30 Ways To Save The £'s

To celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the £1 coin, moneysupermarket.com is running a competition for bloggers to share their 30 ways of saving money. You can see details of how to enter the competition here. A winner will be picked randomly when 1000 entries have been submitted so get cracking on your own 30 money saving ideas!

This competition has come at a very appropriate time because I am about to start saving my ass off! I’ve just booked to go on a Mediterranean cruise with the boyfriend’s family next summer which should be a great celebration for the end of my university finals. Exciting times! However, this holiday isn’t going to be in any way cheap and I’m aiming to save as much money as possible between then and now so it doesn’t cripple my car fund too badly. And, to be honest, going back to university next year after my placement finishes will probably be a massive shock to the ol’ bank account; I’ve got way too used to having money when I want it. I need to get back into the student mind set, the mind set of a cheap-skate. So I’ve put together 30 ways to save money when you’re a student.

1.  Don’t go food shopping on an empty stomach

2.  When things you buy regularly are on offer, buy them in bulk

3. Make a list before you go shopping. And then stick to it

4.  Swap items like DVDs, books and clothes with your friends instead of buying brand new

5.  Sell old course books to the new influx of students

6.  Have a pot to add small change to, it can build up surprisingly quickly

7. Shop around for the best student bank account deals. Mine came with a free young person’s railcard 
which is renewed for every year I am a student. It must have saved me hundreds of pounds in the last two years

8. Don’t be a snob about supermarket own brands. Asda chopped tomatoes wont taste any different from Circo when it’s in a chilli con carne

9. Eat less meat. You’re save money, save carbon and stay healthy

10. Use discount cards, loyalty cards and vouchers

11. Ask for student discount whenever you pay for anything, more places take money off student purchases then you might think

12. Invite friends round for tea. Cooking together and sharing the cost works out much cheaper than buying and cooking for one, as well as making a fun night in

13. Use the washing line rather than the drier. One load every week for one year at university can cost £50.

14. Make a packed lunch. Buying lunch on campus each day can cost more than an entire week’s worth of packed lunches

15. Get a library card rather than buying books

16. Use iplayer and 4od rather than forking out for a TV license

17. Use cash to pay for items rather than card, it’s easier to keep track of

18. Stick to the allowance on your phone contract. The charges once you go over the limit can be extortionate

19. Take advantage of society and club taster sessions and introductory socials before you pay membership

20. Make the most of early bird and weekday deals when eating out or getting a takeaway

21. Use Orange Wednesdays. Use and abuse any friends that are on Orange if you’re not

22. Cold? Don’t turn the heating on. Wear a jumper. And then man up.

23. Make gifts for people’s birthdays and Christmas. Everyone loves homemade cake and it’s so much more personal

24. Make a motivational wall. When I was saving up to go to New Zealand I got a big map of New Zealand, marked out the route we planned to travel and tacked it up on the back of my door. Every time I was about to leave to go on a midnight Spar run for chocolate supplies it reminded me that maybe my pennies could be kept for better purposes

25. Walk to lectures. Yes, it may be up a hill but just think how you will also save money on not needing to go to the gym later now either

26. Make Friday nights in the new thing. A film, a girl friend and a bottle of wine. Bliss.

27. Ok, so you need to go out? Pre-drinks rather than headed straight to a bar can save a bomb

28. Break expensive habits. Smoking, for example, is a financially crippling habit. And also a grim habit, in my opinion

29. Look after your body. Dentist bills and prescriptions are really costly

30. Bored? Get into the outdoors. Its beautiful and totally free!

Posting your own 30 ways of saving money? Share a link below in the comments so we can all look at each others and get even more ideas!