5 Ways I saved Money at University

University is one way to get hit with financial reality. Having graduated in 2019 there are a few tips I learnt along the way that helped me to save money at University.

Welcome to my blog post. Here's to getting money savvy at university.

"University really did teach me how to manage my money"

5 Uni Money Saving Tips (That helped me to save money)

1. 16-25 Rail Card

I bet you saw this one coming already! I purchased a one off £30 railcard (now digital) which allowed me save money on my travel for 1 year. Tickets went from £9.45 to approximately £6.30 this was super handy as I traveled to London every week to teach dance.

I also merged my 18+ Oyster card with my railcard for extra savings. The customer desk service merged it for me in a few seconds and violaaaa! I was on my way to #savingmoney as a student. According to Railcard the average average annual savings is up to £189!*

Where can I get one?

Anyone aged 16-25 can purchase a railcard for £30 for 1 year or £70 for 3 years.

You can get a #railcard 4 years for free if you successfully open a Santander student account.

Checkout the railcard site by clicking the link if you are 16-25 or above looking for great savings or you would like find out more about their other plans available.

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2. Cooking

I promise cooking saved me so much money and time! It got me through late night library sessions, lunch breaks at work and it prevented me from constantly buying when out! Being this prepared actually allowed me to be less likely to buy takeaways or purchase food from the canteen.

There's nothing wrong with buying out every now and again but for the sake of money saving cooking will be your saviour.

I have a meal plan template available in my Etsy store so you can be one step ahead. Check it out!

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3. 2 for 1 Cinema and Lunch vouchers

During my second year at uni I successfully purchased a car insurance through Money supermarket which enabled me to access meerkat meals 2 for 1 for one year. Through the app I was able to dine out with a friend for the price of 1 - hell yeah!. This meant the cheapest item would be free. You could do it with a maximum of 6 people between Sunday and Thursday only in participating restaurants. Sorry to say but kids meals and drinks are excluded.

You can also access this perk by purchasing a number of insurances such as pet, home, life or even business insurance. I also found a broadband deal on their site which gave me access to their 2for1 meerkat meals. What are you waiting for? Start saving your money. Image credit: comparethemarket.com

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4. Car Insurance

After saving up, I successfully purchased a car in my second year of uni, it was honestly the best decision I made to purchase my car insurance annually. Although, you do have the option of monthly payments and spreading out the cost of your insurance over the year, however, you are more likely to pay more for your policy. This was a no-brainer for me, as soon as I was ready I made a lump sum payment, saving me over £280. Don't forget to use comparison sites to find the best quotes.

According to MoneySuperMarket data correct as of October 2019.

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5. Wholesalers

Whole sale drinks - this honestly saved my life!

Of course, sometimes you want to purchase that one off drink in the corner shops but if you find yourself in a regular pattern, then purchasing wholesale could help to reduce the costs big time! I personally paid £2.99 for a 24 crate of water that would last me a longer duration and save me money. The current water bottle in the corner shop is £1.09. I know where I'd rather spend my money.

Search for the closest Wholesalers or consider stores such as Costco, or supermarkets who sell affordable crates such as Lidl, Aldi, Asda, Tesco and so on.

Happy money saving at university!