The great 'what I wish I'd known before I was a student' hunt

smartarse

I'm not great on saving money when you don't got none/much, but, great quotes that have made life easier for me are:-

• "Never go upstairs empty-handed" - sounds silly, but think about the times you've gone up & down looking for your trainers/ipod/file/wallet!
• "You can only spend that pound once" - easy to forget when you're on the 3rd pint!
• "Pair up your socks when you take them off" - that way they'll end up in the same wash and you won't get into the scenario where people are concerned for your mental health!
• "Always buy socks that are distinctive" - plain [black, especially] socks can ruin your life..........
• "Martin Lewis is god" - ok, so I just made that up, but if you check this site regularly, you WILL save money and have a less-stressed life!

Best wishes;)

rubypeko

instead of getting a part-time job in bars and pubs I chose to work in retail, you get free tops and jeans/trousers every season plus great discounts. Choose the shop/brand u like..i was in london so I was lucky to have lots of choices!

louisa7835

It may seem obvious but get a job!

I worked in a bar 3 nights a week whilst at uni which just about kept me out of my overdraft.

But now I would definately recomend working in a restaurant (one that provides full waitress service) not only do you earn your wages but tips on top, which can often be much more than the wage itself. I now work in the restaurant industry and some students I know can earn anything up to £100 for a saturday evenings work.

I always employ students as I find them to be some of the most concientious and hardworking team members

tazzems

I will be starting uni next September, but i am a mature student with 2 children, i would be interested in any tips you all have, bearing in mind that my child care costs would be more than i would earn in an hourly wage, i am worried sick that i will not be able to get by on the bursary and child care grant you get, my rent, household bills, food and stuff for my kids will be more than i get in student loan and thats without petrol, parking permit etc etc

wordsfan

tazzems wrote: »

I will be starting uni next September, but i am a mature student with 2 children, i would be interested in any tips you all have, bearing in mind that my child care costs would be more than i would earn in an hourly wage, i am worried sick that i will not be able to get by on the bursary and child care grant you get, my rent, household bills, food and stuff for my kids will be more than i get in student loan and thats without petrol, parking permit etc etc

I was also a mature student with one child and was single mum. Go to Student Support for a review so they can tell you EVERYTHING you should be getting. DWP certainly won't!!

When I did it I got student loan, Childcare Grant (worth more than tax credits childcare support, but you should still get child tax credits), also check as you may be entitled to (see also entitledto website) income support, housing benefit. Remember you don't pay council tax as a student - this is the case until the 1st sep after grad unless you get a job straight afterm grad in the summer. Also uni's have loads of gralnts, access funds, book & learning grants. Seriously there's loads out there. Uni should also be able to tell you about charitable grants from charities particularly interested in your personal circs.

Hope that helps. Trick with uni/charitable grants is to get in there early.

mellymeep

I wish I had put aside money for the end of year bills! They're causing me a lot of bother!

wordsfan

Learn to be assertive!!! With flatmates, uni, student loan company, tax credits, DWP, LEA. Cos if people muck things up for you the person that complains loudest and longest will get sorted first!! Learnt that one the hard way!!!

Food - Learn to cook!! Much cheaper, tastier, healthier and less boring!! Not difficult, stews and casseroles using packet sauces, basic pasta, basic curry (tinned toms, veg, curry powder or chilli powder to make it chilli) are all things u can do on a sun afternoon post hangover (good distraction too) and freeze. U can get foil containers from asda for about 70p.

Check out the yellow labelled stuff in supermarkets – esp for treats.

IF you are SURE you can trust everyone to be fair. Shop with your housemates for the basics.

If the exact opposite is a problem, remember that dry goods can be kept in your room – that inc packet sauces.

Get a sports bottle for water. Lots of lecture halls you’re not allowed to take coffee/juice into and esp in summer u’ll be glad of it. Also much cheaper than buying drinks out. For winter get a flask for soup/coffee/tea.

