By James Dylag, BA Business Management
Surviving on a student budget can at times be challenging, but there are ways to make living more manageable, without too much compromise. Here, you’ll find my top money saving tips.
One thing that has really helped me budget during my time at university was having two bank accounts. I had my primary bank account, which is where my loan etc. was paid into, and I then had a second account which I topped up weekly. I personally opted for a Monzo account as my secondary account. The Monzo app is really great – it shows you where you’re 
spending your money, how much your spending, and if you’re on track to have any money left over at the end of the week. Being able to closely monitor your money through the Monzo app really helped me be more conscious of my spending decisions. It’s free to open a Monzo account and is all done online extra ease!
Another tip which I genuinely believe has saved me hundreds of pounds is leaving my card at home for a night out. Instead, I decide how much I want to spend and take that amount of cash out with me – that way you’ll only have a poorly head, not a poorly bank account. Sheffield also has Uber, so if you do run out of money on your night out, fear not you’ll still be able to get home – just pay on the Uber app.
Being a student means that we get exclusive discounts at most retailers. To unlock this host of discounts, make sure you have a Unidays account. Unidays operates through an app, which gives you access to discounts from a multitude of shops – easing the cost of buying yourself the things that you need! You can sign up to Unidays as soon as you have your Sheffield email address!
One thing that still surprises me in my final year is the cost of university level text books. They can set you back up to £50 (don’t worry though, you don’t have to buy textbooks for every module). A way to save money on the cost of textbooks is to look out for society sales. This is where a given society will organise a book sale, where second and third year students can sell their textbooks on to first years or second years alike. For example, the management society, ManSoc, has a book sale every semester in the management school, where students sell on last year’s text books. Make sure you join the relevant society and look out for these sales!
Living on a student budget can be tough, but being thrifty and saving money where you can will really ease the pressure of money – and mean you can still have all the fun that you should be having at uni!