How to become a savvy student saver! Tips from the Student Funding team
1 December 2020
Read on for some top tips from the Student Funding team on how to make living in the city more affordable.
![savvy saver](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students/sites/students/files/styles/large_image/public/savy_saver.png?itok=c0BtgKmx)
When you arrive on campus as a new student, you’ll soon have a lot on your plate – settling in, making friends, deciding what clubs and societies to join, and finding your way around your new campus. Something you don’t want to have to worry about during your studies at UCL is money and whether you have enough to do the things you want to do.
Check out these easy ways to save money as a student, courtesy of UCL’s Student Funding Welfare Team.
Travel
- Student Oyster Card – To travel around London on tubes and buses you’ll need an Oyster card. A Student Oyster gives you 30% off weekly and monthly travel cards, allowing you to get around London for cheaper.
- Student Railcard – The Student Railcard gives 1/3 off rail fares to full time students. Importantly, you can also link this railcard to your Oyster card and get 1/3 off every journey you make, meaning even bigger savings. There is also a 26-30 railcard which offers the same discounts as the 16-25 card.
- Start cycling – Cycling remains the cheapest and most environmentally friendly way to get around town. To save the maximum on travel in the city and get fit at the same time, bring a bike and get pedalling.
Leisure
- The TOTUM Student discount card (formerly known as the NUS card) gets students a discount on everything from eating out to beauty products and technology. Make sure you never go shopping without it.
- Seeing theatre as a student also doesn’t have to break the bank. Check out this page on the UCL website with student deals for theatre, ballet, and opera.
- Student discount sites like Student Beans, UniDays, Save the Student, and Student Money Saver also all contain great deals for students shopping on a budget.
Food
- Avoid eating out if you can – lunch, coffee, and evening meals are all much cheaper if you make them at home. Bring a packed lunch to uni, put your homemade coffee in a flask, and share your evening meals cooking with flatmates – your savings will be huge (and you might learn some new recipes too!)
- Since you’re making your meals yourself, write a meal plan each week and take a shopping list to the supermarket. Only buying what you need will reduce unnecessary food and money waste.
- Lastly, use technology to help you save. Apps like Olio and Too Good To Go tell you about food that is being given away free or sold cheaply in your area.
Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a savvy student saver.
For some more money saving tips, see what other UCL students have to say...
For any other money worries and advice, just askUCL.
Last revised: 8 September 2021
UCL Student Funding team