University is not a cheap life experience, whether it be the fees themselves or accommodation fees, your bank account is definitely going to take a hit. As soon as you embrace the whole “poor uni student” title and take advantage of this, your bank account may not be looking as sad as it once was.
Firstly, try and avoid having to use all of these tips by working hard now while you are in high school. Get a job if you can and save. Having to balance a job and your school work may be a struggle, but there are benefits. It will teach you time management skills and help stop procrastination as you are having to work to keep ahead. This has come in handy at University where you actually have to put effort into your work opposed to NCEA where you could just yolo it. Also I don’t want to scare you but prepare you, the student allowance and loan does not cover the full amount of your fees. Halls cost $756 a fortnight and the student loan only covers $440 of this, having savings can lessen the panic once you arrive and have to start paying.
Once you have arrived though, these are some ways I have found to save moolah. It may only be small amounts in some cases, but any extra dollars go a long way.
1- Spotify
If you are already one step ahead, you have already got a phone plan with free Spotify included. However, if you don’t students get Spotify for 50% off. That’s a saving of $90 a year all for being a student!!! It’s really easy to do as well, just use this link https://www.spotify.com/nz/student/ and follow the instructions. It took me about 2 minutes.
2 – Deals of the Day/Week
Sometimes hall food really doesn’t cut it or you feel the need to treat yourself. Although treating yourself with food costs money, it doesn’t have to be a crazy amount if you are smart about it. Franchises tend to do deals of the day/week so take advantage of it. Tank does a $5 smoothie or juice of the week, Subway has their sub of the day for only $4.90, Sushi Club has their 8 pieces of value range sushi for $5.70 and Dominoes value range pizzas are consistently $5. These are only the places I normally go to but I’m sure with a bit of exploration there will be others so don’t restrict yourself, be smart instead.
3 – Loyalty Cards
If you are going to be buying from places often, it is worth getting their loyalty cards. By spending money, eventually you will get some money back or some free things. Subcards, Pita Pit fan cards, Mecca Beauty Loop, AirPoints and the Countdown Onecard are all cards I use and have given me rewards. The two most rewarding ones are AirPoints and Onecard. Airports has a shopping mall so if you buy items from places like Glassons, Asos and Iconic, it gives you AirPoints for every dollar spent, perfect for flights home. The Onecard not only gives you discounts on items when you purchase them, it also collects points which turns into vouchers.
4 – Facebook Competitions and Giveaways
Social Media is a wonderful thing in regards to getting free things especially for a night out. No student wants to spend money on drinks or entrance fees into clubs therefore Facebook competitions and giveaways are the greatest. Degree is the best place for getting free things, just by commenting on one post my friend won 4 free gourmet pizzas worth $20 each. Degree not only do food but the infamous fishbowl. Each Friday they give away over 30 fishbowls worth $50 each, they are filled with different kinds of alcohol and fruit and make for great Instagram pictures. Other clubs also do free entrance, bar tabs and limo rides. It only takes a single comment and it can honestly make your night because who doesn’t want free things!!
5 – Apps and Websites
Unidays and Niesh are two apps/websites made for giving students discounts. Unidays gives discounts for fashion, beauty, lifestyle, health and fitness, and technology and is available for all tertiary students with their email. All you need to do is scroll through, find what you want then click reveal code which you put in during checkout. The main sites like Apple, Glassons and Sephora may only offer 10% but a saving is a saving. Niesh is a discount app for students living in Auckland. The app offers a range of categories with a range of deals. Some deals include $10 rugby league tickets, free drinks and fries, and 50% off gel nails.
These are just some of the ways I have found to save money whilst being at University and trying to live on that student budget whilst still enjoying life. Hopefully these will help you and if you have anymore tips, let me know!!
Amy