Welcome to Uni! Now let’s budget

Starting off somewhere new can be very daunting, especially when it’s the first time you have ever had to buy everything for yourself. Having different ways to save money can help you to stay just outside of your overdraft for that little bit longer, whilst not having to sacrifice a social life.

Nightlife

One of the worst parts of being a student is waking up after a night out knowing you’ve spent all of your student loan in a day. Here are some ways to avoid this:

42s loyalty card
42nd Street Nightclub located on Bootle Street offer a loyalty card which has three free shots as well free entry. If you go into the club and ask for a card, each time you claim one of your rewards it will be pencilled off. An easy way to get free drinks!

Quids in at Factory 251                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            On Mondays, Factory 251 offer a deal whereby if you enter before 11.30pm you will receive entry for £1 (which goes up to £5 after) as well as £1 drinks. It’s a great way to meet other freshers on a budget (without having to worry about small talk)!

Skiddle and Fatsoma                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Skiddle and Fatsoma are the two companies primarily used for events in Manchester. Creating accounts on these sites allows you to receive notifications of any events coming up allowing you to purchase tickets on first release, which are always the cheapest.

Look Local                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Never underestimate the power of Fallowfield. With so many options just a 142 away, it’s easy to overlook local classics such as Cubo or 256. Sometimes a small local night out is all you need, and with tickets from the low low price of free to little more than a fiver, you can’t complain!

Food and Drink

Pesto pasta is nice, however when it’s the ninth night in a row and you are becoming deficient in iron, maybe it’s time for a meal out. Here are ways to save money:

The Bar
The Bar located in Fallowfield has Happy hour from Wednesday – Sunday, 7pm to 10pm, so you can get many different beers and wines for cheap!

Wetherspoons
When visiting your nearest Wetherspoons you can receive what is known as ‘The big book of little savings’, whereby you can receive up to £100 worth of savings on food and drinks.

Revs
If you download the Revs app off of the App Store and sign up using an ‘ac.uk’ e-mail, you will receive exclusive access to student deals, specific to your local Revolution, such as 25% off food from Sunday to Thursday.

Everyday life

Trying to adult is a task that many try and many fail (does anyone ever really succeed?). It’s difficult, but here are some ways to ease the transition:

Puregym
You can save 50% off your first month at Puregym if you use create an account on Unidays.

Nicky Clarke
Getting a valid TOTUM card when in university opens a world of endless deals and savings, one being a 25% saving on hair services at Nicky Clarke.

IKEA
Plain and simple, if you have Unidays you can knock £10 off your total at IKEA.

Amazon Prime
Another great deal from Unidays (we have a trend occurring), whereby you can receive 6 months free Amazon prime, which includes free next day delivery, as well as Prime video and reading.

Vue Cinema
Located in The Printworks in Manchester, they offer £4.99 cinema tickets as well as 3 food or drink items for just £9.99. On top of this they also have a loyalty card offering numerous amounts of deals such as 20% off your Wagamama’s bill.

General money saving tips
One massive piece of advice is to download both Unidays and Student beans. They both offer unlimited amounts of deals on an unlimited amount of things, such as food and drink, clothing and active living. Simply searching up the companies you are purchasing from on these apps could save you a nice chunk of money. Another tip is having a TOTUM card and simply asking in store if a student discount is available. Some places that do offer discounts won’t just accept your university ID, so having access to a TOTUM card will be a huge benefit. Finally, if you follow the University of Manchester’s Student Union’s news feed it will be constantly updated with discounts and deals to help you save money.