Enjoy More, For Less

Saving Money, University, , , , , , ,

Cheap TicketsThere’s no point going to uni, if you just go to lectures and then spend the rest of your time staying at ‘home’. Nothing wrong with spending a little time socialising with your flatmates and friends in your new home, but everyone needs to get out and about at sometime.

The problem, well going out costs money. Going out to a club, costs you entry plus drinks to get you in the right ‘state’. Going to the cinema to see the ‘must see film’, all your friends have seen. The list goes on, but how do you get a great night for less money? Well with clubbing it’s worth setting yourself a limit, e.g. only withdraw a set amount of cash before you go out. Also try drinking at home before going to a club, it’s always cheaper (pubs/bars/breweries put a large mark up on pints, remember you’re paying to use there facilities), just don’t go over the top, else you will never get to the club! If you do want to go to pub first always try your student union bar/pub, they generally give the best deals on drinks. But also listen and look out for pubs and clubs doing student deals, and remember drink responsibly!

So you want to go to the cinema? But if you are not on the Orange network or it’s not Wednesday? What’s plan B?

Well try studentbeans.com

As long as you have a student I.D. you can get great offers to print off including my favourite 2 for 1 at Cineworld from Mon – Thur. There are many other offers in a range of categories such as entertainment or eating out. Some offers are better than others. One slight drawback is studentbeans.com is mainly based in and around major university cities in the UK, therefore not everywhere is covered. Although I would say coverage is pretty good.

Plus things just feel better if you get them cheaper than usual!

Cheers,

Martyn.

image: www.freeimages.co.uk

Are Your Opinions Worth Paying For?

Making Money, , , ,

Pencil and Notepad

Yes, but why? Well everyone is interested in other people’s opinion, whether this is politicians wanting to know which way you vote or businesses wondering whether you like product A or B. Even reading blogs shows an interest in opinions of others. But can you gain money from giving such an opinion? Well yes you can:-

YouGov is an independent research agency. Companies commission YouGov to survey people about all sorts of things so they can improve their knowledge of the market. By signing up to YouGov you could be selected to take part in one of these surveys. For each one you complete you earn money, not much, we’re talking 50p’s to a pound. So potential earnings are low but the surveys are quick and easy to complete (generally ticking boxes), and from the ones I’ve done they take between 5 and 10 minutes to complete. The downside is you may only be asked to do one survey a week or less, so earning opportunities are a little tight. Also you need to earn £50 before you get a cheque. At the rate I’m currently going at, I will receive my first cheque this time next year, so not a great earner. But if you are patient and can wait then maybe it’s worth a try especially if you don’t plan on having a blog or website. One other plus side is you can earn commission for recommending a friend! It you refer a friend, you receive equivalent amounts for every survey they complete in the first 3 months. Before I stop I must mention, Residents of the U.S. and Middle East can also take part, although I think there are separate sites for these area. Just check around the main site!

Cheers,

Martyn.

image: www.freeimages.co.uk

Save Money, Eat Well

Saving Money, University, , , , , ,

pastaOne of the constant hard hitters on the health of my wallet is food, yes we all need it, but can we save money and eat well at the same time? As a student you are constantly tempted by student deals from takeaways and other fast food outlets. The ‘10% off for students’ or ‘ Free [insert food] with this voucher’, offers can be hard to resist, but the bottom line is everyone wants your money and students tend to fall for these marketing tricks. Anyway why not, students like to be lazy, why cook when you can just pop into the nearest chippy?

Cooking does take time and effort, but is a lot more rewarding (if you don’t burn it!). Pasta must be one of the quickest and must be one of the most cost effective meal. Quite easily less than 50p a meal if you buy a large bag of pasta at the start of term. Why not jazz it up adding cooked bacon or grated cheese e.t.c. Cook more pasta than you need, rinse and save what you don’t eat, mix with mayonnaise, tuna and sweetcorn, to make something different for your dinner tomorrow. Certainly by cooking for yourself or others (even more cost effective if everyone pays a bit towards the cost), you have more control over what goes into your food, unlike that fat infested burger you had from the burger bar the other night (yes we’ve all had one!).

My last thought is, buy own brands products, e.g. Tesco Value range or Asda Smart Price. Many consider these products to be inferior when they are sometimes just as good if not better than their more expensive counterparts. In many case the same company that makes the recognised branded product also make the own brand products for supermarkets. On the other hand I’m no so sure about Sainsbury Basics tuna or mayonnaise, not as good as Tesco’s or Asda’s equivalent.

Anyway Happy Eating!

Martyn

image: www.freeimages.co.uk