Living on a tight budget...
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With deadlines looming and stress levels on the rise will power is in short supply! So what can be done to ease the burden on the impecunious student? There’s no such thing as a free lunch as they say! So there are no easy answers.
Other options include the web (see attached links) and word of mouth. Like most things in life some job agencies are good and others are not so good. So be careful not to waste your time. It’s always a good idea to talk to your friends and acquaintances, particularly those already working, and check if they know of any vacancies. For those without an appetite for work the options are limited and demand some form self discipline. One good tip is to arrange for your grant or loan to be paid into your account monthly rather than each term. This should make budgeting easier and avoid the prospect of several weeks without cash as the term draws to a slow, painful and hungry close! I am not sure there is an art to budgeting beyond good common sence. Live within your means and make a few sacrifices. Think of it as a challenge –how little can I survive on?
Another money saving wheeze is to club together with your mates and buy online. This has the added bonus of saving shoe leather as stuff can be delivered directly to your door. Make sure you spend enough to qualify for free delivery. You can buy pretty much anything online these days so be creative. And finally, if you are not already using it, why not try the Messaging Hub. It’s a really cool way of reminding your parents or other ‘relis’ of your existence and persuading them of the merits of sending you some free stuff! A gentle reminder of all next terms coursework books might not go amiss for example. It’s dead easy to use and its free –give it a try you never know your luck!
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It’s a stereotype, the penniless student scraping together the pennies for a bus ride to campus, wearing gloves and a hat in bed to ward off the cold and existing largely on stale bread and water. Of course, it’s not really that bad in 21st Century Britain (!) but students are a money-troubled group nonetheless. Signing up to student life is consent to a few years of pound stretching. 
The most obvious solution is to find a part time job either during term time or at home during the holidays. Despite gloomy talk of recessions the job market is pretty buoyant in most parts of the country and there is work to be had particularly in the service sector. Working behind a bar is, unsurprisingly a favourite amongst the student population. Finding work requires some effort and for the student used to sleeping until the middle of the afternoon, it means an early morning alarm call (well say 11.00am anyway)! Get your a**se out of bed before lunchtime and mosey off into town. The best way to find bar and shop work is to get out there and knock on a few doors.
Let’s start with a no-brainer: don’t buy unnecessary stuff and why not start by ditching those ready meals. Money spent on ready meals is money squandered. The plain truth is, you pay for convenience and you pay through the nose. Take a pot noodle for example: tasty, quick, and on the face of it cheap. But consider you’re paying just under a quid for what you could replicate by chucking a bag of ASDA noodles (8p) and some frozen peas (30p) into a mug. Too much effort, you say. Well, it gets easier with practice, but it stays cheap. Buying huge packets of long lasting foods will save you money. Don’t be embarrassed with your parade of the white and green smart price colours at checkout!
