Plan A Budget 

Be on top of your finances from the start.  See a student budget calculator here.  You might want to use your bank statements to remind you of your normal expenditure and don't forget to divide TV licence, phone rental and utilities by the number of people who share the bill.      

Why do I need a budget?

• Seeing all of your income and expenditure in black and white shows how much you can spend on non-essentials (disposable income)
• It shows you if and when you'll run out money which means you can do something about it before you reach crisis point
• If you're not worrying about money you can focus on other things ...    

Why don't more people budget?

• Ignorance is bliss, right?  The main reason most people avoid working out a budget is that it normally makes you realise how little money is left after the necessities are paid for.  In fact, if you are relying on just your Student Loan to see you through the year, you'll probably be in for a bit of a shock.   NUS estimates the Student Loan only covers about half the average student's annual expenditure 

How To Spend Less But Still Have A Life 

If you've done a budget you should have a pretty good idea of how much you spend and on what.  It's essential that you keep a roof over your head, have enough to eat and keep up to date with a gas/electricity/water bills but what you do with the rest is negotiable.

The idea is to go through your expenses and make some strategic nip-tucks.  This takes ruthless honesty ... how strong is your willpower when your first student loan instalment (�1,000+) is sitting in your bank account?  Do you have a tendancy to splurge on clothes or mad nights out?  A weakness for skinny frappamoccacino lattes?  Or maybe there's no way on earth you'll give up your gym or sports team membership?

Economising is not about giving up everything you love - it's about compromising and finding cheaper alternatives so that you can still enjoy yourself.  See our top tips below for making savings in many different areas but first, for those items you know are a waste but you just can't help yourself ... try moneysavingexpert.com's The Demotivator

Download Top Tips on Saving Money

1. Utility Bills
2. Phone and Broadband
3. Food Shopping
4. Entertainment & Leisure
5. Day to Day Expenses
6. Textbooks & Equipment
7. Travel
8. Healthcare

Use The Web To Net Yourself Some Deals 

• www.studentbeans.com - new self-styled online provider of deals and discounts for students.  Sign up for an account and print off personalised discount vouchers for entertainment, dining out and more.
• www.vouchercodes.co.uk - free voucher codes and exclusive discounts 
• www.stuwd.com - a free student only service that sends subscribers twice-weekly offers via text message.  
• www.nusonline.co.uk - the National Union of Students Extra card offers students cut-price dining deals, Virgin Experience Days and many discounts abroad - check out the offers online to make sure you'll use them before you buy a card!
• www.isic.org - an International Student Identity Card will get you discounts on everything from theme park admission to gym memberships and cinema ticket to paintballing!  It's also valid abroad and incorporates proof of age.  Get either an NUS or an ISCI card and make a point of asking about student discounts wherever you go.  You'd be surprised at the number of places that offer unadvertised discounts - if you don't ask, you won't get!
• www.studentfreestuff.com - a collection of 'free' deals for students with some time to mess about on the net - some require sign-ups, taking surveys and so on.
• www.freeguestlist.co.uk - a free service enabling you to queue jump and/or get into clubs for free in London - perfect for birthdays.  Stop getting caught out by extortionate entry charges!
• www.lastminute.com -   possibly the most famous site on the web for eleventh hour deals - perfect for students.  

We hope you'll find these links useful but please be aware that Vetlife cannot accept responsibility for the content of external websites. 

Part content of this page is reprinted with kind permission of the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund