Moving away from home and starting your university career can be an unforgettable experience peppered with fantastic memories and plenty of new friends. This however comes at a price and with the average UK student leaving university with £17,500 of debt in tow, saving money at university is a wise move.

When it comes to everything from clothes to food, many students will fall foul to the lure of ‘buy now, pay later’, especially when it comes to store or credit cards. Unfortunately for many students, buying everyday goods and impulse buys on credit only helps to rack up further debts. The best route for students to take is to avoid store cards altogether and save up money for that special purchase instead. Once you have taken the time to save, you’ll be able to reassess whether the item is something you really need or just a fleeting ‘must have’.

Giving up bad habits to save money is a piece of advice not only relevant to students but anyone! Whether you Smoke, drink excessively or splurge on a new outfit every time you go out, assess what your bad habits are and cut them out. Redirecting funds from unnecessary areas into more important parts of your life will not only allow you to live better but also help you to kick bad habits in the process.

On a list of things students couldn’t live without, the mobile phone is probably very close to the top. Mobile phones comes attached with a number of expenses other than just your monthly bill. Students in halls particularly benefit from having mobile phone insurance given that theft – although generally uncommon – is not unheard of. Aside from insurance and monthly tariffs, international students in particular will find making calls back home can be very expensive. Students wanting to make cheap international calls needn’t suffer sky high bills however if they get a substantial discount with access codes which can be found online or invest in a phone card.

Finally, while there’s something of a ‘beans on toast’ stereotype attached to students, this is often far from the case. Too reluctant or lazy to prepare their own meals from scratch, many students opt for relatively expensive take-away food or restaurant meals that can quickly add up to a very costly monthly food bill. Preparing your own food and doing a weekly shop is not only a great way to save money and encourage healthy eating but can also be turned into a social outing when carried out with friends and flatmates who might also be interested in splitting the bill; thus saving the student even more money!