How to Save for Something Big

Whether you want to save up for a cool video game or your college education, you're going to need a financial game plan. Just ask your parents who probably labor away, constantly dealing with paychecks, bills, tax software, and savings of their own. When it comes to establishing a financial plan, check out some of these ideas that'll get you started!

Get a Savings Account

If you're serious about saving your dosh, keeping it in a shoe box isn't going to cut it. It's time to start a savings account. This account should be separate from your checking or "spending money" account. Look for a bank that offers a higher interest rate (that's the money the bank pays you to keep your cash with them) and also make sure they don't charge you a lot of service fees. In fact, a lot of banks don't charge kids any service fees at all, so shop around to find the right bank for you.

Start Saving Your Money Now

The next step is to start putting money in your account. Start with whatever you have, whether it's five bucks or a thousand, it all helps. The best thing to do is to make a saving plan. Decide how much you're willing to put aside every month and then do it. If you already have a checking account, most banks will be able to set up an automatic transfer every month - so the cash will come out of your checking account and go into your savings automatically. This is helpful cuz it's way easier to save money if you never have a chance to spend it in the first place.

Advanced Options: Investing Your Money

If you have a serious goal (paying for college, backpacking through Europe after graduation, etc.) the best idea is to start making your money work for you. The way to do this is to invest your money somewhere where it's going to make more interest than in your savings account. Here are some options:

• Bonds: When you buy a bond it means you are lending money to someone (for example, your government or a company). With a bond you get a higher rate of interest than with a bank account, but you have to wait longer to get your money back (sometimes 10-15 years).
• Stocks: When you buy stocks you are actually buying a tiny piece of a big company (for example, you can buy stocks in Disney, McDonald's or Nike). You can often make a lot of interest in the stock market but you also run the risk of losing money too. If the stock goes down, the money you get back from your investment goes down too.
• Mutual Funds: Mutual Funds are like investing on your own, but instead you pool your money with other peeps and invest in a bunch of things (stocks, bonds etc.) with the help of a financial manager. This is a good option cuz you have a professional doing all the hard work, and it is less risky since you don't have all your investments in one place.

Other Investment Options

There are tons of other investment options out there and a financial advisor, banker or a money-savvy 'rent might have some cool ideas for your specific situation. If you're trying to save up for school, you might find that your government offers some saving help. Some countries and states will chip in to your college fund, while others will give you (or your 'rents) tax breaks. Check out your government's web site or ask your school counselor.

Read more: Saving Money for Kids | Tips | How to Save | Teach a Child | College | Easy | Help | Banking Lessons http://www.kidzworld.com/article/3966-how-to-save-for-something-big#ixzz2dIVLvkFb

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13 Money-Saving Tips for 2013

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How to Manage Your Money (for Teenagers)

1. Get some money. Check out added online writing such as Accomplish Money (for Teenagers).

2. Save as abundant of the money you accomplish as you can.

3. Once you accept enough, ask your parents to accessible up a accumulation annual for you. This will annihilate the allurement of absent to absorb that money.

4. If you are not old abundant to get a job, plan assorted jobs about the house, acrimonious things up if you are not asked, or alive added harder on something that could acquire some money. Also, plan out a accord with your parents involving your grades--for example, for every 'A' grade, you get ВЈ5.

5. Alpha extenuative young. Let's say you get ВЈ10, save ВЈ5, and accept the added ВЈ5 for yourself. After a while, this can absolutely add up. If you save ВЈ5 a week, that is ВЈ240 a year. If you accumulate that up until you get a job you can accept absolutely a bit of money saved. (i.e. lets say you alpha if you are 12 years old. ВЈ240 per year * 5 = ВЈ1,200. You could accept ВЈ1,200 adored up for if you ability 17 and are in charge of a car, and accept the abandon and pride of active yourself around.

6. Accumulate an organized assay pad (which can be bought at any appointment store), a calculator, a cardboard clip, and three pens - one red, one blue, and one black. Monitor every cent that moves in and out of your coffer annual and your pocket, and accumulate every cancellation with the cardboard clip. This allows you to advance an acutely authentic appraisement of your spending, adapted with every acquirement and accessible on demand.

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How Abundant of Your Bacon You Charge to Save?

If you're not extenuative 10% of your salary, you aren't extenuative enough.
The beforehand you alpha saving, the beneath you'll charge to set abreast every year to accommodated your goals. That's because you acquiesce your money added time to abound -- the assets on your invested accumulation will body on the above-mentioned year's gains. That's the ability of compounding, and it's the best way to accrue wealth.
Saving at atomic 10% of your anniversary bacon for retirement is recommended, but the earlier you alpha saving, the added you'll charge to save. If you alpha at 50, you may charge to put abroad 30% a year and still adjourn retirement by a few years.
Personally, I'm a big fan of the "save added earlier" strategy. That's what I've done -- approved to put as abundant abroad as accessible as aboriginal in my activity as accessible so afresh the ability of compounding do it's magic. It's just starting to bang in for me in a big way -- my investments are just now starting to bear abundant increases from year to year by themselves (even if I didn't accumulate accidental to them.)
So, how accept I managed to save this much? It starts with spending beneath than you earn. If you do this through the years, you can become absolutely able-bodied off. (By the way, if you're accepting agitation spending beneath than you earn, you may wish to analysis out my accomplished posts on how to save money and how to accomplish added money.)
I afresh yield the money I've adored and advance in my 401k (where I get chargeless money from my employer in the anatomy of a match) as able-bodied as in taxable accounts. My adopted investment car is basis funds.
Simply do these simple accomplish over and over afresh for years, and you're apprenticed to get rich.

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5 Tips for Saving Money in 2013

Saving money seems to be on everyone’s apperception these days, whether acid aback on lunches or axis the absterge canteen upside down to deliver one added absterge out of those endure few drops. Accepting this continued “recession” impacting anybody in one way or another, whether annoying about befitting or accepting a job, or managing today’s domiciliary annual on an assets ashore in “yesteryear’s” salary, agency a greater acquaintance of extenuative money whenever possible.
Fortunately there are abounding tips for extenuative money accessible from every apprehensible source, whether from a blog, online article, bounded association paper, annual articles, as able-bodied as absolute books on the topic. Abounding of these admirable money extenuative annual accept been about for decades, but abounding are atypical suggestions that accept circumscribed up afresh acclamation our accepted banking times.
The absolute “trick” of advance is afterward through on any or abounding of these tips for extenuative money and in fact carefully and advisedly extenuative money.
Below are a few tips for extenuative money that may be off the baffled path, acclamation behavioral changes for extenuative added money.
1. Save Added by Extenuative Less
People generally accomplish the aberration of getting too motivated and advancing about extenuative money in the beginning, after accepting a plan. Be accurate of affairs out too abundant from your paycheck to go into accession in your antecedent enthusiasm. If you acquisition yourself affairs a lot of of your money aback out of accession every ages to awning your expenses, what you’ve absent is not alone the abeyant accession of savings, but your all-embracing aplomb in your adeptness to save.
Instead, outline a added astute annual (The Annual Kit book comes in accessible here) and see how abundant money you absolutely charge from the paycheck. Then save a abundant abate aggregate and vow not to blow it unless there is a accurate emergency. You will not alone end up extenuative abundant added cash, but accepting a abundant accord added confidence. For advice creating a astute annual analysis out the Udemy advance Create a Annual that Works.
2. Replace One Circadian Expense
Find one baby circadian addiction aggregate that adds up to added than you wish to accept and change it.
For example, if you adulation the acidity of hazelnut in your coffee or tea, rather than do the Starbucks pump and absorb an added .75 for your admired flavor, buy your own big canteen of abstract for $7, add a baby aggregate to a small, carriageable alembic and add it to your circadian drink. This will endure you months and save you ample money.
Best of all, you still get to adore your hazelnut!
3. Pick One Money Handling Addiction to Change. A few examples could be:
One day or anniversary or month, try traveling algid turkey and use alone cash. You’ll be afraid how fast money disappears if your money is actual again.
Enter the ATM, debit and banknote costs into your analysis register, software annual or added tracking arrangement on a circadian base rather than putting it off for a week. Taking in that advice circadian can accept a able appulse on your spending.
If you like to boutique and browse and consistently administer to absorb money accomplishing so, one day a anniversary adjudge to be a chargeless spirit and leave the cards and banknote at home added than the basal needs. Or break out of all food or any online arcade for that day.
4. Be Resourceful Maintaining Your Affairs on Less Money
As a cine buff, use the offers in the Ball books or added ball programs online to buy a aggregate of tickets for your admired theatre at abutting to bisected price. Even admitting you may not be able to use your tickets the aboriginal anniversary of the movie, you absolutely accept the achievement of alive you can still adore your admired movies, at a bargain amount any time you want.
5. Change Your Accent and Change Your Life
Saying “It’s alone xx dollars” can be an big-ticket mindset. This is an simple way to absolve your spending, after accepting to face the ascent absolute of all the “this is onlys” getting spent every week.
“We’ll never be able to accept …” “I’m abortive at extenuative money” can be debilitating mindsets and abash any affairs changes. It may be accurate that, at this time, there are things not financially accessible to you or your extenuative abilities are lacking. That doesn’t beggarly change is not possible. It is. And all these situations are acting – not forever. If you alpha to change your language, you can alpha alteration your life.

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12 Ways to Save Money on Aliment Shopping

How to eat bargain -- but healthfully -- admitting ascent grocery costs.
You’re paying added these canicule not abandoned at the gas pump but aswell at the grocery store. Blame it on ascent oil prices, black crop yields, all-around warming, or the anemic dollar. What it all agency is that you charge to acquisition acute means to save. These able tips and strategies can advice you carve your grocery costs after sacrificing nutrition.

