Supermarket Steal

Hey!

So it's been a while since we posted but exam time descended and we were insanely busy! But we're back with more helpful handy tips and tricks in order to get the best deals.

We went shopping a few weeks ago and decided to take a trip to the big Morrisons up the road. This could only mean one thing - it was time for a Big Shop.
Normally, a Big Shop can cost anything from £10 to £40 and as this was before our loan installment, we were trying to keep the costs down. That's where this guy comes in......

We've talked about the Match and More cards before, but this time it was different. The idea of a M&M card is that you accumulate points. Once you get to 500 points, you get a £5 voucher to redeem in store. We'd managed (with help from parents) to collect 4 vouchers. This meant we had £20 already. We filled our trolley with enough to last us for at least 2 weeks and went to the tills. The total was adding up quite fast but we weren't too worried. The checkout lady scanned the final item and the total flashed up in little blue numbers. £22.53. We handed over our vouchers and watched as the total fell to £2.53.

We'd managed to get an entire Big Shop for just over £1 each. SCORE. And in case you're wondering just how much we managed to get for that - here's our trolley. 

So keep those little money off vouchers because you could end up saving a hell of a lot, just like we did!!!

See you soon!

E&S :) 

Mythbusters: Freshers Edition Part 2

Hi!

We're back with some more Freshers Myths to bust for you, seeing as the new Freshers will be preparing soon!

1) Your lectures will be the Holy Grail of information.
Lectures are really important to attend but most people expect to understand everything in a lecture and waltz out feeling like Einstein. This isn't always the case. We've both been sat in numerous lectures where we have listened to the tutor for nearly two hours and are still clueless. The important thing to remember is - this is okay! If you read around the subject when you get back (not too much, we understand Netflix is calling your name) you'll be able to give yourself more of an idea of the subject.

2) Be organised
We've all said it since Year 11 - "Next year, I'll be WAY more organised". But now is the time you have to follow up on that. Folders and files are your new best friends. When you're sat two days before an exam and can't find that slide from lecture 7 that you desperately need; you'll be thanking the folder. The simplest way to get organised is to separate your notes into modules. That way you can keep all of the related work together without ending up with random doodles getting in the way.

3) Don't immediately join the uni gymThey may offer "student rates" but chances are, you can find much cheaper deal elsewhere. Also, really think about if you're going to use it. Can you really be bothered to go to the gym after back to back lectures and seminars? There are much more cost effective ways to keep healthy and in shape - like workout apps and even jogging around the local park.

4) "I can live off junk food!"
It's all well and good buying a 24 pack of crisps and nine zillion biscuits but trust us - after two weeks you'll be begging your parents to bring you a multi-pack of sweetcorn. We've been there! After a few weeks, you'll settle into an eating habit more and hopefully become more healthy.

5) You will miss your familyOkay so they seemed really annoying and uncool all the way through college but now you're going to be living away from them all. Weirdly, since moving away to uni, we've both become a lot closer to our families and visit them regularly. Don't be in a hurry to push your parents out the door; you'll miss them more than you think.

Hope this helps!
E&S :)

Uni Fees

Hi!

Ed Miliband announced his plans this week to cut tuition fees to £6000 a year, and in light of this, we thought we'd discuss the costs of uni from the eyes of students.

Although the government do provide a maintenance loan (and sometimes a grant if you qualify), this is means tested and can mean that you will receive a lot less than your friends simply because your household income is greater. In theory, this should work, as higher income families should have more expendable money in order to help support their kids through uni. However, with the cost of virtually EVERYTHING going up, it doesn't work out that way.

One of the major things we had to consider before applying to uni was the cost of accommodation. University halls are a popular choice for freshers because you're surrounded by people who are in your year and potentially on your course. Halls are great (we both spent our freshers year in halls) but they can be very expensive. Our halls are privately owned by a separate company which unfortunately bumps up the price. Some of the halls at uni can be very reasonably priced but be prepared to pay a lot if you want more modern facilities.

Although I'd love it if tuition costs were cut, I think the government need to seriously consider other costs first, like altering the maintenance loan and lowering uni accommodation. Currently, I will leave university in 2018 with £36,000 worth of debt in tuition fees alone. It sounds terrifying when I say it like that but I don't actually have to start paying it back until I earn over £21,000 a year. The bad news is, there's no guarantee I'll get a job straight out of uni, and even if I do, I won't be earning anywhere near that! This is good news for me (yay) but not so good news for the government. If my loans aren't paid back then the government loses out. I'll have a degree but with unemployment figures for young people being so high, it will take a while before I earn enough to pay it back.

