7 ways to save your money
From eating right to tackling the infamously expensive transportation means, two real-life international students present tips on how to live economically friendly in London.
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Surviving in London is hard enough for people with full-time jobs. Trying to survive as an international student is million times tougher. Rent and living costs are significantly higher in London compared to other European countries. So you might find helpful these few tips for living on a student budget in a city that, most the time, feels like it’s trying to rob you:
1. Eat in - Meals out every day will probably run you out of money before the semester’s end. Buying a few groceries and cooking something yourself is not only cheap but rewarding. There are also many cultural marts around London, which could be very helpful.
2. Get student discounts - You can stay up to date with student discounts you might not know about with sites, such as UNIDAYS and Studentbeans. Movie theatres, clothing stores and drug stores will often offer discounts, even if they’re not advertised. Don’t forget to always bring your student ID with you.
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3. Get a part-time job - This gives you workplace experience which can help you in future, it is advantageous for your resume when it comes to real job searching. and it provides some extra pocket money for student life. Be careful of limitations on the number of hours you can work on a study visa, though!
4. Use a UK bank - try to organise a bank appointment to open a UK bank account before you arrive, so that you can have one set up in your first two or three days in London.
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5. Use Oyster & Railcard discounts -
18+ Student Oyster saves 30% on travelcard, but if you add your 16-25 Railcard the discount will be 34% on all journeys.
Image courtesy of Debora Kirilova
6. Take advantage of free events -
Keep up to date with free events going on in London with sites like Timeout London which has a whole section on free London. You can go see performances, hang out in a park for free, see some of London’s national museums, most of them are free and definitely worth checking out.
Alternatively, universities will try really hard to get the chronically lethargic student body to get involved when they are ‘too cool for school’. Lots of times, unis will offer free food, discussions or tours that can help you feel connected on campus and you get free stuff (you might actually learn something too).
Image courtesy of Mikey via flickr
7. Text messaging and phone cards conveniences -
Using your phone when studying abroad is always a complicated issue. However, we advise you, to make calls to outside the UK, to use an internet based way of contact, like applications such as Skype, Whatsapp, Viber and etc. For this occasion you will need more internet megabytes than mobile minutes. For your convenience, the mobile network providers - Lebara and Giffgaff have made it incredibly easy for students on a budget to use their plans. Without a contract you can choose cheap monthly deals.
Words: Debora Kirilova and Tsvetelina Petrova | Subbing: Claire Chung