1. Plan Ahead
Katherine Tallmadge, RD, says, "Take annual of what you accept on duke so you don’t overbuy. Create a abundant arcade annual based on your needs and annual card plan, and yield into annual how you plan on application leftovers."
Have a ablaze bite afore you go shopping, and stick to your grocery annual to advice abstain actuation purchases or cher mistakes like falling for the displays at the end of the aisles.
Before you plan your annual menu, analysis the ads to see what’s on auction and use coupons to yield advantage of sales and money-saving coupons. You can even assurance up online to accept coupons and email alerts from your admired grocers.
2. Accomplish Advantageous Choices -- They’re Cheaper
Eating convalescent foods can in fact save you money, according to a abstraction appear in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The advisers begin that if families went on weight accident diets, they not abandoned absent weight but bargain their aliment budgets.
The accumulation came from abbreviation allocation sizes and from affairs beneath of the high-calorie foods that tend to admission the aggregate spent at the grocery store. Humans tend to absorb a lot on those "extras" -- foods that add calories but little comestible value, like sodas, bakery items, and chips.
You can get added for your money if you accede the comestible aggregate of aliment for the price. For example, sodas and flavored drinks bear mostly abandoned calories and could calmly be replaced with beneath big-ticket sparkling baptize with a burst of a 100% bake-apple abstract like cranberry.
"When my audience alpha bistro added healthfully, their grocery bills plummet," says Tallmadge, columnist of the book Diet Simple.
She recommends comparing aliment prices based on the aggregate of servings you'll get, forth with the food's comestible contribution. For example, a batter of peaches yields three to four servings. So if you bisect the aggregate per pound, the aggregate is usually absolutely reasonable.
"The ideal aliment is nutrient-dense not calorie-dense, and the atomic big-ticket may be fresh, frozen, or canned," Tallmadge says.
And if you're appetite something sweet?
Connie Diekman, RD, says, "Save money by casual on calorie-dense cakes and cookies. Instead, opt for melancholia fruit. Bake-apple is fat-free, top in nutrients and fiber, and a accustomed energizer."
Look for sales or coupons for ablaze ice chrism or nonfat arctic yogurt to adore with your bake-apple and you accept a delicious, fat-free, low-calorie dessert.
3. Buy Aftermath in Season
Check the aliment area in your bi-weekly to acquisition the best buys for the anniversary based on beginning aftermath in season. Aliment in division is usually priced to sell. During the summer months, blah on the cob can aggregate as little as 10 cents an ear; at added times of the year, it may aggregate 10 times as much. Also, boutique your bounded farmers' bazaar for abundant deals on bounded produce; the prices will not cover shipment costs.
4. Use Sales and Coupons
Planning commons about what's on auction can lower your grocery bills, abnormally if you aswell use coupons. Just accomplish abiding they're for items you would buy anyway. Sunday newspapers are abounding of coupons and sales circulars to get you started. It's aswell a acceptable abstraction to banal up on staples if they're on sale. "Buy one, get one free" is basically a address to get you to buy alert as abundant as you charge at bisected the price. At some markets, though, the artefact rings up bargain -- so you don't accept to buy added than one to get the savings. Use your freezer to abundance auction items that can be acclimated at a after date.
5. Brown-Bag It
Making cafeteria and demography it with you is a abundant money-saver and an accomplished use of assortment for commons at work, school, or wherever your destination. "Packing your cafeteria not abandoned saves you money, but you can ascendancy all the capacity so they are advantageous and low in calories," says Diekman, who is diet administrator at Washington University. Pack a simple sandwich, salad, soup, wrap, or a affable bite of cheese. Use freezer packs and containers to accumulate aliment at the able temperature unless you accept admission to a refrigerator.
6. Anticipate Frozen, Canned, or Dried
Next time you're acquisition capacity for a recipe, try application frozen, canned, or broiled foods. They may be beneath big-ticket than fresh, yet they are appropriately nutritious. Aftermath is about frozen, canned, or broiled at the aiguille of accomplishment if nutrients are plentiful. Angle and banty are generally flash-frozen to abbreviate freezer accident and absorb freshness. With arctic foods, you can use abandoned the aggregate you need, reseal the package, and acknowledgment it to the freezer. If it's appropriately stored, there's no waste. Canned foods are generally sitting in a ablution of juice, syrup, or acrid baptize and usually crave rinsing. Broiled fruits are concentrated in acidity and a abundant acting for beginning fruit. Aswell accede application delicate or evaporated versions of milk in soups, casseroles, mashed potatoes, or desserts. Buy the anatomy that gives you the best aggregate for your needs.
7. Save on Protein Foods
When possible, acting bargain vegetarian sources such as beans, eggs, tofu, and legumes for added big-ticket meat, fish, or poultry. Eat vegetarian already a anniversary or added to admission your burning of advantageous bulb foods while extenuative money. Eggs are an excellent, bargain antecedent of protein that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You could aswell try application a abate allocation of meat, fish, or banty and extending the bowl with accomplished grains, beans, eggs, or vegetables.
Continue account below...
When you do buy meat, accept abate portions of angular cuts. For example, angular cuts of beef are those that cover the agreement "loin" or "round." (You can abate angular cuts of meat mechanically or by marinating them.) You can aswell buy a accomplished craven and cut it up instead of paying the boner to do it for you or buy the cheaper "family pack" and allocation it into closed freezer bags
8. Decay Not, Want Not
Before you bung decaying aliment into your grocery cart, anticipate about absolutely how you'll use it. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans accomplish almost 30 actor accoutrements of aliment decay anniversary year. Application added vegetables, poultry, or meat in soups, stews, salads, and buffet minimizes aggregate and demonstrates your adroitness in the kitchen. For example, accept a broiled craven for banquet one night and use the assortment for banquet the next night. Try topping a bed of beginning greens with vegetables, fruits, and slices of added chicken. Add a loaf of whole-grain bread, and presto! You've got a alimental meal in minutes. You can aswell eat assortment for breakfast or yield them with you for lunch.
9. Go Generic
Consider affairs abundance brands instead of pricier civic brands. "All aliment manufacturers chase standards to accommodate safe aliment and cooler articles of top quality," says Robert Earl, administrator of diet action for the Grocery Manufacturer Association. Many grocery companies buy national-brand articles fabricated to their blueprint and artlessly put their own characterization on the products. Read the additive annual on the characterization to be abiding you're accepting the a lot of for your money. Capacity are listed in adjustment by weight. So if you're affairs canned tomatoes, attending for a artefact that lists tomatoes, not water, as the aboriginal ingredient. Aswell attending for simpler versions of your admired foods. For example, buy biscuit or simple comatose or aloof cereals that accommodate beneath additives and are beneath big-ticket (and generally healthier) than adherent cereals.
10. Buy Prepackaged Abandoned if You Charge It
Unless you accept a advertisement or the account is on sale, affairs prepackaged, sliced, or done articles comes with a college aggregate tag. Still, humans active abandoned may acquisition that abate sizes of decaying articles or accoutrements of able aftermath annihilate decay and fit their needs best, admitting the added cost. You can aswell save money (and addition nutrition) by casual up the aisles with candy foods, cookies, bite foods, and soda.
11. Buy and Cook In Bulk
Joining a aggregate arcade club like Sam's, Costco, or BJ's can be cost-effective if you common the club regularly. Aggregate purchases can be a abundant way to save money -- as continued as they get used. You ability aswell attending in your association for arcade cooperatives that advertise aliment in aggregate at a abundant savings. Cooking in aggregate can save both money and time, says Tallmadge. "Prepare aliment in aggregate and benumb it in family-sized portions, which saves time in the kitchen," she suggests. For example, authoritative a big accumulation of amazon booze will be beneath big-ticket (and apparently tastier) than affairs it.
12. Bulb a Garden
For allowances that go above aggregate savings, bulb your own produce. There's annihilation bigger than a summer-fresh amazon from the garden. Tomatoes even abound able-bodied in containers if you don't accept amplitude for a garden, and some neighborhoods action association agronomical spaces. Alpha small, and see how simple it is to abound beginning herbs or a few simple vegetables. And if you advance a little time in freezing or canning your harvest, you can adore summer's compensation all year long.

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20 Tips For Saving Money On Groceries

 

Although we all need food and shop for groceries regularly, the food budget is one of the first (and easiest) places to pinch the pennies when needed.
With rising food costs, clever marketing and smaller packaging, it can get a little tricky to manage if you don’t know what to watch for.
Here are a few tips that can help you get the most bang for your buck…

