Help & Advice

Money Saving Tips

 

 

The Money Ambassadors have looked through this section to make sure it is as up to date as possible. If you have any other tips you think should be added get in touch!

 

General tips.

• Think about all the little costs that add up. Coffees, magazines, make sure you budget for them too!
• Sometimes you might find it easier to take money out of the bank for food shopping or a certain event and pop it in an envelope so it can't be accidentally spent!
• Rich from Music suggests always checking your bank balance so you know exactly what is going on. Online banking is great way to do this.
• If you do find at any point you are struggling or if credit debts are getting on top of you don't ignore it. Seek help as soon as you can.

 

Bills.

 

• Landline phone – Most people don’t have a landline, but for those who do make sure you know the rates. Some companies charge high rates for daytime calls unless they are included in your deal but don’t make it obvious to the customer. It may be cheaper to get rid of the phone line and just use a mobile. (See moneysaving expert link at end of page for more information)
• Mobile phone – With the variety of different companies and deals at the moment it can be difficult to know who’s the cheapest or best. Different tariffs cater for different people so pick yours based on what you use. For some Pay as you go maybe the cheapest option as it makes sure you don’t overspend and use only what is on the phone already. For others pay monthly contracts are better – but make sure you know how long you are tied in for and if you will always be able to pay it.  Gifgaff are known to offer cheap PAYG sim only deals and 3 the cheapest pay monthly deals– see money saving expert link at end of page for more information.
• Use email and online chats rather than using the phone for long distance phone calls its so much cheaper
• Insurance – Mobile insurance is often thrown in with a new phone with a few months free. An issue with this is that you it automatically activates payment after the free months have ended. If you feel you still need the insurance you can ring them and by removing part of the cover e.g loss, the price will reduce. If you think you don’t need it, ringing the company the month before you want it to end will stop the charge.
• Contents insurance - is a big worry for most students but moneysaving expert will tell you everything you need to keep your possessions safe and which companies to go for (link at end of page). Don’t forget to look for student discounts!

 

• Car insurance – If you are finding your car insurance is high there are a few things you can do to lower it;

1. Getting insurance from companies that install trackers can reduce the cost by up to £400 BUT this will mean you have a curfew on when you can drive and a fine if your engine is running over the specified time...if you’re not a night-time driver it may be an option.
2.  Pay as you go car insurance is also another option – insuring yourself for short periods of time as and when you need it (esure and insuredaily are the leaders in this market)

• Gas and Electricity - Make sure you are with the cheapest supplier for gas and electricity. There are a number of comparison sites that can help you check, some also offer incentive to encourage you to switch. There is more info on this on the Money Saving Expert site here: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/you-switch-gas-electricity.
• Also make sure everyone in the household has their name on the bills, that way you are all jointly liable.
• Make sure that you remember to turn off household appliances when not in the house. 
• Estimate how much money you need to pay for bills and ask other students how much they think you need to put away.
• Limit your use of electricity (turn off lights, reduce opening the fridge). Put on an extra jumper to warm up rather than using a heater.

 

Shopping.

 

• Amazon - are amazing for course books as they do deals on groups of them or at times reduce the price of the book heavily. Standard delivery is free and is usually quicker then they say so keep an eye out for those deals!
• Freebies – The one you’ve all been waiting for – the free stuff! There are loads of sites at the moment offering both advice and deals, all you have to do is sign up with your email address and they send you the best deals, some of the best are in the links section at the bottom of the page so have a look!
• Money saving expert (link at bottom of page) has advice on haggling! Some of the biggest stores DO allow you to haggle to reduce the price or throw in freebies but nobody knows! Have a look at the site and see if you can get your things cut price.
• Online deals - are available on most sites –  stores have online exclusives, extended sales, free delivery days or special deals you can’t buy in store so keep your eyes peeled.
• Books - Try to buy second hand books or even if a friend pays half the money with you so that you can share books, or even ask to borrow the book you need and then you give them the book they need.
• Anna from psychology suggests clubbing together with course mates to buy the main texts and share them.
• Sell course books in good condition to lower year students.

Clothes -

• Plan what you need in advance so that you don't overspend on impulse. Bear in mind cheaper shops and charity shops.

• Instead of going to your normal expensive shops and spending loads of money cut down by going to: second hand shops; car boot sales; or discount shops and warehouses.

 

 
Transport.

 

In west yorkshire there are passes available to help reduce the cost of travel – day rovers, railcards and metro passes.

 

•  If you are travelling alot on one particular day there are Dayrovers available that give you unlimited travel for that day on the mode of transport you choose within west yorkshire (£5.20 bus, £6.20 train, £7.10 bus and rail). These can be bought off the bus driver or from the bus/train station.

http://www.wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/moresavings/WestYorkshireDayRover

• If you are a regular traveller e.g to and from university by train and bus, the cheapest often is usually the StudentPlus Metrocard – this allows for unlimited travel within the area on buses and trains when you buy the weekly or monthly passes at the reduced rate. (Details can be found on the link below)

http://www.wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/YoungPeople/StudentPlusMetroCard.htm

• Also available is the 16-25 railcard. This allows big savings on travel across the UK when buying tickets -  good for people who have moved a long distance from home. It costs £28 for a year and also gets you savings on some holiday deals and travel.

http://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/buy-16-25-railcard

• Amber Cars is the taxi firm in Leeds with links to the university. If you havent got money on you the company will accept your student ID instead of payment, and the ID will be handed in to the union where you will need to pay the taxi fee to release it. (0113 2311 366)
• Regular train users (long trips) – national rail and trainline provide savings online when booking, and from time to time offer very cheap deals e.g £10 to london return so keep an eye out!

