How to do Freshers’ Week on a budget

After months of preparation, the start of university is finally upon us and many new students will be beginning their degrees over the next couple of weeks. With this comes the famous Freshers’ Week: non-stop partying, group activities, drinking, eating and… spending money.

It’s inevitable that you’ll spend a lot in preparation for, and during, Freshers’ celebrations but here are a few ways to save and still have an amazing start to your university experience.

Eat smartly

You can save lots by just being organised and setting a food budget. Plan your meals in advance and write a shopping list so you don’t buy unnecessary items. Make sure you pay attention to use-by dates so you don’t waste anything, but also check the reduced to clear section in supermarkets for fantastic deals. Also, refrain from shopping when you’re hungry: you’ll definitely end up buying more than you need. Of course you can treat yourself to dominoes or go for meals with your mates occasionally, but if you eat smartly on a daily basis, you’ll save loads.

There’s no need to re-vamp your wardrobe

You’re meeting a whole lot of new people, right? So why do you need a new wardrobe if your current clothes are in perfectly good condition? The beauty of Freshers is that no-one has seen any of your outfits before so you can pretend they’re all new. If you really want to, you could buy one or two new things but there’s honestly no need to splash out on a whole new set of clothes.

Get a Freshers’ pass

Most universities organise an itinerary of activities and events to make Freshers’ Week as exciting as possible and quite often you’ll be able to buy a single pass which will get you into all the events. You should be informed about these in your university starting packs, or you could look on your Students’ Union website for details. Tickets may seem pricey, but they’ll be much cheaper than buying tickets for each individual event. So if you’re hoping to get involved in everything, you should definitely get a Freshers’ pass.

Don’t sign up to every society

When club reps are throwing leaflets at you from every direction, and all your friends are begging you to come to different societies with them, it can be tempting to join lots of clubs at the start of the year. Realistically, you won’t have enough time to keep all of them up, so it’s a waste of money to pay an annual joining fee and then drop out after a few weeks. Instead you should take time to choose the societies and sports clubs you really want to join, and only pay when you’re sure.

Save money on course books

This may not be top of your list regarding Freshers’ celebrations, but you’ll have more partying money if you can save on your course material. It’s important to be prepared for your course before starting it, but this doesn’t mean spending hundreds on books in Waterstones. Try websites like Amazon or Abe Books for cheap books, or if you’re happy to read on your Kindle, ebooks are usually cheaper. Older students often want to sell the course books they used in previous years, so keep an eye out for university book sales, and make sure you barter! Also, check whether you actually need to buy the book or can get away with borrowing it from the library.

Do you have any more advice on how to do Freshers’ Week on a budget? Tell us how below…

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