Saving Money On Groceries

1. Shop On Non-Peak Days: Know what days of the month are busiest for shopping, I find the prices tend to be average to high on those days since the stores don’t have to work hard to bring in shoppers (there are some great price leaders, but overall prices aren’t great). Paydays, government check mailout days (like social assistance, family allowance, retirement checks), holiday long weekends, the 1st, 15th and 31st (or last day of the month), Fridays, Saturdays are all days in my area that are busiest for grocery shopping. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are not only less busy, I find items are marked at much better deals and pricing (if they don’t fall on the no-nos listed above). Plus if you don’t get to the grocery store early enough on high traffic days, the stores are crazy busy and pickings are slim with the deals scooped up long before you arrive…not as many product choices. Your area may operate differently with store pricing cycles, so take some time to track.
2. Be Picky About Expiry Dates: For fresh bakery items, meats, dairy and packaged fresh produce (anything with an expiry date), don’t pick from the front of the shelf or top items. Merchandisers will push the soonest to expire to the front of the shelf and stock the fresh stuff at the back (better chance to sell an item before it expires). Go for the longest expiry dates so you have more time to consume it (and less waste). For fresh items, I prefer shopping at a large, busy grocery store since their product turnover is much higher (giving a better chance to find longer expiry dates).
3. Stock Up On Deals: Staples like shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, these are safe to buy in lots of 6 or so since you’ll definitely use them. This will cut back on your future grocery bills since you already have plenty on hand and you’ll never pay full price again!
4. Know Your Prices: It’s a good idea to track prices with a price book, but if the thought of tracking each and every item you buy overwhelms you–you don’t have to go crazy and track every single thing, just track the main things that you buy: meats, dairy, cereals, etc. You’d be surprised at how many items aren’t the deal you thought they were (pay attention to sizes too).
5. Take Advantage Of Coupons: Use coupons whenever you can, but only for items that you really will use. Keep them organized to make your savings system efficient. Also use the instore membership cards wherever possible to accumulate points and savings.
6. Keep Your Pantry, Fridge & Cupboards Organized: If everything is disorganized and jumbled together, it’s easy to miss an item (or several) that you already have in stock and don’t need to buy. A lot of money is wasted due to disorganization.
7. Buy In Bulk Sizes When Possible: If something is easy to freeze, buy large flats or packages and cut down to meal size, repackage then freeze. Buy big when prices for in season fruits and vegetables are good and freeze the excess (see How To Freeze Vegetables and How To Freeze Fruit for tips). You can save several cents per pound (but…make sure you know your prices since buying bulk doesn’t always mean saving money). Make friends with a farmer: buy meats in bulk if possible. If you don’t have family members who farm and you can invest with (like buying a pig or a cow), you can make connections at the local farmers market.
8. Look For Cheap Meat Cuts: These can be used for soups, homemade broths, hearty stews and slowcooker recipes…costing you just pennies on the dollar when compared to premium cuts. The meat will be tender and moist if you use them in slow cooked recipes (see Tender Ways With Less-Tender Cuts Of Meat). Use rice, beans and pasta as cheap fillers. Or cut back on the amount of meat and stuff pieces to bulk up the portions.
9. Train Your Eye For The Bottom Shelf: Understand that the goal for grocery stores is to make the most profit possible, they’re not our deal buddies. In most cases all the aisle and shelf displays are designed to make it easy for you to choose items that have the highest profit margin (for the store). Not necessarily the highest priced items, but the highest profit margins. Look for good deals hiding on the lower shelf (it’s easier to look straight across and up than it is to bend low–stores know this). Also watch for small shelf displays, the items that make the store big bucks get larger amounts of shelf space, with only a small section for some of the lower priced items. You see them–but your attention is mainly caught by the large displays. Be aware of that so you don’t miss the better deals.
10. Make Less Shopping Trips: If you go weekly, you’ll find stuff to buy weekly–and that can easily pump up your monthly total. My ideal grocery shopping plan: Big spend once a month with fresh produce purchased weekly. I realize that conflicts with the leading tip to avoid weekly trips, but it’s one thing to run into a store, go directly to the fresh produce area, get what you need, then get out. Choose a hand basket instead of a grocery cart for quick trips, there’s no room to fill it up with non-essentials.
11. Buy Packaged Produce With No Regrets: When it makes sense! There are certain vegetables that just don’t do well in my home (have I mentioned I have a house full of fussy pants?), instead of buying a head of cabbage and a bunch of carrots, I’ll buy a small coleslaw bag…or I’ll buy two sticks of celery instead of a whole celery bunch. I’m paying more (per weight), however it’s costing me less at the cash register and I have no waste. Throwing out spoiled vegetables is throwing out money.
12. Introduce Cheap Meals: If you don’t already do so, make a goal to have at least one healthy, cheap supper meal a week (leftovers day doesn’t count). This can be a slowcooker meal, cheap meat cuts dish. By doing this at least once a week, watch the dip that happens in your monthly budget (that’s at least 4 meals you’re slashing costs on).
13. Plan For Once-A-Month Cooking: Try preparing at least one or two meals that you can make in big batches (see Once A Month Cooking for more details). The idea is prepare a whole month’s worth of meals at once, but you don’t have to go to that extreme at first. Try making just one or two dishes in bulk (3 or 4 meals) then freeze them–this accomplishes savings two ways: Less temptation to order takeout on busy days as well as uses up those items purchased in bulk (at lower prices).
14. Make Your Own Stuff: The ideas are endless! You can make homemade laundry detergent, homemade swiffer cloths, homemade cleaners, feminine pads, dishwasher detergent, fabric softeners & dryer sheets…there are loads of things you can make yourself for a whole lot cheaper.
15. Kill The Hunger Beast: Before shopping, have a snack so you aren’t hungry while shopping. If fresh bread is a tempting trigger for you, have some toast before you head off to the store. If chocolate items makes you weak at the knees, have a bit of something chocolate. These may not be as wickedly good than what’s waiting to tempt you at the store, but it’s enough to kill the craving and those triggers are harder to manipulate you when you’re fortified ahead of time.
16. Give Yourself Time: If you’re shopping in a rush or with three young children hanging off you begging for 100% sugar content cereal, you’re not going to be in the mood to scout for good prices. Try to shop when you can do so alone and not pressed for time. If your spouse isn’t a strong shopper, agree he or she stays home for the sake of the family budget (waiting to help unload the groceries of course!). For quick trips to replenish fresh produce, I do the opposite and squeeze in grocery shopping time between other errands–less time to dawdle (and spend).
17. Build A Better Shopping List: Throughout the month, track all the items that you need to replenish or will soon run out of. On shopping day, create your shopping master according the store’s floor plan so you have items listed by aisle or section. Knowing just want you want to buy helps you stay focused and less browsing the shelves trying to remember what you need (less chance to be tempted). I find it best not to be too rigid with buying only what’s on my list, I’ll buy other items when the prices are a bargain (knowing your prices is important for this to work out well).
18. Grow Vegetables & Herbs: Don’t let the thought of a large garden overwhelm you, go as small as you like at the start and grow in size as you feel comfortable and can manage. Both large gardens and small pots can save piles of cash by growing your favorite veggies & herbs. Consider herb pots, small plots of potatoes, container tomatoes & cucumbers, grow a small pot of onions and even bean sprouts right on your kitchen counter. Whether you have a large backyard, a small apartment balcony or just a sunny window, you can grow some of your own food and pocket the savings.
19. Shop At More Than One Store: In my city I have one favorite grocery store that has the best prices on packaged and canned goods, and another favorite store that has the best quality (along with good prices) for fresh produce and meats. I’ll plan my shopping trips to shop at both–paying a bit more for fruits and veggies that really are fresh and of good quality since they’ll last longer. Shopping at a variety of stores only works well if it’s worth the cost of extra gas and if you can manage the time, for me it really does pay.
20. Watch The Deli Area: If you shop after 7 p.m. or so, good deals can be had in the deli section for roasted chicken, roast beef, prepared salads and other dishes that the store is eager to sell before closing. If you can use them up for a late supper that night, great. If not, think about ways you can use the meats: I like to grab a couple of the roasted chickens, shred them and made chicken salad for the next day, chicken pies for the freezer, stir frys for the next night. Keep the chicken carcass and make some soup stock the next day. Cheap meat that’s already cooked for you, love it!

Bonus Tip:
Bring Your Own Fabric Grocery Bags: Not a big money saver, but many stores will give you a few cents off for each bag you bring in plus there’s no danger of the cheap plastic bags ripping open and spilling out grocery items (and smashing jars, breaking eggs, etc.).

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Money Saving Tips for College Students

Money Saving Tips for College Students

1. Where does your money go? It is important to know where you are spending your money. This will allow you to develop better spending habits.
   
2. Make a budget. Estimate your monthly income and expenses. Check out the budget planner in our MoneyHelp section.
   
3. Live like a college student. The reality is that you're a college student. So live like one—don't spend money you don't have yet. Though it may feel difficult, living like a student now will place you in a better financial situation when you graduate.
   
4. Don't abuse credit. Be responsible with credit cards. Only charge what you can truly afford to pay off each month and make sure it fits into your budget. If you are easily tempted to overuse, leave the credit card at home and take only the cash you can afford to spend.
   
5. Nothing's impossible. While it may seem impossible to save, try anyway, even if it's only $10 a week. Place the money in a savings account that's not attached to your ATM card so it is not as easily accessible.
   
6. Keep it safe. Be sure to keep receipts, student loan documents and other financial statements. You never know when you will need to refer to these documents.
   
7. But do you need it? One of the most important money saving tips is not to buy on impulse. Wait a few days and see if you still need the item.
   
8. Keep score. Make sure you pay your bills on time, every time. While this may seem obvious, paying on time is a big factor in having a good credit score.
   
9. Be a cheapskate. Many colleges offer lots of free or cheap activities on campus which will provide the opportunity to socialize without a lot of expense.
   
10. Milk your student status. Lots of places will give you a discount simply for being a student. Look for places that offer savings when you show your student I.D.
    
    
11. Extra cash. As long as you are able to manage your studies, a part-time job is a great way to earn a little extra spending money.
    
12. Use the used. Look online or check with your college bookstore for used textbooks for classes, which can save you some money. Selling back your used books at the end of the semester could score you some extra cash. Check online or with your campus bookstore for buy-back details.

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10 proven ways for students to save money

Let's face it. College and university acceptance absorb a lot of money. From charge to textbooks to accepting a life, your kids will charge a lot of banknote for their post-secondary education. The boilerplate Canadian graduates from an apprentice amount with $20,000 in debt.
The Smart Cookies are a accumulation of 5 Canadian women who got themselves out of about $50,000 of debt in one year.
One of the best means the Smart Cookies abstruse to abstain debt is to save area you can during the academy year. Here are their 10 tips for acceptance to advice them amplitude their accumulation during the academy year.
1. Start a abridgement for spending
One of the better mistakes adolescent humans accomplish is spending money after any pre-planning. You map out your classes for the year, you map out your bounce breach alley trip, you map out your accouterments for that affair on Friday night. To auspiciously access at the end, you've got to accept a plan to get there from the beginning. Figure out how abundant money you have, what's necessary, what's a luxury, and again account (on paper!) how abundant you charge to break afloat over the year.
When it comes to buzz services, one way to abstain biconcave your account is by allotment a provider that offers absolute add-ons for appearance you may use a lot, like argument and long-distance (important if your accompany and ancestors are beyond the country).
2. Bandy your old being for new swag
Odds are if you don't wish something, somebody abroad at your academy will. From purses and shoes to textbooks and hockey equipment, you can calmly about-face that old ataxia in your closet into banknote or barter it for something abroad you need. Auction sites and classified ads are great, but don't bind yourself to online outlets – announcement signs about campus or hosting a bandy soiree can accomplish the aforementioned ambition and you’ll accept a lot added fun. An added benefit is by abbreviation waste, you're aswell allowance the environment.
3. Bookish activity is an alive life
Classes, apprentice clubs, traveling to and from campus – the bookish activity is a actual alive life. Adaptable phones aren't just a abundant way to break in blow on the move; they're an important apparatus for ensuring your assurance and security: backward nights at the library abstraction for the allure final, winter alley trips home for the holidays – a adaptable buzz can be your lifeline! As an added bonus, a adaptable buzz can be your buoy to abundant credit. Applying for wireless account is the aboriginal time abounding adolescent humans accept credit. Paying the bill appropriately can be the aboriginal footfall appear a complete acclaim score, accretion the likelihood of accepting mortgages and car loans after in life.
4. Get Carded
Under accustomed circumstances, getting asked for ID can be a bit of a fizz kill. But if you're in school, there are two abracadabra words you charge to add to your cant – apprentice discount. Whether you're accepting dinner, traveling out to a movie, affairs a computer or traveling, aflame your apprentice agenda can generally save you 15 per cent. And don't be abashed to ask – even places with unadvertised discounts or no academic action will about accord a apprentice a break.
5. Advanced acclaim isn't just for courses
Post-secondary academy is about the aboriginal acknowledgment abounding acceptance accept to credit. Educate yourself about customer credit, including acclaim scores, absorption ante and transaction periods. You're in a actual capricious period, establishing acceptable (or bad) habits that you'll acceptable backpack with you for years to come. Paying your bills on time is a acceptable way to ensure apprentice year doesn't flunkout your acclaim for life. Setting up e-mail notifications and automated bill payments are a abundant way to ensure your payments aren't tardy, but conceivably the a lot of important aphorism is pay banknote if you can.
6. Kick-it old academy and share
In primary school, they accomplished you to share. As a teen, your behaviour was a little added egocentric – or at atomic that's what your parents said. It's time to yield it aback to the amphitheater and share. If you're active home over the holidays, action others a ride in barter for a allocation of the gas money.
Sharing things like DVDs, textbooks for half-year classes and Xbox amateur can be appropriately elementary if it comes to befitting your coin. And if you're on Facebook, sometimes all it takes to borrow what you charge is a agenda in your status.
7. "Used" is not a four-letter word
For those of you destined for business school, your business advisers will acquaint you the attraction of what’s 'new' is one of the affidavit consumers absorb themselves into insolvency. Your microeconomics advisers will acquaint you that the use you get out of an article justifies the money you absorb on it – that is, a book's amount is in getting read; a car's amount is in getting driven. Listen to your abstruse academics. A acclimated car can still yield empties aback to the abundance and a acclimated arbiter will still accord you a cephalalgia afore your attitude midterm – you'll just absorb less.v
8. Bling from getting green
Leonardo DeCaprio, Brad Pitt, Jay-Z and even Miley Cyrus are actively complex in ecology causes. It's acutely air-conditioned to be affectionate to the planet. However, the Earth's forests aren't the alone blooming you'll save by getting environmentally responsible. Ways you can save banknote while extenuative the planet include:
• Wearing added layers in that aerial apprentice abode instead of axis up the thermostat
• Using bunched beaming ablaze bulbs whenever possible
• Taking timed showers – hot baptize heating uses one-third of the activity in a home. A battery agenda aswell prevents the action for the bath with housemates.
9. Picture your purchases, again absorb the scratch
Have your eye on a new computer? Thinking about a account anniversary anniversary to the Bahamas? Wish to alum afterwards a government loan? It's easier to save money for a acquirement if you're consistently reminded about it. Download photos of what you're extenuative for and put them on your corpuscle phone, day artist or on your computer's desktop. This address will aswell advice you abstain actuation buys that about get answerable to a acclaim agenda – you'll save the money and accept lots of time to contemplate if you absolutely wish it.
10. Absorb the black in
A alluring night on the boondocks seems like a absolute way to absorb time with a appropriate anyone or draft off some beef afterwards an exam. But the next morning, all you'll be larboard with is a cephalalgia from the abode music and a aback abridged abounding of bar change that acclimated to be a aback abridged abounding of bills. Staying in is an economical yet appropriately fun another to traveling out (think top academy abode party). It will not break the headache, but at atomic you'll apperceive the affliction in the academician isn't accent because you're anxious about authoritative rent.

