Boost Your Student Finances by Cutting Back on These 12 Things - Part 1

Students are known for struggling financially while at university, which means any small savings or deal they can eke out is important. In this 2-part blog, we look at 12 things that students can cut back on to save money.

1: Eating Out

There are plenty of delicious meals that you can eat at various restaurants and takeouts, but you'll be paying a premium for these. The cheaper option is to improve your cooking skills and start making delicious homemade meals. You can even turn your cooking into fast food by cooking more than you need, and freezing the rest so you can reheat it another day.

2: Prepared Food

There is a big price difference between pre-prepared food and un-prepared food at the supermarket. For instance, chunks of pre-sliced mango at a popular British supermarket come out at £3 at the time of writing, whereas a fresh mango comes out at £0.75. Buying your food fresh and unprepared will not only be cheaper but will often be better for the environment.

3: Daily Takeaway Coffees

Many people have a take-out coffee as part of their daily regime, which can be more expensive than you'd originally think. A basic £2 coffee every working day is £10 a week, £40 a month, and £500 a year! Often these coffees have more calories in them than an average meal, so they aren't great for your health either. Instead, invest in a coffee flask and fill it up in the morning before you leave.

4: Undiscounted Food

While this isn't always applicable, making a change to when you go shopping means that you'll be able to take advantage of reduced-price items. Combining this with meal prepping means you can make a range of meals from reduced items to freeze and eat during the week. The best times to hit the supermarkets are early morning, midday and later in the night.

5: Buying New Clothes

Full-priced, new clothes are often a waste of money, and bad for the environment. You can save a lot of money by visiting thrift and charity stores for new clothes, which in turn supports those charities. You can find plenty of good, rare clothes, so get out there and start looking!

6: Travel Costs

Taxis and Ubers are a massive drain on your student finances, and while they may get you to your destination faster, it comes at a steep cost. Public transport such as buses and trains are convenient, and a fraction of the price. You can also save more money by getting a rail card or day pass. Or you can take the healthy option and walk everywhere.

What is Unihousing?

Unihousing is a student accommodation provider near the University of Birmingham, operating since 1984. All of our accommodation in Selly Oak is owned by us, so we can respond quickly to any requests using our qualified team of tradesmen. Our property office is located on Bristol Road, only a short walk away from all of our accommodation. This means we can deal directly with our tenants.

Unhousing was selected as the Number 1 Student Letting Agent in Birmingham by the UK's biggest fresher community, Unifresher.

Contact Unihousing today to find out more!