if only they had this good a cheat sheet for the GCSEs…

The University Cheat Sheet

to Student Budgeting

That’s right, we have ALL the ANSWERS

Housing

Course MaterialsFood

Parties & Bull$hit

Transportation

Housing

3 main types of student housing:

University Halls

- Ideal for 1st years.- Only your uni.

- Easiest to manage. - Usually Expensive.

- Close to University.

- 9 mo contract.- Bills included.

Private Halls

- Students from multiple unis. (More

friends!)- Often 1 yr contract length.

- Farther away from your uni.

- Bills included.

Traditional Student Houses

- Cheapest!- Most Responsibility

- (Usually) More Space

- Location Varies- You manage the

bills.

Learn more about each type of Student Housing LINK

This one can save you the most £!

So what can you do to get REALLY CHEAP housing?

A living room is a luxury – not a necessity!

X Turn the living room into a bedroom and save money!

£2000 rent with 4 people = £500 each.

£2000 a rent with 5 people = £400

Copy the Americans & Share a Room!

- ½ a room = ½ the rent- It’s a great (hopefully positive)

learning experience to live this closely with another person.

- You have someone to tell your stories to immediately!

- You probably won’t be willing to do it when you are older, so save money now!

- You can use the infamous ‘sock on the doorknob’ method when your roommate has a ‘guest’ over…

ACTUALLY SPLIT THE BILLS

& not just rent – EVERYTHING! Utilities, Internet, Water, Toilet Paper, Cleaning Supplies, Groceries.

Not keeping track of the smaller expenses too can waste £100s (or more) of £’s per year.

Plus you really have no excuse. Splittable is a free app for keeping track of your split bills at home. Download HERE

Rent Unfurnished

- Unfurnished flats tend to be cheaper than furnished flats. - You can buy second hand furniture for cheap (or free) – plus IKEA… - You can sell your furniture at the end of the lease and get £ back. - Furnished flats come with terrible furniture anyway… - Less competition when looking for a place because most people want

furnished.

AirBnB out rooms when people are away

• Being a student = lots of holiday breaks so why pay for your room when you’re not using it?

• Ex. £20 a day for 15 days of Winter break = £300 back in your pocket! *Get good reviews and you can charge even more :D

• Plus, utilising on-demand services like Bizzby (or just tipping a friend who lives near-by), you don’t even need to be there in person to let in the guest/prepare the sheets.

• Bonus tip: chocolate on pillow = 5* review. More 5* reviews means you can charge more £££

YOU

Course Materials

Because books are expensive (& heavy)

How can you save on that money?

Decide if you really need to buy the book? Save Money – Wait until the class really starts to decide if

you need to buy the book.

Has class started? Save Money – Using library

books provided by your university is a great way to

save!

Save Money – Ask them if you can borrow or rent the book off

of them for the term.

Save Money – Pool together and buy the book together. Plus

this creates a built in study group.

No

Yes

Is there a free copy of the book at the

library?

Has one of your friends taken this class before & still

has the book?

Do you have any other friends taking

the class?Save Money – Buying used

books or renting books is much cheaper than buying new. Alibris has lots of textbook rentals or check Amazon!

Can you find the book used or for

rent? Sometimes you do need to buy

books new… thankfully you we’re able to save money on all

your other books though!

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

What about saving money on

10 Tips for Saving Money on Printing

1. Buy a high quality printer, it may seem counter-intuitive but a cheap printer will A. Break B. Wastes Ink.

2. Sell your printer when you graduate.

3. Refill ink cartridges at your nearest printer ink-refill centre.

4. Trade in empty cartridges for cash.5. Always print back & front6. Always print black & white7. Don’t buy fancy paper! It won’t

improve your mark…8. Print while visiting Mum & Dad9. Print while at your part-time job.

10. ONLY print if it’s necessary…

Transportation

&

Are FREE & help you stay healthy!

We even have tips for how you can stay safe: HERE

Tips for Cycling

• If you live in London, you can rent Santander bikes for £2 per day.

• Buy a bike used! Take it for a spin to see if it’s in ‘ride-able’ condition and it is much cheaper than new.

• Don’t buy a super fancy bike. It’s un-necessary as a commuter and it will just stress you out about it getting stolen.

• Be sure to lock your frame with a U-Lock and lock the front wheel. (A bike can’t get you anywhere if it’s stolen)

• Wear a helmet. Safety is cool. • Learn how to change your own flat

tire!

Don’t bring your car to uni!

Everyone will be hitting you up for rides

- To the grocery store- When moving- To the airport/bus terminal- Home at 5am

If you insist on having a car and giving lots of rides, at least ask to be reimbursed for the petrol

It will be more expensive if you have a car.

Buy a 16-25 Railcard

- It costs £30 for the year but will save you 1/3 price on rail fares throughout Great Britain.

- You also save 1/3 on off-peak fares in London.

- Visiting mum and dad has gotten a lot cheaper.

- If you live in London you can also get the 18+ Student Oyster Photocard. This gives you 30% off travel cards & bus/tram season tickets

Food

BC EVRYBDY GOT 2 EAT!

But don’t let your diet only consist of...

Take out is expensive and what would your mum say…

So make yo Mummy Proud& COOK!

But cooking can be expensive too so follow these tips: • Buy your food in bulk

– Ask your flatmates if they are willing to split the frequently used items like breads & milk

– Costco is your friend • Don’t go to the store hungry

– Hungry shopping = £££• Plan your meals/shopping lists at the

beginning of the week – This prevents you from wasting food

or buying repeat items• Freeze food before it goes bad• Pack your own lunch/snacks for uni• Buy generic brands

– Aldi reigns supreme for the savings ££££

& remember the best budget ingredients to stock your cupboards with are:

• Potatoes• Rice• Pasta• Bread• Chicken• Beans• Apples & Bananas• Canned Tuna• Eggs• Cheese

• Mushrooms• Onions & Garlic• Tomatoes• Carrots• Flour• Sugar• Salt & Pepper• Oil• Ketchup• Tea & Coffee

Parties & Bull$hit

What you really care about…

The Path to Successful Partying (on a budget)

Know how much money you have to spend on

Want to know what’s worse than being hungover? Being evicted while hungover because last night’s splurge at the pub means you don’t have any rent money left.

So budget!

How much money do you have to party this month?

Let's say you have £1200 to live on in October. - This figure is based on the money you have left over from student loans,

scholarship funds, money your parents give you after tuition. If you have a part time income you receive you can add it to this amount.

Subtract the things you have to pay for. - Rent, utilities, essential transportation costs, basic groceries for the month.

Are there any big purchases you want this month? Subtract those too. - New clothes? A concert ticket? Trip to Amsterdam?

How much do you have left? - Because that’s your remaining party budget to not break the bank.

Ways to save money on &

• Pre Drinks. Always have pre drinks. • Only bring cash to the pub so you are not tempted to spend more

than you have. • Really low on cash – suggest a house party. • Attend parties hosted by your uni, they often offer lower drink prices. • Don’t ALWAYS buy the first round. Yes, buying a round feels great but

if you always splurge on those first 5 drinks – it will really add up!• Go out during the week when pubs have promos. A lot of pubs will

offer specific student discounts too. – Ask older students where they go. They will already have the best

budget drinking system. • Buy the big, cheap, bottles of alcohol. 3 drinks in you won’t be worried

about the less than ideal taste anymore.

● Splittable helps students around the world save money and get paid back quicker by their housemates.

● Ends the awkward “I’m the only one buying the loo-roll conversations” at home.

● Budgeting for uni can start by downloading Splittable for free.

Download HERE

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