 

Food.

 

Prepare packed lunches for work and Uni. When buying your food prepare a list and stick to it! Bigger supermarkets are cheaper than small local shops. Consider using supermarket own brands rather than brand names.

• Alexis, a student studying Nursing suggests planning a menu for the week.
• Sunil from Medicine suggests sharing food with housemates as this is cheaper and you can also keep an eye on each others spending.
• Clip coupons and eat at home. Pack a snack in your bag, rather than buying one each day.
• By cheaper foods e.g own brands
• The "Bite Card" can make a brilliant addition to anyone's pocket (available during Intro Week, but you can still get them online from ). It gets you 20% discount in food and drink outlets at train stations across the country!
• Bulk buying from supermarkets can save alot of money from their weekly/daily deals, also near closing time they reduce the fresh produce and bakery foods so ghrab a bargain!
• When shopping at supermarkets, write a list and try to stick to it. That way you'll only buy essentials and not spend all your pennies on ice-cream like it's all too tempting to do.

 Credit cards/student accounts.

• Students often jump on the deals for student accounts with overdraft but bear in mind they will need paying off after your course. Choose the bank with the best incentives and interest free overdraft.
• Credit cards  are used when students need extra money BUT  use these only for emergencies and if possible get ones with 0% interest. Always try and pay off more than the minimum payment. Remember that even the minimum payment can start to add up to an amount that you may find hard to keep up with.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ has all the information you need about all things card and bank related

• Savings - Open a separate savings account where you can deposit the required monthly allowance for bills that do not fall due on a regular monthly basis or to deposit monthly amounts to help save for a holiday etc.

 

Student discount

 

Most stores will accept your university card as proof of student ID so don’t be afraid to ask and start saving!

• NUS cards provide the biggest discount – linked to thousands of stores and restaurants which range from 5-35% off the normal price, as well as stores offering student discount days where they offer extra discount to those with NUS cards. The card costs £11 and the website even has a ‘how much copuld i save’ section that calculates your possible savings! (for one of our money ambassadors it meant a saving of £635!)

http://www.nus.org.uk/en/nus-extra/discounts/

 

Entertainment.

 

• Try to stick to a limit on spending money and holidays and book accordingly. 
• When going out only take enough money to keep you afloat for the night and leave your cash point card at home, thus avoiding clearing out your bank account in order to buy everyone a drink and/or losing your card.
• Sign up to see film first Every so often they offer free tickets to previews of new releases.
  It's first come first served but, if you're lucky, you'll nab a pair. You also get to avoid the annoying trailers beforehand!
• If you are with Orange you can get 241 cinema tickets on Orange Wednesdays
• Groupon (http://www.groupon.co.uk/) offer amazing deals on food and days out for all the areas local to you, all you have to do is sign up and theyll email the best deals daily – anything from spa days and horse riding to romantic meals are on offer here so check it out!
• Our very own university union offer ‘give it a go’ day trips on Saturdays to places such as Stratford upon avon, Manchester and London at cheap prices. Have a look on the Give it a go area on the union site and buy your tickets online for a fun day out!  http://www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/whatson/giag/

 

Personal.

 

• Smokers - The NHS "Smoke Free" website has a useful tool for helping you calculate the cost of smoking, and tells you what you could spend that money on instead as well as provide support on quitting - http://smokefree.nhs.uk/. Nichola, a student studying Criminology recommends giving up too: “ Put the amount you save in a box, if you spend £2.10 a day hat will be £14 a week, and then reward yourself!”
• Often salons offer free haircuts to people to offer to be hair models for thei trainees, so if you feel brave pop into your local big salon and offer your hair!
• Sexual health – the NHS offers masses of information on sexual health related topics http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Sexualhealthtopics/Pages/Sexual-health-hub.aspx.       

 Our university union offers similar information on their site http://www.leedsuniversityunion.org.uk/helpandadvice/healthandwellbeing/ as well as handing out free condoms and pregnancy testing kits to those who ask at the student advice centre.

 

The university also helps those who are pregnant via support from the welfare officer in the student exec (upstairs in the union), the new born baby fund and abortion fund. (All information on link above under contraception and pregnancy)

 

Job/cash.

 

Aside from regular paid employment there are a number of different things avaliable to earn some money

• Freecycle – this is a relativly new concept where you post something you want to get rid of or something you want, and someone else in your area will responmd and give/take it off your hands for free – a recycling process! People offer or want anything from keyboards and ipods to beer bottles and soil (yes really) so check out the local leeds one!

http://groups.freecycle.org/freecycleleeds/posts/all

• Mystery shopping – this has become big business with most stores using it to regulate their staff and store. You can become a mystery shopper by signing up on one of the various sites and getting through the interview/acceptance stages – both companies on the link below are recommended so give it a try!

http://www.mysteryshopperjobs.co.uk/join/ 

• Review sites – this is similar to mystery shopping except you just review anything you have used or seen in our day to day life. The pay is only small at first but you get paid more for each person who reads your review. Ciao and dooyou are the biggest sites for this but there are a number of different ones available.
• Some companies will pay for you to have their adverts on your car – upto £250 a month. This will mean your car has a brightly coloured, large image on it but if this doesn’t bother you it can be a great source of income.

 

Links.

 

http://www.studentbeans.com/

 

It contains local and national money-saving offers, complete with an online forum where you can share money saving tips with other students. Look out for fab 2 for 1 meal offers in great restaurants all around Leeds.

 

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

 

Sign up to the Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert newsletter and forums for weekly money saving offers and restaurant vouchers

 

http://www.savethestudent.org/