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27 Money Tips for College Students

School’s back in session, and with it come life-lessons in money management for students. But personal finance can be easy, even if you’re just starting out. You just have to know how it works. All of the following are concepts I wish I had known before heading to college.

Money Management
Now that you’re on your own, you might be tempted to spend money on all the things your parents wouldn’t let you have before. Go slow. If you play it smart, you can avoid the sort of money troubles that plague many young adults.

• Join a credit union. Don’t just sign up for a random bank giving away t-shirts or frisbees at registration. Track down a credit union in town, or do some research into online banks.
• Don’t get a credit card unless you absolutely need one. Don’t be a sucker. Those guys sitting behind the sign-up table are not there to help you. They’re there to make money.
• Avoid non-academic debt. It might seem like a good idea to put that Xbox on a credit card, but it’s not. Focus on developing good money skills with cash. Worry about credit later.
• Save and then splurge. If you decide you must have that Xbox, then save for it. Wait until you can pay cash.
• Pay your bills on time. Basic advice, but it’s surprising how many people lose track of things. If you pay your bills as they arrive, you won’t have to worry about forgetting them.

Organization and Planning
Some minimal organization will keep your finances in order. Each of these is an important adult financial skill.

• Track your spending. Use a notebook, or use Quicken if you have it. Good records will prevent you from getting overdrawn at the bank or charging more than your credit limit. This habit also allows you to detect spending patterns.
• Make a budget. It doesn’t have to be fancy. At the start of the month, estimate how much money you’ll receive and decide where needs to go. Remember: you don’t need to spend it all.
• Save your receipts. Put them in a shoebox under your bed if you must, but hold onto them. You’ll need to be able to compare them with statements at the end of the month. And some you’ll need to keep for several years.
• Guard your vital stats. Don’t give out your social security number or your credit card info except to known and trusted sources.

Campus Life
It seems like there are a hundred thing competing for your money. It’s hard to know what to do. Here are some smart ways to save money on campus.

• Buy used textbooks. You’re just going to sell them back at the end of the term. (Or end up wishing you had done so five years from now.) You don’t need new textbooks.
• Skip spring break. Forget the long road trips. You can have a lot of fun for cheap close to campus. (My college used to organize economical group trips; yours probably does, too.) You might be surprised at how fun it can be to stay on campus, too.
• Live without a car. Cars are expensive: gas, maintenance, insurance, registration, parking. Stick close to campus. Learn to use mass transit. Find a friend who has a car.
• Don’t hang out with big spenders. Some kids have parents with deep pockets. Other kids are well down the road to financial trouble. Hanging out with them can lead you to spend more than you can afford.
• Take advantage of campus activities. There’s always something to do. Attend free movie festivals. Pay a few bucks to see the local symphony every month. Support the sports teams. Attend lecture series. Get the most from your student ID!

Personal Life
Take care of yourself. Your mother isn’t around to remind you to brush your teeth. Nobody’s going to scold you for eating three bowls of Cap’n Crunch. Self-discipline is more important now than it ever has been in your life.

• Go to class. You’re in college to learn. Everyone skips now and then, but don’t make it a habit. What you learn and do now will have a profound impact on the rest of your life.
• Get involved. Staying busy staves off boredom. It also helps you build skills and form social networks that will last a lifetime. Try out for a play. Join the astronomy club. Write for the school paper. Find something that sounds fun to you and do it. Take risks!
• Stay active. A healthy body costs far less to maintain than an unhealthy body. You don’t have to do much to avoid gaining weight in college. A walk around campus each day will probably do it.
• Eat healthy. It’s possible to eat well on a small budget if you know what you’re doing.
• Limit vices. Beer, cigarettes, and pot are expensive. They also screw with your body and mind. Take it easy on the vices. There’s nothing wrong with a drink or two on Friday night, but don’t go overboard.
• Learn the art of the Cheap Date. The student’s guide to cheap dates suggests:
  • Take advantage of mother nature
  • Go for coffee
  • Use CitySearch to track down cheap food and activities
  • Attend campus events
• Have fun. Your college years will be some of the best of your life. It’s trite, but true. Make the most of them.

Decision Making
Get in the habit of making smart choices now, and you’ll develop a pattern of behavior that will stand you in good stead the rest of your life.

• Make smart choices. You can do anything you want, but you can’t do everything you want. Decide what’s important to you, and pursue that. And remember to leave time for yourself.
• When you want to buy something, ask yourself “Do I need it?” If you think you do, then wait. Don’t buy on impulse. Write the object of your desire on a piece of paper and pin it to the wall. Look at it every day for a week. If, at the end of the week, you still think you need it, then consider purchasing it.

Making Money
I’ve saved the best for last. If you can master even one of these, you’ll have a head-start on your friends. Master all four, and you’ll be on the road to wealth. No kidding.

• Spend less than you earn. Don’t earn much? Then don’t spend much. If your spending and income are roughly even, you have two choices: earn more or spend less. When I was in college, I worked as many as four jobs at once. This gave me a lot of spending cash. (Unfortunately, I didn’t do a good job with the spend less part of the equation.)
• Be an outstanding employee. Good work habits can pay enormous dividends, leading to recommendations and contacts that you can use after you’re out of school. Several of my classmates turned work-study jobs into launching pads for future careers.
• Start your own business. Can you install a hard drive? Can you strip a computer of spyware? Can you perform minor car repairs? Do you have a pickup truck you could use to haul furniture? Are you a passable guitar player? Charge cheap rates and exceed expectations. Word will spread. When you’ve built up a customer base, you can raise your rates a little. This is an awesome way to make money.
• Learn to invest. Find a discount broker and begin making regular investments. Sharebuilder is a great choice for college students. It costs only $4 to make a scheduled stock purchase, and you can invest any amount of money, even $20. Don’t obsess over the details yet. You can worry about high returns and low fees later. Right now the most important thing is to develop the investment habit. (Ad: Buy Stocks for $4 at ShareBuilder.) Ten years from now, you’ll thank yourself. If you can find a way to invest $1000 a year for the next ten years, you can set yourself up for life. No joke.

You’re ahead of the game just by reading this list. Now do yourself a favor: subscribe to Get Rich Slowly via RSS or via email (see the sidebar). Then go visit I Will Teach You to Be Rich. Ramit’s advice is targeted directly at young adults.
Also, if you can find it, pick up a copy of Young Money, a magazine for college students. (Browse the magazine’s archive of money management articles online.) Finally, download the free PDF “40 Money Management Tips Every College Freshman Should Know” from Scholarship America.
Now stop fretting over money. Get out there and have some fun. I’ll be here when you return.
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/08/30/27-money-tips-for-college-students/

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10 Tips for Saving Money in College

Everything from textbooks, food, transportation, supplies and entertainment -- these will all cost you money. There's no getting around it.

Start the Countdown
College can be an expensive endeavor, even with scholarships and other kinds of financial aid. It's difficult enough balancing a class schedule -- the thought of balancing a check book, on the other hand, can strike fear into the hearts of even the most studious mathematicians.
However, there are easy ways to save. Here are several ways to avoid the constant panic of going broke.

 Buy Textbooks From Used Bookstores

­New textbooks from university bookstores can be very expensive. Brand new editi­ons of chemistry books, for instance, can cost as much as $300, and that's not including any lab material. However, you can cut costs on reading materials and not starve. Look around for used bookstores. Most college campuses should have several -- the prices are heavily discounted, and book conditions are usually good. If you have enough time before classes start, check out the Internet for your books. Even with shipping charges, prices can turn out to be cheaper from online bookstores. And don't forget -- some of your friends might have taken a course in the past. Ask around and see if you can borrow from someone.
 

Seek Alternative Transportation

­Instead of driving to class and spending money on gas, parking passes and possible tickets, look into a local bus or subway system. If the system is run by your un­iversity, you'll probably be able to ride for free with a student ID. If a transportation system doesn't exist (or the existing one isn't safe or reliable), try to work out class schedules with friends and carpool. If you're close enough, walk or bike to class and get some much-needed exercise.
 

Choose The Right Meal Plan

­Campus meal plans vary depending on the university -- food quality, how often you eat, how much you eat, and location can all factor in. A meal plan can be a good deal, however, so do a little research and see if it's worth it. Grab a brochure; ask meal plan veterans; anything to get a little taste. Some univers­ities offer off-campus meal plans, too. These usually involve deals with food chains, so make sure the plan is appealing to you. If you decide to skip out on a meal plan, it's possible to eat enough and eat healthy on your own budget. Cut out coupons, buy in bulk and sign up for a shopper's discount card. Be creative and plan dinners with roommates and friends instead of going to more expensive restaurants.
 

Set Up A Student Checking Account

­ Bank­s usually cater to college students by offering free checking and savings accounts, allowing you to avoid fees on withdrawals, fund transfers or the minimum amount allowed in the account. Make sure online banking is an option, as this makes it easier to follow your activity. Keep track of your account -- overdrafting will only cost you more in fees. So, do what it takes to stay out of the red as much as possible.
 

Get Organized

­It might seem like a hassle, but saving receipts of everything you purchase -- from small items such as a candy bar or a CD, to big-ticket items like a new computer -- is a ­great way to monitor your spending habits. Try it out for a month. When your thirty days are up, add up all of your expenses and see where your money went. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to cut back on unnecessary spending.
 

Be Creative With Your Leisure Time

Everyone needs to unwind after studying, and college campuses typically offer all sorts of opportunities -- movie theaters, bars, cafes, arts centers, parks, do­wntown shopping centers, et cetera. Ask if any of these places offer student discounts. You can also think of alternative ways to have a good time. If you make the right choices and use a bit of creativity, you can have fun and save money at the same time. Plan a picnic in the park; make dinner for a date instead of going to a fancy restaurant; go for a bike ride around town; play Frisbee golf on campus. Any of these activities cost a fraction of the typical college experience and can be more fun.

