Glos Goss
Student money savers: 9 ways to stretch that loan a little further
Author: Jordan Renwick, second year Journalism student
Meal prep
It’s not a new piece of advice, but it’s a good one. Pasta and Tupperware are your best friends. Make an extra portion of dinner and save it for tomorrow’s lunch – better yet, make multiple and freeze them.
All you need are some good spices and you’ll be restaurant quality in no time. You can find some great student recipes from BBC Good Food.
Loyalty cards
Keep the stamp cards or digital loyalty cards to hand. For coffee (for your little treat, see point 3) Waterstones’ Café W is a great spot to study and get a 5% student discount with their loyalty card.
For lunch, a bagel at Steamhouse – grab a stamp card that gives you a free bagel at the end.
Make your morning coffee
You won’t like this, but getting a morning coffee every day could cost you almost £1,000 in a year. You could buy a professional coffee machine for that.
Don’t get it twisted, enjoy a little treat to get you through those early mornings or late nights but, get yourself a cafetiere or nice instant (go wild on the syrups too, or make your own) and you’ll save enough cash for that summer trip or text books in no time.
Double, triple check your subscriptions
We’re all guilty of accidentally signing up for something and forgetting about it. Don’t let them get you anymore! Easily double check all of your regular outgoing payments in your mobile banking app to check if there are any anomalies or even cancel ones you no longer need.
Rent books instead of buying them
Cheltenham Library has a great selection of fiction and non-fiction books, so whether you’re studying or want a relaxing read, why not take a book out from the library to save the cost of buying the book yourself?
Resist impulse purchases
Better yet, make a list for a weekly shop. And don’t shop when you’re hungry – you’ll end up with the weirdest combination in your basket that you do not want or need.
You’ll reduce your waste and your cost by giving yourself a guide when you’re shopping. Even make the most of click & collect or deliveries to cut out the possibility of impulse buying a brand-new digestive flavour.
If you create an online order with your flatmates, you might even qualify for free delivery too.
“Do you do a student discount?”
‘Hi, nice to meet you.’ ‘Do you offer student discount?’
Read it, remember it, ask it everywhere.
Hunt for bargains at charity shops
Cheltenham is bursting with bargain hunting opportunities. All around the High Street and Bath Road you’ll find full outfits for £10.
Not just a great way to save the pennies but you’ll also be supporting sustainable fashion as well as charities. Why not make a day of it? A cute shopping day with a much smaller price tag.
Make the most of Happy Hour
The best thing about Cheltenham? The choice of happy hours around town.
Turtle Bay, The Urban Fox, and Revolution are three of many, many bars offering drinks deals. And what do we ask when we get to the bar?
; ?> "Visit the homepage"){kind=logo}