You'll probably get your student loan every 3 to 4 months, at the beginning of each term, so here are a few helpful hints to make it stretch that little bit further ;-)
1. Student Beans!
If you're going out to dinner, to the cinema, buying something nice, or actually for anything at all, sign up to student beans for cool freebies and discount vouchers just for students!
2. NUS card
Flash it wherever you go, WHEREVER you go!
3. The Yellow card
http://www.screampubs.co.uk/yellowcard/
Save ££££££ on drinks and food for a cheap night out!
4. Food shopping
This only works if you a) get on with your flat mates, b) you like similar food and c) you have similar timetables.
It's easier to cook for more than one and cheaper too! When you do your weekly shop have a plan of what you're going to eat that week - with a few variations - jacket potato and beans gets a bit boring after a while.
Also don't go food shopping when you're hungry, you'll just come back with lots of biscuits, snack food and no actual real food! ha!
And finally
5. Budget
Write a weekly, monthly or termly budget, whichever suits you.
Start at the top with your incomes - so student loan and wages. Then add them together to make a total group A.
Then make a list below called group B, this is all your expenditures for the same time period so if it's monthly then work out how much you'll roughly spend each month on food, going out, phone bills, books etc.
Then take B away from A to get C. If C is a negative number you're in trouble!!! You're spending more than you're earning! If C is a positive or 0 then you're on track :-) Obviously it's just a guestimate but will give you an idea of where your money is going. Simples :-)
So in nutshell, make the most of being a student, get all the freebies and discounts you can, because as soon as you become a graduate you lose them all and you have to be a proper grown up and pay in full!! xxx Love big sister number 2, the one who lives in Bristol :-)
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