Put down the video game controllers, go outside and get some

free fresh air.

Find A Job

­If you can fit it into your busy class schedule, a part-time job is a great way to bring in some extra income and give y­ou some more flexibility with your spending. Waiting tables or delivering food can bring in great tips, and colleg­e-town restaurants are almost always looking for new help. A great way to earn some money and get some studying done is to work at your university's library. It's not a very demanding job and is usually quiet, so you can read for class and get paid at the same time.
 

Get The Right Cell Phone Plan

­It's difficult to get by without a cell phone today, but with a little research you can find an affo­rdable plan that fits your needs. If they're up for it, join a family cell phone plan with your parents. It's usually much cheaper for everyone involved than having separate plans. If you're on your own, check out websites that offer side-by-side comparison charts of different cell phone plans. You should also avoid text messaging. Before you know it, you could rack up hundreds of dollars worth of texts when you could have communicated the same information for much less. Remember, phone companies charge both the sender and receiver of text messages, so let your friends know if you don't want them texting you five times every class. Send out e-mails or use free networking Web sites like Myspace or Facebook.
 

Be Smart About Apartment Living

­I­f you're not living in the dorms, split the rent with a few roommates. When thinking about appliances, see if your apartment complex provides a refrigerator, a washer and dryer, a microwave, and other handy accessories. If your parents or friends have any old appliances lying around, ask them if they'd be willing to part with them. Electricity, water and heating bills can be costly, so do your best to conserve -- turn off lights when you're not in the room, use as little water as possible by taking fast showers and use the A/C and heat sparingly.

Look For Scholarships
your apartment complex provides a refrigerator, a washer and dryer, a microwave, and other handy accessories. If your parents or friends have any old appliances lying around, ask them if they'd be willing to part with them. Electricity, water and heating bills can be costly, so do your best to conserve -- turn off lights when you're not in the room, use as little water as possible by taking fast showers and use the A/C and heat sparingly.

If you're applying for college right now or thinking about transferring to another school, it doesn't hurt to do some research on various types of financial aid provided by the school.­
Aside from the obvious chunk of cash you'll save in the long run, se­veral scholarships offer all sorts of perks and benefits -- semester stipends, group trips, special access to useful resources, et cetera. If you're already enrolled but haven't received any aid, keep trying! If your grades are good and you show you mean business, many scholarship programs give you the opportunity to apply each semester.
For more information on college, money and related topics, check out the links on the next page.

http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/college-planning/financial-aid/college-savings.htm#page=11

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NatWest and RBS hike overdraft charges from today

So if you're permanently £11 into your authorised overdraft, you'll be charged £72 a year, where previously you would have been charged nothing. 

NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland customers should watch out for overdraft fees after the banks today reduced the buffer from which they start charging customers £6 a month for dipping into an authorised overdraft, from £100 to £10.
The banks, both part of the RBS Group, first announced plans to change overdraft fees for some customers in April (see our Best Bank Accounts guide for if you're thinking of switching).
Previously, if you had a £1,000 overdraft and went £100 into that overdraft you wouldn't incur a charge, but as of today customers will be hit with a £6 per month fee when they go more than £10 into their authorised overdraft.
The one-off payment is on top of the interest charged for being overdrawn. Depending on what account you have NatWest and RBS customers pay between 14.89% EAR and 19.89% EAR.
Customers with the paid-for Select Platinum, Advantage Gold, Royalties Gold, and Black accounts will avoid the charges, as will student and graduate account holders.
What about unauthorised overdrafts?
Most current account customers with an unauthorised overdraft who go overdrawn will still be charged £6 per day for going more than £6 over.
But graduate account holders will also now be hit with a £6 monthly fee from today for dipping into an unarranged overdraft. There was no charge for this before today.
However the charges for all current account customers who go into an unauthorised overdrafts will be capped at £90 per month, down from the previous £186.
All NatWest and RBS customers in an unarranged overdraft also incur a £6 daily fee for each bounced item up to a maximum of £60 a month.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/banking/2013/07/natwest-and-rbs-hike-overdraft-charges-from-today

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Student loan rates may drop after inflation rises

Inflation rose to 3.3% last month which means some students and graduates will pay a little less interest on their student loans.
March's RPI inflation rate is usually used to calculate the following academic year's student loan interest rates, though this is subject to official confirmation later in the year.
The rate charged depends on when you first took out a loan (see the Should I Repay My Student Loan?, Student Checklist and Student Loans Mythbusting guides for help).

Related MSE Guides

Student checklist

50+ tips to stretch your student loan

Student MoneySaving

Funding, borrowing & living 2011/12

Top Savings Accounts

3% easy access, up to 3% fixed

Many students and graduates are therefore likely to see no change, as those with loans taken out between 1998 and 2011 will either pay March's RPI or the base rate plus 1%, whichever is lower, from next September.
So unless the base rate, which is currently at 0.5%, unexpectedly rises, they will continue to pay 1.5%, though this will be capped during the next academic year at the 3.3% RPI level.
Students who have taken out loans since 2012 will pay RPI plus 3% in interest, so can expect to be paying 6.3% in interest, a reduction on 2012/13's figure of 6.6%.
Graduates still paying off a loan taken out before 1998 are likely to pay the RPI rate of 3.3%, down from 3.6%.
Inflation up
The Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, which includes housing costs, rose to 3.3% in March, compared with 3.2% in February.
However, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation remained at 2.8% in March, its highest figure since May last year.
The ONS says rising car insurance premiums also contributed to the increase in inflation last month.

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Payday loan ads should be banned from universities, NUS says

The National Union of Students is urging colleges and universities to ban advertising from controversial payday lenders on their campuses.
The NUS says the University of Northampton, Northumbria University and Swansea University have already joined its campaign and it wants others to follow their lead. (See our Debt Problems, Student Checklist and payday loans guides for help.)
Pete Mercer, NUS national vice-president for welfare, says: "Students are struggling to make ends meet and this is having a real impact on their wellbeing and their education."
Earlier this year, payday lenders were ordered to play fair or risk being banned after an Office of Fair Trading study found "explosive" evidence of irresponsible lending (See Payday loan firms told to play fair MSE News story.)
The OFT is particularly worried about lenders emphasising how quickly they can hand borrowers cash, rather than the high prices they charge for that money.
Russell Hamblin-Boone, chief executive of the Customer Finance Association, which represents major short-term lenders, says: "We fully support NUS's desire to protect its students and any efforts to drive out rogue lenders.
"But this campaign against advertising on campus will do little to tackle bad lending practice and discredits the whole industry unjustifiably."

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/loans/2013/06/payday-loan-ads-should-be-banned-from-universities-nus-says

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50+ tips to stretch your student loan

Get student council tax discounts

In April 2013, the national system of council tax was localised. Each local authority now decides what support to offer its residents. Contact your local authority to ask what discounts and benefits are available in your area.
• Only live with students? If you're a full-time student living alone or with other students you don't need to pay council tax, whether there's two, three or even 10 of you living together.
• Live with a non-student? If a student lives with a non-student, the student is disregarded, so council tax could be reduced as if only a single person lives there, meaning a potential 25% reduction. But this poses a moral dilemma.
  
  Is it fair for the non-student to pay the entire 75% points due, or should the student contribute?
  
  From the student's perspective, they wouldn't pay anything if their housemate was also a student. From the non-student perspective they’d only pay 50% of the bill if their housemate was also a non-student.
  
  Therefore our suggestion is to split the 25% difference between the two, so the non-student pays 62.5% and the student 12.5%.
• Live with more than one non-student? Here, while the student again is exempt, because there are two non-students the house has to pay the full 100% charge. So again it gets complex - the student hasn’t added to the council tax bill, but nor has their presence resulted in a discount.
  
  So again you'll need to decide if and how you want to split it, though the legal stance is that full-time students aren't liable for the bill if non-students can't or don't pay. See Council Tax Discounts.

You need to apply to your local council for the discount, as it isn't deducted automatically. To apply, visit Gov.UK.

02

Nab free cash to study

Whether you're studying full or part-time, there may be a grant or a free course to help. They're dependent on your circumstances so it may not be easy to get one, but there's certainly no harm in trying.
Here are the main ones to get you started; see the Education Grants guide for more.

• Educational Grants Advisory Service: This offers students, especially disadvantaged ones, guidance and advice to help secure funding for education and training. Its site, part of Family Action, has a searchable database of over 30 educational trusts.
• Scholarship search: There are some nifty search tools on the Scholarship Search and Student Cash Point websites, including bursaries, scholarships and award funding for students. You'll be surprised what's available! Some are very specific - aimed at specific religions, locations, parental occupations and many more.

03

Don't get the 'spend it before it goes' bug

When loan cash arrives, it's all too easy to celebrate with a big blow-out. It may be tempting, but don't do it. The time for this is the end of term, when you've managed your money and know you've got some spare, not the beginning, leaving you short and struggling for months.

To help you budget, use the free interactive Student Calculator tool from education charity Brightside, and read the budgeting tips box below.

04

Get the biggest 0% overdraft student account

Big banks love tempting students with 0% overdrafts and free stuff, then relying on their custom for decades to come. Use these five key points to help choose your student account:

• Go for the biggest 0% overdraft deal possible. Most students will need an overdraft while at uni, so make sure you aren't charged for it. Aim to get the biggest amount that will last as long as possible.
• Never go over your overdraft limit. This is a lifelong rule. Go beyond your limit and charges shoot up, leaving you in a vicious cycle that's tough to escape.
• Beware: you will be credit scored. When you apply for any debt product, including an account with an overdraft, the lender will credit score you to decide how desirable a customer you are. See the Credit Rating guide for more.
• Don't base your choice on the closest branch or ATM. You can withdraw cash free of charge from any bank's ATM and almost every bank offers online access. So which branch is nearest has little relevance for most able-bodied students. To compare, just examine what's on offer and go for the best deal.
• Don't just go for the one with the best freebie. Calculate the value of the freebie, and then compare that account's overdraft with the best on offer. Would the interest charged on the difference be more than the cost of the freebie?
• You'll need to apply for any overdraft increases. Students must apply for overdraft increases on certain accounts, even where the guaranteed max rises each term or year. See the MSE News story for full info.
  
  

See the Student Accounts guide for the full list of top bank accounts, plus masses of tips to help you choose.

Interest-ing: Arm yourself with knowledge of how interest works with the Interest Rates: Everything You Wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask guide. Get your head around the basics so you aren't stung in the future.

05

Don't overpay tax on summer jobs

If you work over the summer to keep you afloat between uni terms, make sure you're paying the right amount of income tax. If you earn less than £9,440 a year, you shouldn't pay any tax.

However, students are now taxed through the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) scheme - so if you're only working during holidays and you do pay tax, you may need to reclaim it at the end of the year.

If your total earnings for the tax year come to less than £9,440, and you paid tax, see the HMRC website for how to apply for a refund.
Check yours: To see what you should be paying if you earn over the threshold, use the Income Tax Checker. It's also handy for working out what your take home pay will be after you graduate. See the full 2013/14 Tax Rates.

