Tips to Save Money as a Student

I know how hard it is to learn to start saving money as a student when you only receive a small income. I was researching ways to save money in the beginning of the year and since the second semester is starting soon, I decided to share some of these tips with you.

1) Draw up a budget

You need to know and see where your money is going. By having a budget book and planning on what you're spending for that month, you can get an idea on how much your expenses are and make sure that you have some money left to save. You could also set aside money in the beginning of the month and ensure that you don't touch it . Ever since I made a budget sheet, it helped me a lot to not make impulsive decisions on spending. I added a budget sheet I created and use next to The Gritty Missy above. You can now click on the DOWNLOAD BUDGET SHEET button and get your own budget planner for free.

2) Have a savings jar

In the previous tip, I mentioned that you can put some money aside in the beginning of the month and not touch it to ensure you have some money saved. I do this and put my money in a jar and out of site so that I don't have temptations to try and take money out of the jar. I don't like having coins on me so I put the coins along with the monthly amount in the jar.

3) Look out for sales or student discounts

This goes without saying, but instead of buying something as soon as it comes out (it's usually overpriced then), wait a while and see if the price decreases or if it goes on a sale. You'll then be able to pay less than what you would've initially. Also, if you are a university student, there are some stores which have student discounts which you can use. Stores like Cape Union Mart and the Apple iStore offer a small discount provided that you show your student card. There is also an app called "Varsity Vibe" which you can download on your smartphone. A friend introduced me to this app in the beginning of the year and it honestly helps a lot. This app provides you with so many great deals from so many awesome stores in South Africa, for example you can get 20% off full price merchandise at selected Cotton On stores. There are many more awesome stores to choose from. The only catch is that you pay a R200 once-off membership fee for the twelve months to access these discounts, But basically means that you only need to pay R17 a month. For more information on what stores you can get discounts from, check out www.varsityvibe.co.za.

4) Try to cut out vices

Things like alcohol and cigarettes are so expensive and so bad for your health that you're actually spending so much money to decrease your health. I know that it's weird to tell a student not to spend money on these things, but honestly you would be better off without it. I personally made a decision this year to not go to clubs anymore and not only have I saved a lot of money, I just feel like a better person physically, emotionally and spiritually. However, I do know that many of you don't want to make that same decision and that's perfectly fine. You can then budget for the amount of money you want to spend for the night or you and your friends can have turns on who's buying the drinks for the night.

Don't forget to click on the DOWNLOAD BUDGET SHEET button above to get your very own monthly budget planner for free!

Comment down below if you agree with some (or all) of these things or contact me at thegrittymissy@gmail.com for some of your money-saving tips. You can also subscribe to my blog to see more posts as they are published. Thank you for reading :)

Verse to remember:

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law." - Romans 13:8