Extra Income - Getting a job for younger students without kids etc is defo worth considering. Most of my uni mates had em. If like me you have other commitments (child) then do something that fits in with them and studying. I’m a quick typist and as an English student good at grammar and spelling, so used that but e careful of not plagiarising or doing someone’s work for them. Also there are companies that provide extra help for disabled students eg with transport, help with carrying books, notetaking if they have hearing or site problems and they employ other students to do this. Likewise foreign students like to enhance their language skills.

Save - Join NUS loads of discounts and discounts apply in shops u really wouldn’t
believe!
Get a bite card!
Jars of coins – one for copper, one small silver. Coppers save and bank in those
Little bags. Silver comes in handy for bus fares (instead of overpaying),
photocopying and other library charges, coffee machines…

Direct debit bills as much as poss – this does usually save u money.

Do you really need internet at home if got good access at uni? At least think about sharing cost with flatmates.

Save on calls home by using email instead. Save call credit for emergencies. Get a mobile package that lets u do loads of texts cheaply for all those “where r u” texts on campus/in clubs

Books- reacquaint yourself with the library. If you’re not already a member of your home one sign up! That way you can borrow books from or through there as well as uni library and the “normal” library/ies near uni. Esp suitable for English/drama/media students but you can also get material for other subjects. And set up a reminder on your phone or computer for return dates!! That way you can at least renew them. Use the librarians, they’re uber qualified and really know their stuff!!

Remember short stories, novels and plays, also journal articles are often available online.

Use 2nd hand bookshops both irl and online. DON’T be put off by “notes in the margin” makes the book cheaper and may save you making your own notes. Just remember to reference correctly. Also check uni website most have a sales section.

Buy new/expensive books with others on your course.

Entertainment – libraries also do cd’s dvd’s really cheap. Also think about joining something like lovefilm £3.99 for 2 films a month aint bad. They’ve usually got free trials on too. Could split costs with flatmates.

Share taxis or if there’s a few of you going to same address, get the bus. Stay with people that live near the clubs, but return the favour by eg making brekkie next morning and always say thanks.

more to come but on train and my stn coming up

wordsfan

said there'd be more...

Shelter are available for advice on who are the good/bad landlords in ur area - they're not just for homeless people. also great people for if you're having problems with your landlord.

Defo check out charity shops for clothes/books/music/dvd's they're great for jewellery/handbags/belts too.

Share clothes with other students, esp going out clothes if u don't like wearing same thing all the time and as these can be the most expensive. even if you and your friends aren't the same sizes you can share things like jackets, bags, hats, belts.

use supermarkets/£ shops for stationery eg computer paper, buy multi packs of pens, better still pencils for editing as u make notes. asda do super cheap computer paper.

If you go home in hols by train get a railcard (you usually get ur money back in 3 trips) also book in advance as tickets cheaper. try and travel off peak and avoid weekend travelling where poss. that way you'll avoid engineering works and usually cheaper too. Also check out coach travel. think there's a young person's coach card too. Mature students - dunno if this is still true but i was able to get a young persons railcard even though i was "too old" because i proved i was a full time student.

last piece of advice for now - get a good wind up double bell alarm clock (around £5 from argos) if that doesn't wake u nothing will!! also if you're in digs that suffer from power cuts - not a problem!!

Good luck, have fun and cherish every moment - i envy u all!!!

Aspiring

This thread is priceless

Brilliant advice and some interesting little snippets on aspects I would never have thought of in a million years.

oldsongsnewstereo

Aspiring wrote: »

This thread is priceless

Brilliant advice and some interesting little snippets on aspects I would never have thought of in a million years.

I second the above!

I'm still at uni but what i regret was not looking into grants and thinking scholarships were American things when I filled out my UCAS form. Fortunately (and partly because of this site) i'm not too bad off as a student so I assumed I wouldn't qualify for any kind of finacial help. Although i've now learnt that the department i'm in have links with some Fortune 500 companies who offer scholarships to those entering their first year till graduation of £800+ a year that I could have applied for



Ps. (5:30am) That having your friends draw all over you (and returning the favour by drawing all over them) with marker that doesn't wash off on a drunken night out seems like a good idea at the time but really isn't!