Weekly Budgeting tips for students

As a student not living at home, I know well enough the struggles of having to budget, I’ve been living alone for three years yet I'm only just getting the hang of money related things now. Money can be overwhelming when you’re a student, Student finance sends you a certain amount of money and then it's practically up to you how you chose to spend it. and of course, as an 18-year-old with 4k in their hands, most of us don’t spend it wisely. In this article, I’ll be giving you some helpful tips to guide you through your upcoming or the rest of the years you have left.

Grocery shopping is one of the most important but expensive things when living alone, however, it can be much cheaper and less time consuming if you shop at the right places and find the best deals. For groceries I highly recommend shopping at stores like Lidl and Aldi, they offer the same products as other stores for cheaper prices. Not only are they cheaper but Lidl also has great daily deals on their app, all you must do is download the app and sign up to get these deals. Although Tesco is on the pricier side, having a Tesco’s Clubcard will help you save money when shopping there.

Travel can be expensive in London, especially when you don’t live close by and you’re travelling to uni every other day eventually it all adds up. With a student travel card, you can save 30% on buses and trains, it’s a great investment and only costs a £25 non-refundable registration fee, it lasts 3 years so if you’re planning to move to London for university or already here and considering on getting one, I would recommend it. Those of you who commute to and from uni from other cities haven’t been forgotten, Trainline offers a range of railcards that help you save money when purchasing tickets. The 16-25 Railcard is suitable for not only university students but also A-level/college and those under 25, the railcard saves you 1/3 off rail fares and only costs £30 and could save you ‘an average of £189’.

As a student, you’ll need lots of things whether that be books or personal wants, so you need to learn how to have some self-control when shopping. I do this by asking myself do I need this, or do I want this, doing this has helped me save money and is one of the best budgeting techniques I’ve taught myself. My needs include food, travel, rent etc, whereas my wants include new clothes (that I probably don’t need half the time), makeup, etc. As students, we’re lucky enough to receive discounts on a lot of things through apps and even by just carrying your lanyard or some sort of uni identification with us. Amazon is one of the few delivery services that cater for students, Amazon prime subscription is £3.99 a month which is a great bargain since its originally £7.99 per month. So, sign up for that if you’re a regular Amazon user.