We all knew 2009 would bring some difficult news about student loans, but no-one expected it to be quite this bad. Just days after 50,000 students discovered they’d have to start their courses without receiving all their loan money, The Confederation of British Industry suggested that students must pay more for their borrowing and degrees. Just over 16% of the 1millions students who applied for a loan this year, didn’t get their money on time. So the economic outlook for those studying at the English Universities seems bleak - or does it? Some savvy students are taking intelligent steps to ensure they meet the challenge of rising borrowing costs head on. They’re employing a whole range of tactics to ensure they make their money go further and graduate university with less debt. Here’s the top-10 in no particular order: Get a part-time job. It may seem obvious but a surprising number of students don’t supplement their loans with a wage. Now, nobody needs to tell you about benefits working in a bar or supermarket can bring to your social life! But it can also stop you from blowing your student loan on those things that make uni-life so much fun such as nights out, takeaways and parties. Getting a part-time job is also a great way to meet local people outside of the traditional uni-scene. Have all your fun for nothing. Enjoying yourself at university doesn’t have to cost and an arm and a leg. There are plenty of people happy to furnish you with shed-loads of freebies. You’ve just got to go online to find them. P** less money up the wall. If going out and partying is your thing, then there are ways to have full measures of fun at a fraction of the price. There are plenty of websites out there that provide money-off vouchers for bars, pubs and clubs such as Jongluers. Eat out for less. Restaurant bills can leave a nasty taste in your mouth. So why pay the full total? There are hundreds of discount deals online including everything from Pizza Hut to your local Indian. Sell books and buy cheaper ones second-hand. Gathering dust; that’s what happens to you old text books once you’ve read them. So why not turn them into cash and sell them to other students. Or save yourself money by buying them second-hand. Follow the link at the bottom of this article and you can do both. Get your electricity, gas and water cheaper. Shopping around for good deals on essentials such as utilities and car insurance can save you hundreds of pounds each year. The easiest way to find a cheaper utilities is on the price comparison websites. Look and smell good for less. We’re in a recession. So fashion and health & beauty retailers are giving discounts on a wide variety of product including everything from ski wear to fake tans. You can find loads of discounts on health & beauty and fashion by searching for voucher codes online.. Spend less on food & drink. The price of a basket of food & drink has never been so high? So, take advantage of all those money-off vouchers supermarkets offer and bring the cost of your weekly food shop down. Supermarkets try to undercut each other all the time. So shop around online for deals before you go out shopping. Get your gadgets and broadband for less. If you love gadgets such as iPods and mobile phones or just need to get a laptop to write your assignments on, you can save pounds on electrical goodies. That’s because broadband providers, PC makers and mobile phone networks operate in a highly competitive market. To get your business, they’ve got shed-loads of promotions. Take a look at what deals they’ve got to tempt you by going on the internet. Set yourself an entertainment budget and stick to it. Overspending on the stuff that’s the most fun; it’s easily done. You can snap up great nights out and in deals at a snip of the price by looking online. These are just 10 ways to live large and spend small at university. Your challenge is find as many additional ways to maximise your uni-budget and graduate with minimal debt. There are literally thousands to discover out there. Happy hunting. Here’s my favourite website. .unitown.co.uk

No tags for this post.

Related posts

• No related posts.