Why does my money disappear as soon as I earn it? I ask myself that question on a daily basis. After all of the back-to-school shopping, student loans, and trying to make each summer the best in your life, money can definitely be tight. As a student myself, I know the struggle. Therefore, here are a few tips that can help you out during your financial struggles.
Firstly, the easiest ‘life hack’ of all (and one you’ve quite possibly heard a million times) is to sign up for emails from all of your favourite clothing and makeup retailers. By doing so, you gain early access to various of sales and you can get special treats, such as free items or exclusive coupon codes on your birthday or during celebratory events of the brand. Also, don’t be afraid to be cheeky and go ask for foundation samples. Go to every Superdrug and Boots in the vicinity and get every sample you can, they always last longer than intended, and you rarely get served by the same person twice, so don’t worry.
Following on from that, as a student that has really found job hunting difficult, believe me when I say that I’ve trawled through every corner of the internet to find something suitable. I came across several companies – Valued Opinions to name one – that offer you the opportunity to complete surveys, with money as a reward. Rather than a direct deposit being sent, which you could be tempted to spend, you can build up the money over time and earn a voucher as a reward. This voucher could be for Love2Shop, ergo it can be spent at multiple places, or another place of your choosing.
Moving swiftly on, university can cause money to be even more precious, hence why bulk buying is the perfect solution. Understandably, it might be tempting to bulk buy everything, but make sure you only get the things that you truly will use. Supermarkets, Asda for example, sell 5kg bags of rice, as well as huge bags of pasta (every student’s favourite food, or mine at least). Not only can you buy the pre-prepared bulk amounts, you could peruse the “cheap counters” as I like to call them. These are the shelves that hold discounted items at particular times of the day. Often, there will be perfectly good products being sold at reduced prices, that can be frozen, so most ‘best before’ dates don’t actually matter. Even bread can be frozen! Take this opportunity to stock your fridges and freezers with meat, lunch items and anything else you need for the coming weeks because every penny you save will help in the long run. I must reiterate that you only buy what you will actually use, otherwise you’ll end up losing more money than you save.
Another quick tip is to prepare as much food as you can in advance. This will stop you from being tempted to order a takeaway or eat out when you can’t really afford it. By doing this, you will not only save some cash, but you’ll be making sure that you’re keeping a healthy and balanced diet because it will help you to create a meal plan, if that’s something you want to do.
Essentially, these are some of the most useful tips & tricks of being a student, in my opinion. Think about each item you buy before doing so, and don’t be afraid to collect any freebies that are offered to you. They always say that the best things in life are free, anyway.
Post by Georgia Foote.
Hi, I’m Georgia. I’m an oversized cardigan and makeup enthusiast, with a love for pouring my heart out on paper, and watching The Handmaid’s Tale on repeat.