06

Grab a student discount card

An NUS Extra card costs £12, but it'll get you discounts online and in store with over 160 retailers for a year.
Discounts vary, but are generally about 10-20% (though some are as high as 50%), and include ASOS, New Look, McDonalds, Odeon, Amazon, 16-25 Railcard, Superdrug and many more.
To get one, apply online on the NUS website. Check the full list of NUS Extra discounts first to make sure you'll use it, and check individual offer terms before you go. Cards are valid for 12 months from date of purchase.
Do the maths... It's also worth doing a quick sum to see if it's worth it for you. For example, if you only used discounts worth 10%, you'd need to spend £120 or more over the year at relevant retailers for the card to be worth it.

07

Get a TV licence refund for summer hols

A colour TV licence is £145.50 for a year (or £49 if you're lucky enough to have a vintage black 'n' white set). But if you've a full three months left on your licence at the end of the academic year and won't use it before it expires, you can get a refund for this.
To apply, complete the online application form on the TV Licensing website. Don't forget to update your address if you move house.

• Do students need a TV licence? In most cases, yes. Your parents' TV licence won't cover you unless your permanent registered address is with them, and you don't have your receiving equipment plugged into an aerial or a mains socket to receive the picture. Even if you're only watching TV on your laptop, you'll need one.
• Any exceptions? If you're ONLY watching via BBC's iPlayer or other internet broadcast systems which aren't being transmitted live, you don't need a licence. But if watching live broadcasts you'll need a licence as normal. You don't need one if you're only watching DVDs or gaming, but you need to fill in an online form for this.
• What if in shared accommodation? If in halls of residence you'll probably be covered for communal areas, but not your room; do check though. If in a shared house and with a joint tenancy agreement, you'll only need one licence for the household. But if you've separate agreements you'll need one for your room.

Watching TV without a licence is against the law.
Fee dodgers face prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.
See the TV Licences guide.

08

Find the cheapest gas & elec to save £100s

If you aren't living in halls, it's likely you'll have to pay for gas and electricity on top of your rent. Yet it's possible to make hefty savings simply by switching provider (check with your landlord first, though it can't refuse permission to switch):

• Switch to a cheaper provider. If you're on a standard tariff, it's possible to save £250 a year on your annual bill by switching, and even grab cashback or a free case of wine on top. For a full how-to, see the Cheap Gas & Elec guide.
• You don't need to know how much your bill will be. Even if you haven't a clue what you'll be paying, you can still enter your house size on some of the comparison sites and they'll estimate for you.
• Watch out for exit fees. If you're on a longer fixed tariff or thinking of signing up to one, be aware that suppliers can charge exit fees if you leave before your contract term, typically £30 per fuel. So always check and factor this in.
• On a prepay meter? You definitely haven't got the cheapest deal. To save, first try switching to a ‘credit meter’. If you can’t, do a comparison to find the cheapest prepay provider (again, comparison sites will often be able to estimate your usage if you're unsure) and you could save £100s. See the Prepaid Gas & Elec guide.
  

09

Ensure parents pay their share

Your parents may decide to give you money to help while you're at uni, if they can afford it. But for most, the amount of maintenance loan you get depends on their parents' income; those who come from wealthier homes get a smaller loan.

This is because your parents are expected to contribute. If you don't get the full loan, while there's no way to force them to pay, and they're not legally required to give you money, it's well worth having the conversation with them in advance about whether they'll contribute.

Show this to your parents: This can be a thorny area, yet their contribution can make a big difference while you're studying. Broach the subject sooner rather than later, and feel free to show them this tip if it helps.

10

Bag free office software

If you're kitting out a laptop, PC or Mac for uni, you can save on software by downloading the legit free equivalents. There are loads of different options available, but here are a few to get you started:

• For typing, spreadsheets and presentations: The LibreOffice software suite includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, database and design package. Handily, it's compatible with many Microsoft documents, and is available for PC, Mac and Linux.
• For image editing: If you're after something for basic cropping and editing, Paint.net is easy to use and is PC compatible. For a more advanced photoshop equivalent, The Gimp is a powerful tool with free add-ons and is compatible with PC, Mac and Linux, while Inkscape is handy for scalable vector graphics and is available for PC and Linux.
• For music and videos: One of the most widely compatible media players available, VLC Player can cope with pretty much any music or video format you throw at it. For recording, Audacity lets you add effects and create soundscapes from scratch. Again, both are available for PC, Mac and Linux.

Always check any software you put on your computer is suitable and compatible with your existing set-up first. For full info and loads more, and how to get student discounts on paid software, see the Free Office Software and Free Antivirus Software guides.

11

Free eBay tool uncovers hidden local bargains

If you're kitting out your student digs with larger items, eg, a sofa for an unfurnished lounge or a TV for your new room, pick-up only items on eBay are often cheaper as there are fewer bids.
To help uncover 'em, we've built a Local eBay Deals Mapper tool. Just pop in your postcode, tell it how far you're willing to schlep, and it instantly trawls eBay* for local hidden gems.
Always double-check the seller's location, and stay safe when collecting. Go with a friend, or if this isn't possible, tell someone where you're going and arrange to contact them afterwards. Take a mobile phone, and stay on the doorstep if you can. See full safety tips.

12

Learn to haggle

Many places will give you a discount if you flash your student or NUS Extra card. Yet even if they don't offer a student discount, why not ask for one? Many places will help you out if you haggle. It's chutzpah time – never buy without a try!

Even if you weren't born with the gift of the gab, it's easier than you think. See the How to haggle successfully guide for tips, and give it a go. After all:

What's the worst that can happen? They say no. They won't chuck you out of the shop or punch you in the face!

13

Hunt for hidden student discounts

Always ask for student discounts when you're out and about. These often aren't advertised, but several places still offer them even if you don't have an NUS Extra card.

You'll usually need to show another form of student ID, so it's worth bringing a card that has your name, date of birth and uni along when you're out. Share your finds in the Student discounts discussion.

• Yo! Sushi offers students 25% off everything from Tue-Fri and on Sundays. To get it, register to join its Love Club on the Yo! Sushi student offer page, then either print the voucher or show it on your phone or laptop with valid student ID. The offer's ongoing; you can use it as many times as you like. See its offer page for full terms.

14

Student fees shake-up only hits starters in or after Sept 2012

If you're confused as to how the 2012 changes to the student loans system affect you, don't panic. Firstly, changes only hit new undergrads starting in or after September 2012, so existing students stay on the current system.
Uni tuition fees are £3,465-a-year max (2012/13 rate) for students who started in 2011/12, though it'll go up with inflation in future years.
But since 2012, all institutions have been allowed to charge up to £6,000 and many will charge up to £9,000, providing they make extra provisions for bursaries for poorer students. See the Student Loans Mythbusting guide for more.

15

Do a proper budget

This is where you match up money coming in with what's going out. It's incredibly important, or you may have a great first week splashing the cash, but spend the rest of term struggling to survive.
Knowing how much income you'll have is essential. Most will come from maintenance loans, grants, any bursaries or scholarships, part-time work pay and parents' contributions. But no matter where the money comes from, the golden rule is to NEVER spend more than your income.
Of course, right now it's tough to work out exactly what you'll spend on books, transport, course equipment and partying. Once you know your situation, try the free interactive Student Calculator tool from education charity Brightside.

Don't forget other costs, like a TV licence or toilet roll. They aren't fun to buy, but are even less fun if caught without 'em.

Treat yourself to a makeover: Nope, we're not talking face packs and cucumber slices. For the biggest savings, give yourself a full Money Makeover. This overhauls your finances, from mobile bills to contact lenses. It'll take time to work through, but it's time well invested.

16

A company's job is to make money from you

As the year goes on, the costs of starting higher education quickly add up: tuition fees, books, transport, living expenses and, of course, socialising. So before you shell out on extras, don't forget: a company's job is to make money from you.

Don't swallow companies' promises and marketing. Always remember they want your cash and look with a sceptical eye; you'll make better decisions.

17

Get free cash to study in Europe

If you want to study part of your degree in one of 33 participating European countries, grants are available from the British Council as part of the Erasmus scheme.

If you've got the travelling bug, this is a handy way to continue studying and go globetrotting at the same time. Countries to choose from include Austria, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. See the Erasmus website for the full list.

C'est gratuit: There are masses of online resources to help you learn a language for free if you know where to look, including BBC Languages and the OU LabSpace. See Learn A Language Free for the full list.

18

Use less energy

It isn't just which company you pay, but how much you use. Cutting energy costs is a mix of big and little things, and a few small changes will help to bring your bill down.
Turn down the thermostat and dig out that knitted jumper from your gran. Switch off lights when leaving a room, use energy saving lightbulbs, defrost the fridge and check it isn't on too high, and don't leave electricals on standby.

For more info, read the Energy Saving Hunt and see the Energy Saving Trust website. One MoneySaver suggests:

"A good tip for students studying this winter who are finding gas bills a struggle: go study at your local library"

19

Don't forget water bills

Again, if you aren't in halls, check with your landlord to see if your water bill is included in your rent. If not, remember to budget for it (see the budget tips box).
If you aren't sure how much to set aside for your first bill, see the table in the Water Bills guide for a rough indication of how much to expect.

20

Don't assume student insurers are cheaper

Home contents insurance for a student house isn’t always easy to get. This is often because most policies like to cover the house, not the person, making it tricky if you've flatmates. Yet there are a few tricks to get round this:

• Check parents' cover. If your parents have home insurance, it may automatically cover you under the 'temporarily removed from the home' section while you're a student. The cover only applies while in your accommodation though; ask them to do a quick check.
  
  If you need cover for any mobiles or laptops, or items you normally wear or carry away from your home, your parents could also add the ‘all-risks’ or 'unspecified personal possessions' section to their policy, which specifically covers your stuff while it's out of their home.
  
  Handily, many policies allow this, and it's worth checking if your parents' insurance already includes this.
• Don't assume student policies are cheaper. Alternatively, if you need to get your own cover, don’t automatically think specialist student policies are cheapest. Always check elsewhere too.
  
  Start by comparing prices of student policies with standard policies. Student home providers to try include Barclays, HSBC, RBS, NatWest and Home Protect. Benchmark the best price, then compare it to the best buys in the Home Insurance guide to help you find the cheapest for your needs.
  
  One advantage of specialist student policies is that they give wider cover, but they tend to be pricier than standard policies.
• Lock your doors. If you're in shared accommodation, your insurance won't cover you for theft unless there's been a violent or forced entry. So always make sure you lock your room's door when you leave, even if you're just popping out briefly.
• Check if your bike's included. If bringing a bike to uni, your contents insurance may cover it. Always check though, and find out how much extra it is to add if not.

21

Slash car insurance costs

Finding affordable car insurance can be a nightmare – the average for a 17-22 year old is £1,211. The Young Drivers' Car Insurance guide has a step-by-step system to slice off every spare penny.