Lets hope they figure something out soon, so more people can afford to get degrees and their dream jobs!

E&S

Mythbusters: Freshers edition

Hi!

As it is approaching decision time for a lot of this year's Freshers, we thought we'd bust some common Freshers myths for you.

1) You won't meet your best friends on a night out
Not everyone you meet in Freshers week will be a keeper. Once the hangover has worn off and you can think clearly, you'll find out that "hilarious" laugh is actually worse than nails on a chalkboard and that "perfume" is just BO. You will meet some genuinely great friends while you're settling in, but don't cling to the first people you meet while you're half drunk.

2) Flatmates
Flatmates can be a bit like Marmite - you'll either love them or hate them. With flatmates, the main thing to remember is compromise. Okay so they might have wild parties and you might leave the kitchen messy but arguing about every little thing will lead to a horrible living environment. I've been quite lucky as my flatmates are great but a lot of my friends have struggled to get on with theirs. Just remember, everyone's got a different way of doing things and that's okay.

3) Freshers week isn't just for drinking
I know, shocking right? Freshers week is home to some of the biggest and best club nights of the year and you don't want to miss out. But don't forget you actually need to attend your uni induction too. Some of the most important information is given out within that first week and you don't want to be the plum who misses out.

4) Getting stuck in
Try as many societies, taster sessions and open events as you can. Your uni will probably hold some sort of societies fair where you can go along and sign up. It's great to meet people who are studying different topics and making new friends who aren't on your course. You've no excuse not to join either, as there's something for everyone - from debating clubs to pole dancing!

5) Sign up with a doctor IMMEDIATELY
Fresher's Flu is probably the worst I've ever felt. A culmination of early morning lectures, late night drinking, very little sleep and a few dodgy kebabs will ultimately lead to the worst cold/flu/deathbed situation ever. Make sure you are signed up to a doctor so you can get an appointment if you need one, rather than having to wait a few weeks for your registration documents to be processed.

Hope this helps :)

E&S

About us...

Hi!

This blog is run by Emily and Shona. We are currently studying Psychology (Emily) and Law (Shona) at Northumbria University and are commonly referred to as "Skint Students".

Although it was very kind of the Government to lend us money for university, we all know it doesn't go far, especially after rent! We began to come up with ways to save money and stretch our loans a little further.

This blog will be mainly tips on saving money and sometimes rants about the ever increasing price of essentials (like cheese).

Any questions please feel free to email us at skintstudents2014@gmail.com

Thanks!

Shona and Emily :)

Top Cashback

Hi!

One of the most frustrating things about being a student is having to shop for yourself. We went shopping yesterday for a few things and were shocked at how much a packet of salad was! I'd heard about apps like TopCashback and Quidco before from my parents but I'd never tried them. On a random whim, I decided to download TopCashback on my phone.

It was really easy to sign up for and only needed my email and a password. After that I was free to look at all the deals that were available. One of the deals I saw was for a free meal deal. Now free food is always good, but a free meal is even better. I went to Tesco and bought my meal deal which consisted of a sandwich, drink and crisps. I bought the meal deal and made sure to save the receipt. Once I had got back to my flat, I uploaded a picture of the receipt to the TopCashback app and within 48 hours, I had received an email saying that my account had been credited and I was eligible to receive all of my money back!

This is just an example of one deal but there's loads of others; from money back on bread to cashback on purchases at Argos. Give it a go, it's definitely worth it!

Hope this helps

E&S :)

Making extra money

It's always nice to have a bit of extra money, especially if you're a busy student who doesn't necessarily have time for a job. Before Christmas, we were both a bit pushed for money for presents, so we started looking around for some ways that we could make it cheaper for ourselves. That's when we came across MySurvey.

It's a free website which allows you to complete quick surveys in return for points. Some surveys take 5 minutes and some can take up to 30 but it's a good way to earn money during breaks or study periods. Once you've collected enough points, you can then cash them in for vouchers for different places or on PayPal. I managed to buy both my sister and mum's Christmas presents through earning Amazon vouchers. I saved loads of money and didn't even leave my flat! I've left the link below for anyone interested to sign up

http://uk.mysurvey.com/

Hope this helps!
E&S