19 Best Ways To Save Money As A Student In The UK

The long and winding road. Tell me, what was the first thought that came to your mind after reading this? The Beatles, right?

But no, we won’t be talking about the Beatles today; we’ll be talking about a student’s journey from their home to the UK, which can often seem like a long and winding road.

On this road, what’s the greatest bump that everyone faces? It’s the tuition fees and the expenses that can almost cost a fortune, but if you take some money-saving steps, this cost can be reduced by a great amount, and that’s what this blog is all about.

Brace yourself as you’re about to explore the most effective 19 ways to save money as a student in the UK with many valuable insights.

So, without any more chit-chat, let’s go!

How to save money as a student in the UK (Up to £10,000 a year)

Imagine living at home where your parents took care of everything of yours, and all of a sudden, you’re paying bills, buying groceries, and taking care of everything.

It almost feels like stepping into a whole new world, and believe me, in this world, it’s wise to create a student budget plan and know some money-saving tips so that you don’t hang around with an empty pocket.

Given below are the 19 top money-saving tips for a student in the UK:

• Scholarships and financial help
• Get a part-time job
• Buy from second-hand and charity shops
• Shake your money
• Have a buffer
• First things first
• A certain shopping list
• Resist the sales and self-treat
• Oyster Card and Railcard
• UNiDAYS
• Students discount
• Shared flats or apartments
• Cook at home
• Avoid Uber and taxi
• Open a student bank account
• Get free software
• Totum Card
• TooGoodToGo
• Get food and other items for free

(A quick note: Did you know that, on average, an international student in the UK spends about £247 per week, and sometimes it goes up to £427 per week? That’s a lot of money, and this huge cost has impacted many students’ mental health and well-being.)

1. Scholarships and financial help

The best way to reduce the cost of studying in the UK is by getting a scholarship or financial help. The UK government, universities, and many organisations provide a wide range of scholarships for international students.

Some of the famous scholarships provided by the UK government for international students are the Chevening Scholarship, the Commonwealth Scholarship, and the GREAT Scholarship.

Many universities in the UK offer student loan options. You can always reach out to them in case of emergencies.

2. Get a part-time job

One thing that you should really consider is getting a part-time job in the UK. You’ll be allowed to work 19 hours a week on your term time and 40 hours a week on your outside term time.

You can find many jobs at your university, and if you want, you’re always welcome to roam around in Indeed, and by freelancing, you can earn a great amount of money as well.

3. Buy from second-hand and charity shops

Don’t buy anything new, including books and clothes. You’ll find many second-hand and charity shops where you can get clothes that are as good as new and come with the best deal.

eBay, AbeBooks, and Book Depository are some of the best places to look at while buying second-hand books. Oxfam, British Heart Foundation, Shelter, Mind, and Cancer Research are some of the best charity shops in the UK.

For second-hand clothing, you can always have a peek at Vinted and Depop.

4. Shake your money

Don’t let all your money sit in one account. If you do so, you’ll feel like, ‘Ooh boy! That’s quite some money; no harm will be done if I spend a few,’ and by doing so, you can say goodbye to saving because each pound matters.

So, have your money in different accounts or different platforms, and it would be better if you don’t have easy access to them.

5. Have a buffer

A buffer is sort of a fund that you keep aside in case emergencies occur. Don’t include that in your budget. If something unexpected happens, this buffer can be a lifesaver.

6. First things first

First things first, which means paying for the essentials at first, like rent, clothes, food, travel, books, accommodation, water, and everything that you need to survive. Buy them in bulk, as you might get discounts on them.

7. A certain shopping list

Plan what you need for a week and buy according to your list. Avoid buying groceries like milk, yoghurt, bread, fruit, and vegetables that have a shorter expiration date because if you don't use them within time, you’ll be wasting both your money and food.

Try to buy foods that have longer expiration dates, like rice, canned foods, dried pasta, powdered milk, lentils, potatoes, etc. Never ever shop on an empty stomach, as everything may seem yummy at that time.

Try to buy from Morrisons, Lidl, and Aldi, as these three are the most student-friendly supermarkets in the UK. Groceries for a week can cost from £15 to £30 here.

8. Resist the sales and self-treat

No matter how much sale is going on, don’t buy it unless you really need it, and avoid self-treat. Suppose you’ve aced on your term and you want to buy something good for you or want to dine at a fine restaurant; put an end to that thought.

