With summer drawing to a close, us students will no doubt be starting to plan the dreaded budget and the thought of giving up the luxuries we enjoyed over summer can heartbreaking. But by following these ‘new semester resolutions’ you can still save money without having to sacrifice the things you love…
1 )Walk more
You don’t need a flashy gym membership to keep yourself in shape. Scotland’s cities are small and it’s actually really easy for us to walk from A to B. For those living where you study, start walking to campus – your legs and waistline will be toned in no time and your purse will be pounds heavier from not splurging on bus fares and membership fees. If it’s a particularly long journey, getting off a few stops early can still get those legs working as well as knocking a chunk off the fare. Just remember to keep safe and avoid walking alone after dark – use the money you saved for a bus or taxi.
2) Invest in a flask
We all need some caffeine in the morning to get us to the library during exam period. Stopping en route at your local coffee shop or at the Costa your university placed at the library’s entrance (thanks, Aberdeen) can unfortunately have us parting with the good part of a fiver before lunch. So why not buy a flask? They only cost between £5 and £10 from any good supermarket and can hold a day’s worth of tea or coffee – you’ll make your money back after just two or three cuppas! And, with its magic thermos powers, hot drinks will stay sizzling hot for hours; or cold, if you happen to opt for a chilled beverage.
3) Stay in more
The thought of this one is no doubt putting you to sleep more than 9am lectures but a fun night with friends can be had without raking up bills in bars and restaurants or splashing on pricey cinema tickets. Tesco’s Finest Meal Deal makes the perfect night in with a group of friends or your other half. This £10 deal includes a three course meal for two people, accompanied by a bottle of wine or bottled soft drink. Throw in a DVD or board game and you have yourself a flat full of frolic.
4) Give up TV
Unless you watch TV programmes as and when aired, your TV Licence may be an unneeded expenditure. Catching up with soaps via BBC iPlayer or 4oD after their original broadcast doesn’t require a licence so it may be worth assessing how much TV you plan to watch before forking out £145.
But don’t be caught out: if you watch live streams of television on the web, such as football matches and The X Factor, you still need a TV licence – even if the programme isn’t being broadcast by the BBC.
For more info visit www.tvlicensing.co.uk
5) Spend less on magazines
We all love a bit of glossy gossip procrastination material, yet it can be expensive. If you buy Cosmo every month at £3.60, you’re spending £43.20 annually on one magazine – more if you don’t limit yourself to one and are supplementing your reading with Dairy Milk bars. As an avid consumer of such items, I can’t even imagine giving them up.
Subscribing to your favourite glossies could get you your mags for nearly half the RRP – leaving a little extra to spend on chocolate treats. Check your latest copy for details or check out subscription sites like Quality Magazines to see if you can bag your reads for less.
Happy Budgeting!