• Do you really need it? Bringing an unused car to uni can be an expensive and unnecessary hindrance, so consider the alternatives. See the public transport box.
• Pay when or how you drive. Specialist 'pay when you drive' and 'pay how you drive' schemes are well worth checking to see if they undercut comparison site quotes. With these, a GPS or tracking device is fitted to your car, so what you pay depends on your mileage and time or driving style.
• Specific young driver brokers. While comparison sites are very good for those with normal situations, for others they can underperform, so check specific young driver brokers separately (full listings in the guide).
• Learner driver insurance. If you're a learner, it often means being added to parents' or friends' car insurance as an additional driver which can up the cost, and put no claims bonuses at risk. Yet you can get specific policies just for provisional drivers. Find full info on all these and more in the guide.
• Don't forget to update your address. You can usually keep your parents' address for correspondence if you want, but you need to tell your insurer where the vehicle's usually kept.
• If you have a part-time job, tell 'em. If you forget to declare it – even if you don't use the car to get to work – it could invalidate future claims.
• If your car's uninsured while at uni, SORN it. All cars need to be insured unless you declare it's off road. The only way out's to apply for a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) declaring your car won't ever be driven - but you must park it on private land, not on the street. See Gov.UK.

Never get someone, such as one of your parents, to add their name as main driver on your car instead of you. This is called 'fronting' and is fraud, and can lead to prosecution.
Don't do it.

22

Battle your mobile bill

If you regularly face a palpitation-inducing mobile phone bill, there's a mass of tips 'n' tricks to help:

• Pick the right contract. Use your bills from the last few months to pinpoint your average usage for calls, texts and data. Then use this to find the cheapest tariff for your needs. Websites Billmonitor*, MobilePhoneChecker* and MoneySupermarket* let you compare quickly. See Mobile Phone Cost Cutting for the full step-by-step guide.
• Haggle down contract costs. If you'd rather not change network, this can still yield big savings. When you're near the end of your contract, call 'em and ask for the best deal possible - not just on your network, but any out there. See the Mobile Phone Contracts guide for tips on how to give your haggle some chutzpah!
• After an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy? These aren't MoneySaving, but it's possible to pay less and get a shorter contract if you know where to look. To quickly compare tariffs, use the tools in the Cheapest iPhone and Cheapest Samsung Galaxy guides.

23

Split your train tickets

This is the big trick everyone should know. Instead of buying tickets for the whole journey, bizarrely, buying separate tickets for its constituent parts can slash the price – even though you're on exactly the same train.
It's perfectly allowed within the National Rail Conditions of Carriage, and has been confirmed by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). The only rule is that the train must call at the stations you buy tickets for.
Savings can be massive; it depends on how long your journey is, but we managed to shave over £200 off a return ticket from London to Durham using this method.

Free TicketySplit app to find split tickets

Our new split ticket tool uncovers hidden ticket combinations to cut the cost of walk-on single fares. Download the TicketySplit Lite iPhone app or bookmark the TicketySplit mobile site. Tell it your journey, and it'll tell you where to split and the saving.

This first incarnation doesn't cover advances (which are usually cheaper) or returns (often cheaper), only 'today' single tickets. So always check the price for a return too, and if buying the day before or earlier, advance tickets.
Once the tool’s found the cheapest tickets, just go to the station kiosk (not machines) and ask for the separate tickets in the results. See Split Ticketing tips for a full how-to.

24

Taking a break? Work out what it'll cost

If you're currently studying, but are thinking of taking a year out, make sure you know how much it'll cost you.

If you're working part of your year out then you need to be aware that you may pay tax. Earn more than £787 in a month, and you'll be taxed. However, if you only work six months of the year, you won't reach the £9,440 tax allowance, so you'll need to apply to HMRC for a rebate.

If you're going overseas, budget for your trip - and don't forget travel insurance. Many insurers offer specific backpacker policies - take a look at Direct Travel*, Insure and Go*, Direct Line and Virgin Money*, which cover you for extended periods out of the UK, whether you're backpacking or living in luxury.

If you have plans to work abroad or take part part in skydiving, shark cage diving or other risky fun, check with the insurer that its policy will cover you.

25

Create your own Amazon bargain basement page

Amazon often offers 75% and better reductions, but it directs people to other areas, sending them to higher profit margin products instead. Yet there's a geeky way to manipulate Amazon's links to show all heavily-reduced bargains.
All you need to do is fiddle with Amazon web addresses to bring up lists of knock-down prices, such as 85%+ off clothing*, 90%+ off electronics* and 80%+ off Wii games*.
As it's a faff to do this yourself, we've made the Amazon Discount Finder tool. It lets you creates your own super-specific sub-department pages in seconds, where you choose the discount and if you want free delivery.
Don't assume Amazon's always cheapest. Quickly use the MegaShopBot tool to see if it's cheaper elsewhere. This is trawls the internet to auto-search for the best price across a huge range of shopping comparison sites.

26

Quickly turn old mobiles into cash

A mass of companies offer to recycle your mobile for money. This is a really quick 'n' easy way to make extra cash if you've old handsets lying around.

Once you agree to sell, you're even sent a freepost bag for it. To quickly find the best payer for your phone's make and model, use MSE's MobileValuer tool. It also works for other gadgets, including games consoles, iPods and more.

27

Choose the right laptop

If you don't want to lug a desktop computer to uni, a laptop can be a handy alternative for listening to music, surfing the net, watching videos of dancing chihuahuas, and of course, writing essays on the go.
The Cheap Laptops guide has a round-up of the best machines for under £300, including basic budget laptops and big names, as well as a quick glossary.
Check the specs: This guide also lists the full techie capabilities for each best buy, so you can compare hardware specs, warranties, hard drive size, memory and software between machines.

28

Free festivals, museums & art galleries

If you're after live music on the cheap, the Free Festivals guide has full listings of the top gigs nationwide. In it, you'll find totally free festivals across the UK, covering everything from rock and jazz to carnivals and outdoor theatre.
You'll also find info on how to get into the big paid festivals for free, including the latest volunteer schemes.
Alternatively, the Free Museums and Art Galleries guide lists venues across the UK on everything from forensic science to footie. Use 'em for research, entertainment, or even an unusual date on a budget (don't forget your restaurant vouchers!)
Find 'em near you: To find your nearest at a glance, click on your area on the in-guide maps for full listings of venues in your area, plus opening times and what to expect on the day.

29

Don't chuck best-befores away needlessly

Do you know the difference between a best-before and a display-until date? If not, it's likely you're binning a lot of food unnecessarily.
To help, we've a free printable Food Saving Memo. Stick it on the fridge and check before you chuck. If you need inspiration on turning last night's leftovers into a banquet, see the Using up leftovers forum discussion for ideas.

30

Not all debts are the same

It's easy to think, 'I've got to get a student loan, why not borrow a little more', but you need to understand how special student loans are.
Not all debts are the same, and no other loan only needs you to pay if you're earning enough. With others, it'll never go away. They'll chase you even if you can't afford it, and the interest is higher and will multiply at speed. Remember:

Some debts, like student loans, are much better than others.
Be very careful taking any other form of borrowing.

Sadly in the UK, students are educated into debt but never about debt. Many in authority concentrate on telling students to avoid debt, which is impossible, rather than focusing on avoiding bad debt. Educate yourself – see Good Debt, Bad Debt for how it works.

Ditch your spending demons: Use the free Demotivator tool to instantly see the real cost of your non-essential spending, from mags to chocs. Then print 'n' stick the results on your wall to help you stop buying 'em.

31

Try the supermarket downshift challenge

This is a quick 'n' easy way to make decent savings on your grocery shopping, particularly if you're still automatically buying big brands you're used to at home.
Over the years, supermarkets have hypnotised us into spending more by making us move up the brand chain. Many people gradually buy increasingly more expensive versions of the same thing. The challenge:

Drop one brand level on everything and see if you can tell the difference. If you can't, stick with the cheaper product.

Drop just one brand level on everything and the average bill's cut by 30%. On a £20 weekly shop, that's over £300 a year less. See the Supermarket Shopping guide for tips.
Do your homework: For extra discounts, get into the habit of checking the latest Supermarket Coupons before you shop. If you tend to pop out for milk and loo roll only to return with a trolley full of impulse buys, take five minutes to make a shopping list before you go – and stick to it.

32

The best things in life are freebies!

There's a mass of goodies available for free at the click of a mouse, if you know where to look.
The Freebies Directory is a full compendium of hundreds of goodies you can get for nowt. Use it to get free revision guides, games, music downloads, tea, cookbooks and masses more.
It's divided into categories to help you find the most useful. If you're spoilt for choice, try the Freebie Roulette tool, which finds a random freebie each time you spin.

33

Get on the net for nowt

If you're sharing a house, it's likely you'll want to get on the web. But before you take a pricey contract, consider the alternatives:

• Get it for free at uni. If your campus has free internet access or wi-fi, it's well worth using this if you can. Use the uni's computers (or charge your laptop at uni) and you won't have to pay for the electricity either.
• Get it for free on the high street. Free wireless internet's the norm at high street cafes and pubs now, rather than the exception. Wetherspoon and Walkabout pubs offer all customers unlimited wi-fi access, as do McDonald's restaurants nationwide, and many more. See the Free Wireless Internet article for the full list.
• Consider shorter contracts. If you decide to get the internet at home, some tariffs offer a 30-day contract. While the monthly cost may be slightly more in the short term, if you'll only need it for nine months instead of the full year, it could work out cheaper in the long run.
• Beware download limits. If there's several of you downloading or watching TV online, limits for standard cheap tariffs may not be enough. To avoid being hit by unexpected charges, consider getting an unlimited plan if you live with several heavy downloaders.
• Check the best buys. Some providers offer tariffs aimed at students, eg, nine-month student contracts from Virgin Media and BT. Yet never assume student tariffs are cheapest. Factor in any fees to work out the real monthly cost, then use the Cheap Broadband guide to see how it compares to best buys in your area.

Consider going mobile: If you live in an area where broadband's pricey, you move frequently, or just don't want the hassle of chasing your housemates for their portion of the bill, mobile broadband's another option. For pros, cons and best buys, see the Mobile Broadband guide.

34

Don't stick with student accounts after uni

Don't stick with your student bank account when you graduate. By switching to specialist deals for graduates, you may be able to gain £100s a year.
This is because many offer special terms that are unavailable to other people, such as 0% overdraft deals for up to three years. So picking the best can save you serious cash on your overdraft, see Graduate Accounts for the top picks.

35

Sell old CDs, DVD and games

If you've old CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays or games you don't need, put 'em to work. Website Music Magpie* lets you enter details of these and it'll give you an instant cash price, though you need to trade in a minimum of 10 at a time.
If you accept its offer, you can post for free using its freepost labels or free 'send service' via Collect+, and you'll get cash upon receipt. For more easy ways to make extra cash while you're studying, see the Boost Your Income guide.
Flog it: Check out the eBay Selling Tricks guide for a mass of insider tips and tricks on how to easily declutter your digs and make extra cash at the same time. You'll also find free tools to help.

