As the cost-of-living increases, students are finding it harder and harder to budget and live on their student loans/grants. As a fellow student, I understand the struggles that we are all going through, so here are some tips / apps I personally find useful in helping me save money.
Discount and Voucher Codes Apps:
Unidays & Student Beans
Most students will have heard of these two apps, but for those who haven't they are student specific discount apps that offer coupons for free and discounted items. They require a verification that will be sent to your University email.
Voucher Codes
Similarly to Unidays and StudentBeans, Voucher Codes offer coupons, however, this app is not student-specific meaning anyone can use the app freely. There are a few coupons available to students only that need an email verification but most of them are free for all!
Honey
Personally, Honey is my favourite from the list, Honey is a browser extension that you can add to Chrome and it will automatically help search for applicable discount codes you can use when purchasing items online.
TOTUM card
The 1st paid membership on the list, TOTUM gives you discounts on big vendors that don't usually have sales such as Samsung, ASOS and Apple. It costs £14.99 for a 1-year membership and £24.99 for a 3-year membership. Each purchase also comes with a free proof of age student ID pass and a Tastecard. Tastecard is a membership that partners with many restaurants - giving you even more discounts to use!
Cardiff Bus
For students who travel far and use the bus often, the Cardiff Bus app would be a good thing to look into. They offer tickets at a lower price and you can also buy packets of tickets lowering the prices by a lot more. If you are under 21 you could also go on the https://mytravelpass.gov.wales/en/ website and apply for a MyTravelPass which will let you save an additional 30% on bus travel.
Olio
Ever have things you need to get rid of? Or need to get anything quickly? Olio is a platform that allows users to donate or lend things to people around your neighbourhood. Things such as food, clothes, and even miscellaneous household items are listed on the app free. Just text the uploader and set an appropriate meeting place and time to collect the items (making sure to do it in a public place!) and you have collected your free items. They even have a section where you can borrow items such as power tools.
Another great thing to do is to check if the places you shop at (Lidl or Tesco etc.) have apps and memberships which might give you discounts or let you collect points. Most places also do student discounts and will give you them if you just show your ID, so don't be shy to ask if they offer them!