t even be tempted to take it out with you. If have to take your card out then try and get the soberest of your friends to stop you when you try and get out more mon-ey or when you try and pay on your card for drinks, as this can be even deadlier.

Being a student can be a very-fun and very rewarding expe-rience, but it can also be an expensive one. Being careful with your money will ensure that you have less added stress to your life and it will also help you to prepare forl adult life.

These tips, were brought to your from students that have done all this before, so following them should find your life to be a little less stressfull and a bit more exciting.

If you don’t want to listen how-ever, then at least remember this: NEVER take your card on a night out, EVER. You have been warned.

Ryan Jobson 20, a student from Bradford, recalls a time when he used his card whilst under the influence. “I once got around 60 quid out on a night out, which then meant I was absolutely skint and I got a bank charge because I didn’t have enough to pay my phone bill or my travel to work. I was broke for around a week until I told my dad. He was not a happy man.”

The root of all evil.

“I once got £50 out when I was drunk and it left me with-out any money until payday, which wasn’t until a couple of weeks later,” says manches-ter based student Sara Max-well, 21, “I then had to live off pasta until I got paid, which was really boring.”


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How To...A Students Guide