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I know what it’s like to be broke and a student. You’re only half way through the term, you
have £50 to your name, and there’s still 9 weeks left until the next loan comes in. The food shopping has to be done, paying £1.50 to get on the bus nearly makes you cry, and all your friends seem to be doing so much better than you. Sound familiar?
This is actually my life right now. It’s hard to be a student, especially when you’re living in a city where everything is twice as expensive. It’s no wonder it gets to the point where you lie in bed at night regretting that one time you spent £1.60 on extra special cookies from Sainsbury’s rather than just paying £1.10 for the ordinary ones- you get one less cookie anyway in the extra special ones!
Just because you’re a student it doesn’t mean that you should have to scrimp on having fun in order to save money. Granted having too much fun is probably what got you from £2,000 to £2, but that doesn’t mean that the fun has to stop. There are plenty of apps and sites that can help you out with offers to save that money for a rainier day.
UniDays: If you haven’t heard of UniDay’s and you’re a student where have you been and how have you been surviving?! UniDays’s is an incredibly helpful app (downloadable on IOS and Google Play) that offers you discounts from stores across the UK. From fashion and beauty, where you can currently get 20% off Levis, to food, where you can get 40% off at Ask Italian. This app won’t help you save money on the essentials of uni life granted, but if you have no money and want to treat yourself you are bound to find a discount on UniDay’s that will help you out. Just because you’re broke it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat yourself because who else will?! To sign up simply put in what uni you go to and your email address.
NUS: NUS is very similar to UniDay’s in the way that it offers amazing discounts on various stores, however it offers more than just discounts. NUS stands for National Union of Students, so they support students from across the world by offering advice and opportunities from job hunting to money advice. The NUS website is free to use (obvs) but if you want to cash in on the discounts an NUS extra card is £13.
Drinki: I spoke about Drinki in my February favourites post not that long ago but thought that it might be useful to bring it up again. If you live in London Drinki is a useful app (downloadable on IOS and Google Play) that allows you to get a free cocktail from various bars across the city. You begin with a free drink once every two weeks, however the more you share your code the higher level you become and the more drinks you accumulate. The only downfall is you can’t use two Drinkis in one night. However this app is useful for those days where you just can’t stretch the budget to £9 for a cocktail but REALLY need one. If you want to get an extra free drink you can use my code: IRUSSEL1. Happy drinking.
Save The Student: I have only recently discovered Save The Student but thank god I did. This site is really helpful for giving students useful advice on pretty much every money issue you will have at uni. With sections including ‘Save Money’ as well as ‘Jobs and Careers’, you can find helpful advice whatever situation you are in. There is even a section for free stuff and competitions that you can enter. If you are in a financial state like me (less than £100 and 8 weeks until the next student loan) than this is definitely a site you need to visit.
So those are just a few apps and sites that I know of that can help you out financially. There are always student over-drafts and, if you’re lucky enough, the bank of mum and dad. Just because you have no money it doesn’t mean you need to stop having fun, just have cheap fun!
If you know of any other useful apps or site comment below- us students need to help each other out!