Cost of Living

You may be eligible for a Council Tax exemption. For further information please have a look at the Finance webpage.

Why not use the Study Spaces available on campus to reduce your gas and electric usage. For single use rooms please use the self-service, if there are no rooms available or suitable for your needs please email roombookings@abdn.ac.uk .

If you wish to book a larger room for a group session please email roombookings@abdn.ac.uk including the names of all attendees, so we can allocate suitable rooms for multiple occupancy.

Also why not study in one of our libraries to keep warm, please visit our webpage for opening times.

Please have a look at our Mindful Menus where you can find cheaper ways to eat on campus.

Discounts

Before purchasing anything, always look to see if you can get a further or better discount than your student discount. Below are a few tips:

• UNiDAYS
• Student Beans
• Groupon
• Itison
• UK Hot Deals
• Voucher Codes
• Money Saving Expert
• Voucher Cloud
• Totum

Freebies

• Looking for a new item (furniture/electrical goods/bicycle/car etc)?
  Always look to see if you can get it for free before buying:
  • Gumtree
  • Aberdeen Freegle
  • Freecycle.org
  • Trash Nothing
  • Freelywheely
  • Free Stuff
  • Save the Student: Free stuff: 45 freebies in the UK
• Amazon PRIME is free for 6 months if you register with your @abdn.ac.uk email address.
• Sending a card for a special occasion? Look at the Funky Pigeon or Moon Pig promotion webpages first for current offers - if you register for a new account you may get your first purchase free.
• Hair and beauty? Use Aberdeen's North East Scotland College . Students require models to train on, and they sometimes offer their services at a discounted rate for your time. All services are supervised by qualified staff.

• Always look for deals on the Discount Codes webpages before setting off. Bring a picnic along so you are not tempted to buy overpriced sandwiches.
• Worried about the cost of a night out but still want to socialise? Why not invite friends round to your flat/house instead, everyone can bring their own drink and food.
• Cinema - Look for 2 for 1 deals, and always remember your student discount
• Free Bus Travel. Young people under 22 years can get free bus travel across Scotland. If you are eligible, you'll be able to apply for a card to access Scotland's Young Persons' (Under 25) Free Bus Travel Scheme. Young Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme | Overview | Transport Scotland

• ABDN Student Job Service .
• Keep in touch with AUSA for one off jobs that may lead to regular work.
• Register with temping agencies:
  • AAA
  • Hayes
  • Reed Employment
  • Office Angels
• Plan ahead and seek work during the Easter/Summer/Christmas break.

Register with market research companies, for example Top 10 Best Paid Surveys , you can often get paid to shop/eat or you may receive goods in exchange for your time and feedback.

To work out how much each household appliances cost to run use our Energy Costing Calculator formula .

What help is available if I can't pay my energy bill?

If you're falling behind with your energy bills, and finding yourself struggling to pay, the best thing to do is contact your supplier as soon as possible. Under rules from regulator Ofgem, your supplier has to help you - usually by negotiating a payment plan that you can afford.

Tips to save on energy at home

1. Watch your shower time - Keeping your shower time to four minutes - the equivalent of a long pop song - could also lop money off your annual bill.
2. Keep tabs on your appliances - Appliances, especially 'wet' ones like dishwashers and washing machines, are notorious for burning through energy. The Energy Saving Trust reckons you could shave £28 off your annual energy bill by keeping your washes to 30- degrees and reducing the number you do per week by one.
3. Draught proofing - Getting rid of jets of cold air you often feel coming through windows and doors could mean you're less likely to need your heating on. It says draught proofing your home using specialist excluders could save you £215 over five years - and can cost only £3 to do.
4. Get to know your boiler - Two quick changes you can make to your boiler could save you more than £300 a year, according to heating experts. Heating Hub - an energy efficiency advisory firm - recommends turning down your flow temperature to save money.
5. Switch the TV off standby
6. Turn off the lights - If you're the type of person that often forgets to turn the light off, then you might want to reconsider your habits.
7. Get a smart meter - These devices allow you to accurately measure how much energy you're using, even down to the appliance, so you can change your habits accordingly. If you want to get one, contact you energy provider and an installer will put one in free of charge.
8. You can calculate your household footprint using the Home Carbon Calculator here.

• Too Good To Go - Reduced fresh food from local stores.
• Online Shopping
  • Look for free delivery or a time slot that is during the morning as prices can be as little as £1.
  • By doing online shopping you are sticking to your shopping list and you are not tempted to throw in goods that you don't need.
• Freeze leftover food.
• Prepare your meals in advance so you are not tempted to buy takeaways.
  • You can always treat yourself to a take-away at the weekend if you stick to your food planner .
• Organise a leftover swap with flatmates or friends - eating leftovers can get boring, but if you swap leftovers with your friends you get to try new foods while keeping costs to a minimum.
• Use a reusable bottle for your coffee and water - this will not only save you money but is also environmentally friendly
• Do you have a garden? Grow your own vegetables/herbs.
• Tiny budget cooking - Make mouth-watering meals without spending a fortune on groceries
• The Savvy Students' Cookery Book - created by your fellow UoA students!
• The Student Food Project - Quick, cheap and easy student recipes
• Recipe cards - Download our cheap and delicious recipes
• Dietary requirements - Swap out any of these for alternative ingredients
• Eat breakfast at home - A list of cheap breakfasts
• Eat lunch at home - Cheap lunch suggestions
• The Unexpected Student Store Cupboard Staples
• Also refer to our Off Campus web pages which have a vast variety of information on them!