9. Oyster Card and Railcard

An oyster card will give you discounts on every trip that you make, including bus, tube, tram, DLR, London overground, and many more, and a Railcard will save you 30 percent on every train trip.

If you link your Railcard with your Oyster card, then you’ll get a 34 per cent discount on London Underground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services. You can get discounts on National Express coaches by using Young Person’s Coachcard.

10. UNiDAYS

UNiDAYS offers free membership and discounts for students on many items, like food items, clothes, makeup, accessories, electronic brands, etc. You’ll also get exclusive deals.

11. Student discount

Remember that on your journey in the UK, a student discount is your new best friend. In almost every store, you’ll find great student discounts. Take full advantage of being a student. 

12. Shared flats or apartments

Sharing moments with your friends is great, and sharing flats and apartments with friends is even better. If you don’t have any friends, then make some. This will save you a lot of money.

13. Cook at home

If you want to save cash, you have to, I repeat, you have to cook your meals at home because an average good meal at any restaurant or cafe would cost you around £25-£30.

Cook in bulk if you think you can’t cook daily. If you cook in bulk, you’ll be saving up both money and groceries. Try to buy groceries at the closing time, as you might find discounts on them.

If you’re looking for easy student recipes, you can always try BBC Good Food.

14. Avoid Uber and taxi

Forget that there are Uber and taxi services available in the UK. In case of emergencies, try Uber Pool. Use nothing but public transportation. Use your student cards to avail great discounts.

15. Open a student bank account

Open a student account with your student id in a local bank. With a student bank account, you’ll get an interest-free overdraft benefit and more. Aim for a bank that has the biggest and longest 0% overdraft facility.

An overdraft is where you can spend more than you’ve got in your bank account, but to a certain amount. They charge huge fees for this service, but for students, it’s completely free.

Don’t go over your limit, because if you do, then you’ll have to pay extra charges. While opening a bank account, they’ll tempt you to take credit cards and others. Never ever fall for it.

16. Get free software

Since you’re a student, for sure you’ll need various software. With a valid student email address, you can get Microsoft's entire Office and many others for absolutely free. You can also get 1 TB of free online storage with OneDrive.

17. TOTUM Card

The Totum Card is the no. 1 student discount card in the UK. With this card, you can get discounts from over 400 top brands of food & drink, tech & mobile, health, fashion, and entertainment.

Totum has two types of membership. With the free Totum one, you can get access to a range of online offers, and with the TOTUM+ membership, you’ll explore a whole new world of student deals and discounts.

The full TOTUM+ membership currently costs:

➡️ 1 year - £14.99

➡️ 2 years - £24.99

➡️ 3 years - £24.99 (Free)

18. TooGoodToGo

Wanna save a meal from being wasted? Then, TooGoodToGo is your go-to option. You can purchase a ‘Magic Bag’ from it, which contains items that haven’t sold that day. You’ll get a good surprise at a very cheap price.

Suppose, for £3, Costa Coffee sells its Magic Bag. You can have a chance of getting foods worth £10 consisting of sandwiches, toasties, salads, pastries, and cakes for just £3. A great deal, isn’t it?

19. Get food and other items for free

Wanna get delicious food for free? Imagine getting food, clothes, plants, and other household items for absolutely free. Feels great, doesn’t it?

A platform called Olio connects people who have food to share they don't need with people who need it. It comes at no cost. You can get yummy food at absolutely no cost at all.

At Freegle, people give away things that they don’t need. It's free to join, free to use, and everything on it is free. You can create a new home of items that people don’t need by simply using them for free.

Final note

Oh boy! That was quite something, wasn’t it? Just remember that there’s no shame in living a cheap life. Tell me, what’s better?

Living a comfortable life with no money at the end of the day or a cheap life with no money trouble? Indeed, the second one is better. So, save every penny and have it in your pocket.

Well, that about sums it up, and we hope that this blog about the best ways to save money as a student in the UK was of immense help to you. Good luck!

That’s enough of money-saving tricks. At first, you have to get to the UK, right? In this journey, AHZ could be your best friend, offering every service for free, including free consultation.

At AHZ, the dream will be yours, but the efforts will be ours.