Student life in Bath and financial struggles seem to go hand in hand these days. The cost of maintaining a basic standard of living is going up and up with every year. But we know students want to be able to enjoy uni life, find a balance between, studying, working and partying. Bath while not being the most expensive city in the UK, isn’t exactly a cheap place to live either, with that in mind we’ve put together some tips to living on a student budget in Bath. Some simple ways to keep some extra cash in your pocket, for the more essential things in life.
Tip No.1 – Be smart when you travel in Bath
Transport can very quickly become a hidden expense for students. While there are many travel options available to students in Bath. A little bit of research will point you in the direction of a Bus pass, an annual pass will cost you in the region of £330, with semester passes being cheaper, you can even buy ten pass packs. Which option you choose will most likely depend on where you want to live, and how often you intend to find yourself in the city centre. It is safe to assume the thought of walking to campus on a Monday morning isn’t the most appealing thought. Do some research and you’ll soon find ways to travel around Bath that will help you live on a student budget in Bath.
Tip no.2. How to eat in Bath on a budget
Unless you go home every weekend to stock up on your mums cooking (guilty as charged as a fresher), it is highly likely that you will be concerned about the expense of eating while at university. The first thing you need to do is to EAT AT HOME. Can’t cook? Won’t cook? You are going to have to learn. If you are going shopping make a list and only buy what is on the list, I have lost count of the number of times I went shopping and never actually returned with the ingredients to make a meal. If you are going to eat out, at least do it on a cheaper night. There are so many options for getting a discount on your meal. Groupon instantly jumps into my mind, a quick search will reveal such gems, such as an all you can eat a vegetarian meal and a hot drink for 5.50 pounds. Shop around, don’t go shopping hungry, learn to batch cook with your friend’s which means there is always food at hand.
Tip No. 3 Textbooks are far too expensive
One of the most expensive parts of the uni experience is buying textbooks. Depending on your course you may have any number of core textbooks, that are never in the Library, trust me. Sourcing these books cheaply can be difficult. Here are a few tips to help you.
Sometimes a very generous person has decided to put this textbook online, a quick search with .pdf after the name of the book may just yield a few free gems for you. Keeping potentially 100’s of pounds in your pocket.
Starting a small book club and study club is probably a good idea, splitting the cost of books 4 ways makes life a lot easier. Also, if you want to succeed at University, sharing the workload makes sense. While you cannot write a paper for someone, you can certainly help each other study and research. Check out Facebook, to see if there are any secondhand textbooks for sale.
Tip No.4 Join as many societies as possible
One of the main reasons students go over their budget is that they get bored and find themselves involved in activities that cost a lot of money. This doesn’t have to be the case. You can easily find 4-5 interesting societies to join, whether you want to hang around with the Game of Thrones enthusiasts or you want to learn Archery or both, there is a crossover between these two societies, surprisingly enough. All I am saying is, having fun at uni, meeting and making new friends doesn’t always have to involve spending money. Joining a society is a great way to have an active social life, while not spending a lot of money.
Uni life certainly doesn’t have to be a long walk to campus after a breakfast of cold pasta, only to find the book you need for the paper that is due tomorrow isn’t in the Library.
