Living in the UK and Ireland

There is no doubt that costs are rising globally, and things are no different in the UK and Ireland.  As students, your funds are limited so you need to be smart about where you can make some savings.

Here are some tips to make your £’s go further:

Smart Accommodation Plan

This is probably where most of your money goes when you are a student.  However, it is possible to make big savings so you can spend your money on more exciting things:

• Consider teaming up with friends and renting a whole property.  This will give you the opportunity to live in a larger property at a lower cost.  Because the bills will be shared, you can easily save a lot of money.  It can also be great fun to live with your friends! Give permission to share your email address and your university can group you with other students who are interested in sharing.
• Try to find a property that includes all bills (gas, electricity and broadband, etc)
• Consider getting together with friends to buy a car.  This will save a lot of money on transport costs when travelling to and from the university. And it will give you greater access to places you want to visit!
• Have you thought about homestay in a family house? This is a great option as it is usually cheaper than private or university accommodation. The meals will be home-cooked, and you will have the opportunity to practice your English skills.
• Why not find a place further away from the university?  Rent for accommodation is usually a lot cheaper away from town centres or close to universities.  If you are considering this option, you must check that the transport links to the university are regular and not too expensive.  
• Use specialist student accommodation websites, such as https://www.studentpad.co.uk/to help you find the best accommodation to suit your budget.

Money Saving Tips

Let’s face it, the cost of living is rising in the UK, so you need to think intelligently about where you can make savings. Here are some tips that can save you money:

• Always ask for student discounts in cafes, shops and restaurants. Your student ID card or library card is usually sufficient to get 10% discount (or more) in these places.  However, it’s worth getting a student discount card: https://www.totum.com/pricing(free – £9.99 for a year), as this will get you even bigger discounts and can be used online.  Hey, you can even get a big discount on an Amazon Prime subscription!
• Get yourself a student rail card https://www.railcard.co.uk/16-25/to save 1/3 off train fares in the UK. It costs £30 per year (that’s about £2.50 per month) and can save you a great deal of money if you use trains regularly.
• Always book travel (air, train, and bus) in advance, as the savings can be considerable.
• Use apps like Skyscanner https://www.skyscanner.net/or StudentUniverse https://www.studentuniverse.co.uk/ to check and book flights. 
• Did you also know that flights are usually cheaper to purchase on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays?
• Use a budgeting app on your smartphone. For example, https://www.moneydashboard.com/will help you to keep track of your spending.
• Many bars and clubs have ‘Student Nights’ with special offers on drinks and food.
• Get yourself loyalty/membership cards for shops.  They are free and can get you great discounts on a host of items. They also have ‘special offers’ on a wide range of goods.
• Always check to bottom rows of supermarket shelves when buying food.  You will often find the items are much cheaper here.

Finding Part Time work

A great way to make money and find new friends is by taking a part time job. You can work up to 20 hours per week in a wide variety of roles.  Use the following sites to search for part-time work in your area: https://uk.indeed.com/ or https://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/part-time. Facebook and Twitter are also excellent job finding resources.  Why not give  https://nextdoor.co.uk/ a look and ask about jobs in your local area?

Know your regions

London attracts thousands of international students every year, for very good reasons. Not only does it have a wide range of world-renowned universities to choose from, it has a huge variety of attractions to tempt intrepid students. From amazing museums and art galleries to world-class nightlife, restaurants and shopping, London offers everything you could ever need. Although it’s a large city, finding your way around London couldn’t be easier because if it’s excellent transport network.  Travelling to anywhere else in the UK is also straightforward, due to its extensive network of rail, bus and air terminals.

Are you studying in Scotland? This northern part of the UK hosts some of the finest universities in the world and is situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.  Point your smartphone here and check it out: