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As subscribers to our mailing list, you’ll be privy to exclusive emails, docs and info throughout the year. Following on from the moving-in checklist emailed last week, here are some Cardiff-specific finance tips directly from us to you.
• Freshers’ wristbands are, frankly, a waste of money – you’re better off just buying tickets on the day when you actually know which events your friends/flat are going to as well.
• If you are going to buy textbooks (which isn’t completely necessary in first year), check which ones you need first and check the ‘Overheard in Cardiff’ Facebook page to try and buy them second-hand off older students as they can be extremely expensive. Also try and find out if you can’t access them through the library.
• Get the Burger King app (thank me later).
• TooGoodToGo is an app where restaurants sell leftover food for extremely low prices - reducing food waste and saving you ££s at the same time! There are a range of restaurants in Cardiff city centre which partake in the scheme (including YO! Sushi and Auntie Anne’s bakery), you just need to be able to pick it up.
• Go to supermarkets at night as often they have food on clearance (especially meat and bakery goods) that they need to get rid of by the end of the day.
• Lidl, Aldi, Wilko, and Savers are your go-to shops.
• It’s easy to walk everywhere in Cardiff. Walking around will help you get your bearings in the city whilst saving you money at the same time
• Make use of the free nextbike membership you have as a university student! You get 30 minutes free per trip.
• If you do need a taxi, OlaCabs is just as good as Uber and regularly throw-out discounts too.
• If there’s an event you see and want to go to, co- ordinate with your friends/flatmates beforehand, and get tickets quickly as they may increase in price later on.
• Check/post on the ‘Overheard in Cardiff’ Facebook page for tickets to events that may be sold. You can
also sell tickets/wristbands on here.
• Compare gym prices before settling! Though the uni gym is the closest it’s definitely not the cheapest. Notable deals include The Gym in the city centre (9 months for £109)
• Check to see if you get free access to software through your school before buying membership - I cannot stress this enough! Example: Complete Anatomy for medical and anatomy students – some students paid £50 for membership at the beginning of the course when membership is already funded by our school(s).
• Student cinema tickets in Cardiff are ridiculously cheap (£3 at Premiere and £2.90 at Cineworld).
• NUS cards aren’t really necessary as most places accept UniDays (which is free) and your Student ID card anyway.
• Avoid buying coffee every morning as this really adds up. If you do, buy a reusable flask to fill at cafés as you will get money off your drink and help save waste too.
• A lot of schools have their own cafés but these vary in price and some (e.g. the one in the Sir Martin Evans building) are very expensive, so be cautious of this. If hungry, the restaurant in the main building does good food for cheap.
• The Taf in the Students’ Union is the cheapest pub for students (pints start at £2.09). The ‘Stock Exchange’ event also runs weekly, where the prices of drinks rise and fall throughout the night and can be seen on screens around The Taf (like a stock market).
• TAKE OUT CASH! Set yourself a weekly budget that you can aim to stick to and then cash out that exact amount e.g. £50-£70. By having cash in hand you can physically see your spendings and become less inclined to go over budget!
• Finally, DON’T HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP, managing money in first-year can be difficult and you may find yourself in a sticky situation but there are lots of ways you can get help! You can contact the advice and money team at any time for advice on anything money/finance related; for instance if your student loan or bursary is late or you just need general guidance.
• Student account comparison websites:
https://www.savethestudent.org/money/student
-banking/student-bank-accounts.html https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/life/money/
everything-you-need-to-know-about-student- bank-accounts
• Budgeting Links:https://www.savethestudent.org/money/student -budgeting/student-budgeting.html