We understand that the cost of living might be a concern to you so we have asked our colleagues from the AAS office for some handy hints and tips and websites which you may find useful in order to help save money and to budget over the winter and months ahead.
Energy Saving Tips
Below is some useful advice on how to lower energy costs and how to keep warm over the Scottish winter –
- Before turning up the heating, put on an extra layer of clothing to see if that warms you up.
- Shorter showers save water and energy.
- Don’t leave appliances on standby – switch them off at the wall whenever you’re not using them.
- Do your laundry at 30 degrees or a cool setting
- Only put on the washing when it’s full
- Air-dry clothes where possible instead of using the tumble dryer
- Use the right sized pans for the amount of food you are cooking. And choose the right sized burner or ring for the pan.
- Don’t overfill the kettle – only boil as much water as you need (it’s usually less than you think!)
- Double up on your duvet! Buy a 10.5 and 4.5 tog in a packet and double up in winter to give you 15 tog. This also saves buying another duvet in the warmer weather. We found this one on amazon Slumberdown Seasons Combi Duvet – Double
- Invest in a good winter jacket! Primark have a great selection of warm clothing and at great prices. Their fleecy pyjamas and fluffy socks are also fantastic for the winter months and there is one right across from Renfrew Street. Find your nearest Primark here Primark on Sauchiehall Street
- Study/Practice from the campus to save on energy costs or use your local library. You can also charge devises at your local library too. To find where your nearest library is use https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries
- Replace your lightbulbs with energy efficient LEDs
You might find these websites useful
- For 20 ways to cope with the cost of living crisis: https://www.savethestudent.org/save-money/cost-of-living-crisis.html
- For free financial advice and money saving tips visit: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/
- For energy efficiency ideas and energy saving tips visit: https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guidance/safety-around-the-home/energy-saving-tips/
- To improve your financial wellbeing visit: https://www.moneyadvicescotland.org.uk/Listing/Category/financial-wellbeing-resources
- For energy advice tips from Glasgow City Council visit: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=18354
- For free advice on saving energy, keeping warm and cutting waste visit: https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/
- 11 ways to save energy at home: https://www.moneysupermarket.com/gas-and-electricity/energy-saving-tips/
- 13 ways to save money on energy bills: https://www.savethestudent.org/accommodation/save-money-gas-electricity-household-bills.html
- Energy saving tips for students: https://www.thegreenage.co.uk/top-10-energy-saving-tips-for-students/
Food Shopping Tips
- Organise a meal plan for the week and only buy what you need to save on food wastage.
- Freeze bread to make it last longer.
- Use powdered milk to have less wastage.
- Make a big pot of soup and freeze it.
- Prepare lunches rather than eating out.
- Fake-aways instead of Take-aways – replicate you favourite take away meal at home.
- Local supermarkets usually have a good range of ‘uni goods’. Tesco’s reduce section is pretty good at round about 7pm-8pm. If you get to know your local shop, you will discover the reduced section and towards the evening you can find amazing steals.
- Foodsharing app Too Good To Go lets customers buy and collect Magic Bags of food at a great price from local businesses in their area: https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/en-gb/
- Invest in some good cookbooks which show you cheap and easy recipes. Amazon is great for these and we found some here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=budget+cookbook+for+students&ref=nb_sb_noss
- The BBC also has a good section on its Food pages for cheap meals etc.:
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/quick_budget_dinners
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/affordable_30-minute_meals_for_two
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/4-ingredient_soups
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/5_ingredient_dinners
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/1_dinners
Shopping and Budgeting
- Buy and sell new and used items easily on Facebook Marketplace.
- TJ Hughes is a discount department store brand and is great for university essentials so if you are moving into a new flat or dorms and need some reasonably priced items then visit here. You can locate this at the St Enoch Centre: https://st-enoch.com/store/tj-hughes/
- Mountain warehouse is good for warm clothing and usually have a sale on. There is one close to Renfrew Street: – https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/stores/gss/glasgow—sauchiehall-street/
- Charity shops are great for clothes, they also do the charity shops for furniture as well. Avoid city charity shops especially the west end. Suburbs and outskirts are significantly cheaper.
- Second hand clothing app, Vinted is great for buying and selling new or worn clothing, shoes and accessories. Why not make some money for items you no longer wear!: https://www.vinted.co.uk/
- Facebook community groups (Glasgow freegle, Glasgow Freebay Glasgow Plant swap) are great for Furniture. You can find anything! Also you can find free artsy events (book releases, screenings) on Facebook events that come with a drink and free food.
- Don’t join a gym unless you’re going to definitely use it – exercise at home instead: https://www.fitnessblender.com/ and other free sites like: https://fitonapp.com/. YouTube also has some great exercise sessions.
- Apply to become a mystery diner! If you enjoy eating out and are prepared to complete a report on your experience for an agreed reimbursement then sign up here: https://www.mysterydining.net/
- Free Bus Travel is available to anyone who lives in Scotland under the age of 22. For more information and to apply visit: https://www.transport.gov.scot/concessionary-travel/young-persons-free-bus-travel-scheme/
- Get on your bike!! Instead of paying for public transport, cycle instead. OVO bokes are available throughout the city for unlimited free 30 minute rides. Here are some useful websites regarding cycling in Glasgow and bike hire:
- There are some great budgeting websites for students and we found some here
- Tools and tips to get your budget in order: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-budgeting-planner/
- 6 of the best budgeting apps for students: https://www.unitestudents.com/the-common-room/money/6-brilliant-budgeting-apps-for-students
Student Discounts and Loyalty Schemes
Use Student discounts and loyalty schemes – below are just some examples of companies which use loyalty cards but don’t forget about local smaller businesses too who are trying to survive in these difficult times.
Your university card will also give you lots of local deals, but lots of other cards and memberships give you other exclusive discounts. You’re not limited to one card or membership either, so take a look around and get all the ones that suit you. Many shops on the high street and online also offer student discounts so it’s always worth asking at the checkout!
- https://www.boots.com/shopping/advantage-card
- https://www.superdrug.com/beautycard
- https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/register-my-account/
- https://www.asda.com/rewards
- https://www.costa.co.uk/costa-club
- https://www.starbucks.co.uk/starbucks-card
- https://www.myunidays.com/GB/en-GB
- https://www.studentbeans.com/uk
- https://www.nus.org.uk/
- https://www.totum.com/