It’s no secret that student life can be quite expensive, especially now given the rising cost of living. From rent, to food, to social life, it’s estimated that the average University student spends £1142 on living costs every month.  

As your Students’ Union, we recognise the financial strain placed on students, so we’ve put together a list of useful tips on ways to save money across all areas of living, as well as information on available financial support resources. Take a look and bookmark for later! 

Food shopping: 

One of the best ways to save money on food shopping is through a loyalty card. These cards are also referred to as reward cards or clubcards. Depending on the supermarket, they offer you points, coupons and discounts on your shopping. Here's a list of some of the UK’s biggest stores and their loyalty cards. 

• Lidl have “Lidl Plus” (free) – this card gives you weekly offers, freebies and coupons that are personlised to your shopping habits. With this card you can also access “Lidl Plus” prices on certain items throughout the store that are on offer. 
• Tesco has the “Tesco Clubcard” (free) – Clubcard often gives you significant discounts on product prices in store. It also allows you to earn points with every shop which you can redeem for vouchers and coupons. 
• Asda has “Asda Rewards” (free) – this card allows you to earn cash back rather than points with your shopping. Points go into your Cashpot, where they can eventually be converted into vouchers for money off your Asda shopping.  
• Sainsburys has the “Nectar Card” (free) – With the Nectar Card, you earn points with every shop which can be redeemed for vouchers on future shopping, fuel savings (if you drive) and other rewards. It also gives you significant discounts on product prices in the store. Many other stores use Nectar cards therefore it helps to have this in your wallet! 
• Waitrose have “My Waitrose” (free) – this card gives you coupons that are personalised to your shopping habits 
• Morrisons have “Morrison More” (free) – this card gives you coupons that are personalised to your shopping habits. You can also earn points with every spend, which can be saved and turned into a voucher for money off your shopping when you hit a specific milestone.  
• Marks and Spencers have the “Sparks Card” (free) – this card gives members exclusive rewards and discounts without needing to collect points.  
• Co-op has “Co-op Membership” (£1 joining fee) – this reward card gives you “members” pricing on items in the store, meaning certain items are cheaper. It also offers you personalised offers throughout the week. It costs £1 to join, but you get this back on your first shop when you select your personalised offer. 

Student discounts: 

As a student, there are lots of discounts you may be eligible for. These can be a helpful way of reducing your spending. Many discounts will be available just by showing your Roehampton University ID card but there are extra schemes you can sign up for free too: 

• UniDays – Free to sign up to and all students in college, university or sixth form are eligible. Unidays primarily provides discounts for non-essential online purchases like branded clothes, tech and meals out so be mindful not to overspend just because of a tempting discount. You can register here for Unidays. 
• Student Beans – Very similar to Unidays, Student Beans is free to register for and provides discounts primarily for online purchases. You can register for Student Beans here. 
• TOTUM+ – A TOTUM+ card is the new name for an NUS extra card. The card comes with an initial up-front cost, but it does provide a variety of discounts and will often be accepted as student ID in shops and restaurants if you do not have your Student ID handy. You can also get a FREE government approved 18+ ID card when you purchase your TOTUM+ card. A 1-year card costs £14.99, a 2-year card is £24.99  or a 3-year card is £29.99. You can purchase a TOTUM+ card here. 

Travel: 

Railcard – If you travel by train regularly or need to take long train journeys to visit home you may benefit from purchasing a railcard. There are a variety of railcards for different age groups, but they will give you up to 1/3 off the cost of any train tickets. Generally, 1-year railcard will cost £30 or £70 for 3 years but you may be able to get a cheaper railcard during sale periods. You can find more information about Railcards and how to buy one here. 

You can also save on train tickets by using split tickets. A split ticket means you break a longer journey into several smaller journey tickets, this can often be cheaper than buying a single ticket to cover the full journey. There are a number of different websites that help you search for split tickets so it always worth checking if you can save before you book. 

Just be mindful there will sometimes be conditions on split tickets such as which route you follow or which stations your train stops at so make sure you are happy with the journey itinerary before you commit. 

Student Bus Passes – Transport for London has lots of money saving tips on their website, including their 18+ Student Oyster Photocard. 

Bills: 

If you live off campus, you may be responsible for paying different bills such as energy, broadband, and even water. This article gives you some fantastic advice and tops on setting up your bills, comparing providers and splitting bills between people.  Student bills – Setup, compare and split - Save the Student