36

Get paid for your opinion

It's possible to earn £100s a year, without any special skill or talent. You could be paid to take part in online surveys, which are often short enough to fill in during breaks between lectures.
Some surveys can pay £1-£3 for just a few minutes of your time. Find the full list of top picks in the Survey Sites guide. You'll also find quick tips on how to maximise your earnings as you go along.

37

Warning! Store cards are the devil's debt

Most store cards charge a hideous 30% interest or more, and even the best aren't cheaper than bank's credit cards, so don't get sucked in by the sales patter.

They work and feel very much like credit cards, except that while credit cards can be used anywhere, store cards can often only be used in a specific store or group.

Yet they've exorbitant rates, and are often targeted at the young as stores assume they're an easy target.

• Stores hide the fact this is debt. The common sell on the card is a 10% introductory discount, which sells people into debt whilst never explaining the consequences. Don't get burned; read the Devil's Debt for more.

38

Get a part-time or temp job

While studying's a priority, it's commonly accepted many students will work. So if you don't have enough cash, don't overborrow – try to find a job instead.
Think outside the box – babysitting, supermarkets and the library are handy places to start, but so are TV extra agencies, and even medical trials! See Work, Work, Work for ideas.
Be the early bird: The earlier in the year you try to get work, the better your chances, so try to arrive before other students.

39

Not good with cash? Teach yourself

It's likely you came out of school with very little – if any – training for the consumer decisions you'll have to make every day as an adult.
"Companies spend billions of pounds a year on marketing, advertising and teaching their staff to sell, yet we don’t get ANY buyers’ training." - Martin
The Teen Cash Class is a free, printable PDF guide to help redress the balance. In it, you'll find lessons to tackle impulse buying, how credit cards work, the cost of fashion and more. It's an invaluable guide for students, parents and anyone wanting to pick up the skills to handle their money and avoid being ripped off.

This is a real, practical survival guide to living in one of the most competitive consumer economies in the world.

40

Get a railcard

Consider a 16-25 Railcard if you spend £90+ a year. These cut a third off your train ticket. A huge plus is they're also valid for full-time students of any age.
Cards can be bought from the Railcard website for £30 a year, or £70 for three years. So spend over £90 a year, even in just one trip, and you'll save. Plus if you've an NUS Extra card you'll get an 11% discount; see the NUS Extra website for full details.
Renew just before you finish to nab another year: Don't forget, renew just before your 26th birthday to grab another year (the same applies to older cardholders about to finish uni).

41

Some students are eligible for benefits

Some students in special circumstances, such as those with kids or disabilities – might qualify for a special support grant instead. This will be the same amount as a maintenance grant.
However, the plus here is that while under usual circumstances the amount given for your loan might be reduced if you get a grant as well, a special support grant won’t reduce the amount you get for your maintenance loan. For more info on finance available and how to apply, see Gov.UK.

42

Learn to cook (!)

There's no need to live off pricey takeaways at uni while longing for a home-cooked meal. Take the time to learn the basics and it'll help to stretch your cash much further, and it's far healthier too.

The forums are a great place to get tips and ask questions. Read the Basic recipes for novice cook discussion to arm yourself with the essentials, while the 50p meals thread has loads of budget recipe ideas. Feel free to add your tips!

Plan your eats: Check out the How to start meal planning and Menu plans discussions, which will help you to only buy food you need.

43

Nab extra travel discounts

If you're off home at the end of term (and you can't coax a friend or parent to give you a lift), it's possible to find extra discounts if you know where to look.
Train and bus companies often discount heavily with regular sales to fill seats. Promotions have included £1 train and bus tickets across the UK, and London to Scotland for under £20. To find the latest offers, check out the Cheap Trains and Coaches deals page.

Cheap train and coach ticket offers go quick.
To hear about them as soon as they're released, sign up to the free weekly email.

44

Get free financial advice

The National Association of Student Money Advisers (Nasma) has advisers in many universities. These can be a massive help if you're struggling financially.
See the Nasma website to find your nearest, or ask at your student union. Alternatively, local charities Citizens Advice and StepChange Debt Charity also offer free help and support.

45

Time your train ticket booking carefully

Timing your purchase accurately can make a real difference:

• Buy 12 weeks early. Everyone knows that if you book early, fares are cheaper. These often disappear quickly, so to ensure a bargain, start looking about 12 weeks before.

This is because Network Rail must set the timetable 12 weeks in advance. Train operators commonly, though not always, release cheap advance tickets shortly after. It isn't often dead on 12 weeks; National Rail's future travel chart shows the latest date you can buy advance tickets for each train firm.

• Or... get last-minute early booking discounts. Many don't realise you can often buy advance tickets the night before or even on the way to the station. So:

Always check if advance tickets are still available, even if you're on the way to the station. See the Cheap Train Tickets guide for tips.

46

Get extra help and support

Uni can be a stressful time – financial, social and academic pressures can quickly add up. If you're struggling, don't suffer in silence. Talk to your tutor, parents or a close friend if you feel you can, but there are also organisations to help:

• Free counselling. Many universities offer free student counselling services. Ask for details at your local Students' Union.
• Can't sleep? Charity Nightline offers a confidential, anonymous listening and info service specifically for students. It operates overnight from about 8pm to 8am in 90 universities across the UK and Ireland; see its website for the number of your nearest. Alternatively, Samaritans offers confidential help around the clock.
  

47

Investigate 'uni access funds' - poss £100s

If you're struggling, many universities have access funds to help. These aren't always advertised, but it's well worth speaking to your uni to find out more, and ask for how to apply.

You can also contact the National Association of Student Money Advisers (Nasma) to find out more info on these, as well as get free financial help and advice while you're studying.

48

Use Money Mantras before ANY buys

Before you buy anything, use these money mantras to help keep your cash in your pocket. Different scenarios require different approaches, so there's two to choose from depending on your circumstances:

Get the mantras on the move: To help when you're out, pop the free printable Money Mantra Card in your wallet. Use it to remind you to not to spend when you shouldn't.

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Save in an ISA, even if just short term

If you've got any spare cash, don't leave it languishing in a current account earning 0.1% interest. Put it into a Top Savings Account and it'll earn interest, so it's worth doing even if only for the short term.

It's also worth considering putting this cash in an ISA. This stands for Individual Savings Account, and it's simply a tax-free savings account that everyone over 16 can put up to £5,760 per tax year in, and most let you take cash out whenever you want.

Yet there's a crucial difference: unlike in a normal savings account, the interest you earn isn't taxed. Basic-rate taxpayers must normally hand over 20% of their savings interest to the taxman, higher rate taxpayers 40%, but in an ISA, you keep that. While you may earn enough to be a taxpayer while at uni, if there is still cash left in it once you graduate, the interest will beat normal savings. Full details in Top Cash ISAs guide.

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Text for nowt

Texting can make up a serious chunk of your phone bill. Text 20 times a day at 10p/text and you'll spend over £700 a year, so there are big savings to be had.

If you're a textaholic, it's worth noting there are heaps of ways to send texts for free, or very cheaply.

Top picks include O2, Orange and cbfsms.com if texting online, and FishText and Vyke from your mobile. See the Free Texts guide for full the full list, plus pros 'n' cons.

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Beware borrowing on credit cards

Be extremely wary of credit cards. These are best avoided while you're studying, as if you don't have an income, you'll really struggle to repay the debts. This means the interest will compound and build quickly, leaving you owing serious cash.

Don't let the affordable-sounding minimum repayments trick you either. Even if you can meet these each month, they are designed to clear barely any of the debt - meaning the cost of borrowing rockets. If you need scaring out of this:

If you borrowed £3,000 aged 21, and only made the minimum credit card repayments, you'd be 50 before it cleared.

See the Minimum Repayments guide for a full rundown of how the system works.

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Don't forget your discount vouchers

Before you hit the shops, remember to check the Discount Vouchers page. This is massive compendium of all the latest printable vouchers, codes and deals open to all.

Plus it's well worth bookmarking the High Street Sales diary to help you keep an eye out for seasonal clearances in your favourite stores.

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Don't use payday loans to make ends meet

High street stores advertising payday loans have sprung up nationwide, promising quick cash loans until you get paid. Yet interest rates are exorbitant, and while the actual cost of borrowing once may be manageable, a common trick's to roll debts over from week to week - until it snowballs to epic proportions.

If you're struggling to make ends meet, instead contact the National Association of Student Money Advisers (Nasma), who will help with some far better alternatives.

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Share your tips on the student forum

The Student MoneySaving forum board is a fantastic place to share your ideas and swap tips on all aspects of student life.
Whether you're after student shopping and eating tips, info on catered versus self-catered digs, or just need some emergency dissertation motivation, there's something for everyone. It's free to join, so get chatting!

Your tips

Thanks to all the MoneySaving students who emailed in the extra tips below:

Don't pay the RRP for books on your reading list

Visit secondhand bookshops. Students from previous years are eager to make cash selling books they no longer need. Bookshop owners know next year's students are likely to study the same texts so they buy them, and sell them on. It's cheaper and greener; sell them on when you've finished!

Try eBay. I found someone who was selling the exact books I needed. I offered a buy it now price for the job lot and she lived quite close to me so I picked them up from her, saving masses on postage costs. (See eBay Tips.)

Hunt in charity shops. Generous students donate old books to charity shops. You can pick up all sorts here – I bagged an Oxford Dictionary for £2 (RRP £25) – and you'll be helping a good cause along the way.

Re-kindle your Kindle. There are 1,000s of free e-books that you can access through your Kindle, and the ones you have to pay for can be cheaper than hard copies. It beats carrying around 15 books! [See Free E-books] Kirsty, Sheffield Hallam Uni

Don't forget the local library

When a reading list's given out, there's a massive rush in the library and all the key texts are taken. Rather than paying for books, join the local council's library.

About 45% of the books I needed were stocked in the normal lending and reference library (I'm a politics student), saving me a LOT of money. They also hold journals and acts of parliament too. Georgia, University of York

Kit out your student house using Freecycle

Freecycle prevents perfectly good items from ending up in landfills by giving them to those who need them. It’s dead easy to use and last year I kitted out my house (wardrobe, mirror, energy saving lightbulbs, bedside table).

There are so many participants it's never short of supply. Just sign up to your local group and off you go. Don’t forget to give back through Freecycle too. [See Freecycle guide]Ryan, London South Bank Uni

Use a car petrol contributions tariff

If you are lucky enough to have a car, don't run your fellow students around – place a tariff on your wall with required contributions to your petrol costs.

For example, Tesco £1.50, town £2.00, pictures £1.00 (you can also give allocated times for these trips to maximise the income!) If you're going yourself the costs can be reduced, but you will be surprised how the money adds up.Caitlin, Uni of Wales Trinity Saint David

Get help with health costs while your income's low

Collect a HC1 form from your local job centre, dentist or GP and you may be able to get help with NHS prescription charges, dental treatment, sight tests, vouchers towards glasses or contact lenses, and even hospital travel costs.

I've had no problems with eligibility and have received these benefits free despite not always qualifying for the full amount of student grant. I was shocked to find out that none of my fellow students had heard of it. [See NHS Choices for how to apply]


source: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-guide

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