<p>The first year at university or college can often be expensive. Here is how to have the time of your life while still watching your finances.<br />
<strong>Cheaper Travel</strong><br />
You can make savings on your train travel by buying in advance online or making sure you get a return as two singles are often more expensive.<br />
Be savvy and get a 16-25’s railcard and you could be saving a third off all your train fares.<br />
If you drive a car, make sure your car insurance is up to date and covers you being away at university or college. Shop around for the best deal.<br />
What excess fees would you have to pay if you have an accident? It’s best to check your car insurance before you leave. It doesn’t take long.<br />
A great way to save on petrol costs is to see if there is anyone else you know in college or university who needs a ride in the same direction and who would be willing to share rides with you.<br />
If you drive one week and they drive the next, you can end up using only half the amount of petrol in a year than you originally would have.<br />
<strong>Bank Accounts and Bursary</strong><br />
See if you are eligible for a bursary. Many universities offer a bursary scheme for those on a lower income.<br />
Don’t be drawn in by all the goodies that banks offer for student bank accounts.<br />
Instead, look for things like interest free borrowing or those that charge less if you go into an unplanned overdraft.<br />
Try to make sure you pay your bills regularly and on time and budget them into your everyday spending.<br />
After the bills are paid, what else can you afford?<br />
If you find you are more stretched than usual you may be able to get some free advice from your college or university on how to budget better.<br />
<strong>Be creative in your savings</strong><br />
Did you know, you could claim back one quarter of your TV licence for the 3 summer months that most students are not in their accommodation?<br />
If you love your stuff, then join free-cycle or have a student swaps event set up, where you can swap clothes or other items.<br />
Buy used textbooks or borrow them from the university or college library for free. If you do get them from the library you may be able to get them on a longer loan.<br />
If a long loan is not possible, then you may have to simply keep renewing them.<br />
Just remember to write the renewal dates in your dairy and not start adding up fines instead.<br />
Pool your food money together and have a shared meal with your college or uni mates.<br />
You can decide what you want together and you can take turns to volunteer to cook the meal and buy the food from a discount food shop.<br />
Party on discount nights at local pubs or bars and join groups or uni held functions that offer free refreshments afterwards.<br />
Be a savvy saver and still have fun. Remember most of your fellow students are in the same situation,<br />
so get together, join as many clubs as you can and have a laugh.</p>
<h5>Featured images:</h5>
<p><span class="license">License: Creative Commons</span><br />
<span class="source">image source</span><br />
Reed Rickman writes on a number of finance related topics for a digital marketing agency.</p>

How To Have Fun On A Fresher's Budget