Car insurance

• When shopping on the comparison websites, try a few different occupations - yes you may be a student, but also try getting a quote that confirms your part-time job status as it may be cheaper than confirming you're a student.
  • Confused.com
  • Comparethemarket.com
  • Go.Compare
  • Moneysupermarket.com
  • Moneyexpert.com
  • Uswitch.com
• Add a parent/guardian as a named driver or vice versa - it may be cheaper to include someone even though they won't drive your car.

Phone insurance

• Do you need insurance? Is your phone worth more than your 12 months instalments or annual policy? If not, it may be cheaper to buy a new phone rather than paying for insurance.
• Is your phone covered under your house insurance? Ask your house insurance company or your parent/guardian company instead of assuming it's not, as you may be paying for insurance twice.

Free sanitary products for those who need them across campus - Your Wellbeing | Students | The University of Aberdeen (abdn.ac.uk) 

Savings and Bank Accounts

Choose your bank account wisely. Never assume that your interest rates stay the same, banks/building societies can change the interest rate at any time - you may have gotten the best deal at the time, but keep a close eye on your accounts:

• Money Saving Expert
• Money Super Market
• Save the Student
• Money

If you have debt but you also have savings - if your debt interest rate % is higher than your savings, use your savings to pay of your debt unless you are not getting charged interest. Do not get a bank account with a daily fee - if your account currently charges a daily fee - change account!

Credit and Debit Cards

Do you have Debt? Are you paying interest? If you are shop around for a 0% balance transfer, if you are accepted transfer the whole amount and start paying off as much as you can and pay it back within the terms.

Before purchasing a new item of clothing, furniture, household goods, shoes etc, think to yourself can I get it elsewhere for less? Buy second hand - List of Charity Shops and Second Hand stores in Aberdeen or you can look at online shops eg Vinted, Ebay, Depop etc.

Also work out the costing of each wear, if you know you are only going to wear the item once - ask yourself is it really worth £29.99 or if you know you will get 10 uses out of is it worth £2.99 per wear.

• Money matters - Shop Savvy poster

• Do you live close by but use the bus/car? Cycle or walk instead.
• Get involved with BeCycle for a free bike, you just have to put down a deposit!
• Parking - always look for a street with free parking or cheaper rate.
• Free Bus Travel:
• Young people under 22 years can get free bus travel across Scotland. If you are eligible, you'll be able to apply for a card to access Scotland's Young Persons' (Under 25) Free Bus Travel Scheme. Young Persons' Free Bus Travel Scheme | Overview | Transport Scotland

Got lots of old books, CDs, DVDs, Clothes, electrical goods, phones etc that you no longer use? Sell them!

• Advertise on Gumtree , Facebook , University Social Media, School Notice boards, etc
• Before advertising, check websites like Ebay to see how much they are selling for

Going home? Driving? If so, advertise for car buddies on Facebook , school noticeboards etc by listing when you will be leaving and where you would be willing to drop people off. Perhaps ask for fuel contributions.

• Always know who you are taking with you in your car and let people know who is in the car with you. Also empty your car boot, if you drive around with unnecessary weight you use more fuel.

Holidays - if you know in advance that you are going home for Christmas Break, Easter Break etc, book in advance:

• Megabus
• Trainline
• Skyscanner

Foreign Exchange - if you know in advance, start keeping an eye on the exchange rate . If you see a good rate, buy!

Going away for the week-end? Shop around for cheap hotels, remember to always check out approximately five different websites:

• Agoda
• Expedia
• Booking.com
• Travel Republic
• On the Beach
• Trivago

Compare prices that include breakfast and without, as sometimes it may be £35 more to include breakfast when in fact, you could go elsewhere for breakfast and pay as little as £6.

• If you are travelling as a group it could be cheaper to get an Airbnb and split the cost than to get separate hotel rooms.

Only use your gas or electric when required - switch everything off when not being used

• Charge USB electrical goods at uni or work when using a PC.
• Request a FREE smart meter from your service provider.

Need an item but only going to use it once? Ask family and friends to borrow the item and return once finished.

Require new books?

• Advertise on the School noticeboards/Social media etc for a used copy.
• Look in your local charity shops, local car boot sales, school jumble sales before buying new.
• Money matters poster - Save money on textbooks

Renting a flat

• If your lease is coming up for renewal - shop around see if the rental market has fallen. If it has, ask your landlord for a reduced rate to be in line with other rental properties.

Got a spare room - advertise looking for a new flat mate. Always do checks before allowing a person to move in with you.

WIFI

• Always log onto free wifi
• Download your providers' app and keep an eye on your usage, don't go over your Data allowance.
• Send pics via Messenger/WhatsApp rather than paying 25p per picture text.

Budgeting

• Create your own personal budget planner
• Complete the 'Saver or Spender' questionnaire to see if you need to work more on your Budget Planner
• You can head over to https://www.savethestudent.org/money/student-budgeting/student-budgeting.html to get tips on budgeting or download their tool.
• Which.com - 10 things to remember to budget for at University.
• Budget Calculator - UCAS - Budget calculator | Undergraduate, Conservatoires | UCAS

Do you have a hobby that can make money?

• If you play a music instrument, get involved in a society or band that will pay you!
• Do you draw, knit, paint? Sell your goods on Ebay or Etsy or have a stall at local fayres at Christmas or Easter.

Exercise

• Do you use your gym membership? If not, cancel your direct debit and go pay as you go.
• Use public parks, team up with friends and meet at the local park and create your own boot camp style workout - lots of fun plus socialising at the same time.

TV Licence

• If you don't own a TV or if you don't use it to watch live TV you may not need to pay for a TV License - find out more .