Money-saving tips for UK university students

Hi everyone! In this blog, I’ll share my experiences of saving money as a student while paying my own tuition fees and daily expenses.

Eating healthily on a budget

I used to think that saving money meant consuming more fast meals or eating less, but this is a misconception. Instead, sometimes eating healthily helps us save more money than consuming junk food.

I save money by avoiding buying snacks and drinks that aren’t necessary for my daily main meals. This helps me save around £20 per month. Instead, I drink mainly water and cook most of my meals from scratch. Even when I really fancy some yoghurt or dessert, I look for the discounted ones that save me half of the original price.

My affordable restaurant recommendations

When I eat out, I choose wisely. I pay attention to the quality of the main course rather than the decoration of the restaurant or anything else, because affordability and good quality are my priorities. In York, there are plenty of restaurants that are affordable with good-quality food. For Western meals, I recommend Pig and Pastry, which is a family-owned restaurant that focuses on excellent food and a friendly catering experience.

For semi-Asian dishes, I recommend Happy Valley, where they provide a wide range of food at amazing prices. At the time of writing this, they offer a lunch set combo for diners, only costing roughly £20 per person. The set menu includes a starter, soup, and main dishes. They also offer 20% off every meal on Tuesdays through Uber Eats. While we’re on the topic, I also pay attention to the discounts or coupons offered by different restaurants through online delivery platforms.

For traditional Asian food, I recommend Chef Lu. Compared to other Asian restaurants I’ve tried, the portions at Chef Lu’s are larger, so I often ask for a takeaway box so I can use the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Cooking for myself

I also recommend cooking meals by yourself. In order to save money while still eating healthily, I strongly recommend pre-planning the food that you are going to make every week. Especially if you are just cooking for yourself, because if you buy too much food it might end up being thrown away.

Every Sunday, I make a plan in my notebook and decide what kinds of meals I want to make the next week. To try and avoid repetition, I decide on a different food theme for my cooking every week, such as Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Mexican. Then I will make a list of what I need to buy to cook those meals for a week. As I make the list, I also manage my budget for the week. In my experience, Lidl is the most affordable supermarket in York.

Managing my budget and building long-term savings

As well as controlling my food budget, I also manage my savings wisely. To make sure I’m bringing money in and not just spending it, I work a few different part-time jobs, and I also invest some of my money to create passive income streams.

Low-cost leisure and smart transport choices

I’m always eager to find places to chill out that don’t cost me a lot of money. I enjoy nature, being outside and cycling. So parks and large green spaces have become my favourite places to chill out by myself or with my friends.

In York, there are lots of places that are good for connecting with nature. One of my favourites is Clifford’s Tower and walking along the River Ouse. Rowntree Park and Museum Gardens are also wonderful places to chill out and unwind or to enjoy a picnic with friends. 

To get around York, I bought a bike, so I don’t have to use the bus as much, and I save on bus tickets. I also bought a rail card that gives me discounts on my train tickets, which is really useful when I travel from York to other places in the UK, like Leeds, Manchester, London or Edinburgh.

Conclusion

Overall, saving money is about more than controlling your spending. You have to learn to spend wisely and strike a balance between managing income and spending. I believe every student can build good money habits step-by-step. It doesn’t require a perfect plan but consistency and awareness in daily choices. If I can manage it, you can do it too!