We’ve teamed up with Officeworks to help you pay less so you can live more.
Europe is an expensive continent to get to – seriously, just try and get there, exist and get back for under a grand. You can’t.
That’s why you’ve got to save for that bad boy well ahead of time, something easier said than done when you’ve got a life to live along with uni’s complementary financial struggles. It can all make you feel a little deflated.
But perk up, sunshine.
Plane tickets and an itinerary won’t happen overnight, but a little financially stable thinking here and there can go a long way. Start making small changes now so that you can reap the benefits later.
I’m not asking you to hermit crab your way through the first semester, but that uni break will be here quicker than you think so you best get cracking if you want to make the most of it. In Europe.
1. NAME DROP
When you’re a student you should be using that status for all it’s worth. You should be dropping your student card at restaurants, bars, banks, train lines, bus lines, on-campus establishments – heck, even theme parks and cinemas – because you’d be surprised how many of ’em offer discounts to students.
On top of that, campuses want your fine selves in and on them that damn much that they’ll even offer a bunch of gigs and events for free or next-to-nothing.
See that? You got the social life and the savings.
2. GET SMART ABOUT YOUR COMMUTE
As much as public transport – trains, buses and trams – may be the actual pits, it’s always going to be your cheapest option once you start to tally up petrol, parking (or parking fines) and unforeseen breakdowns. Hey, you might even get some course reading done or meet someone. I met someone on a train home from uni once and if it happened for me, it can for you too! Just believe!
Alternatively, carpool and split costs if you have mates that go to the same campus or workplace. I can’t personally vouch but I bet it’s a hoot.
3. MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN LUNCH
You know what, buying food out is downright expensive – there’s no ifs, buts and maybes about it. Even sushi is around $3 a pop these days, and anyone with half a stomach knows you need at least three of those to be remotely satisfied.
Make your own lunch / snacks and pack them in your baggy to save cash. And a water bottle. For the love of god, pack your own water bottle. There’s not many things worse in this world than paying for water.
4. USED GOODS ARE STILL… GOOD
Text books will suck the life out of you, both mentally and financially, but at least you can control the latter to some extent. You’re probs only going to be using a certain text book for one semester, so forking out for a new one is, ah, kind of dumb. Hit up an older student for their copy (chances are they wouldn’t mind the $$$ too) or there should be a secondhand bookstore on campus if your institute doesn’t want to see the world burn.
Hint: check with your course coordinator / lecturer that no massive changes have been made to the older versions. If there has been and you consequently need to snap up a new copy, have a solid hunt online before buying for the campus store – the www is less likely to rip you off.
5. COP A SHORT-TERM, NOT IDEAL LIVING SITUATION
Roll your eyes, wave your pitch forks, but it’s all about short-term pain for long-term gain: a mantra we should all live by should we want to kick goals in life. If possible, cop living with your parents for a while.
Chances are they’ll either charge you nothing (and do all the adult stuff for you like groceries, bills, washing etc) or charge you less than weekly rent somewhere else. If that’s not the case, then please be understanding when we say room sharing or shoe-box living isn’t all that bad.
What’s six months sharing with your bestie (and sleeping on the couch when she brings someone home) for a once-in-a-lifetime Eurotrip? All the kids are doing it.
6. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
If you’re 18-24 and studying full time, guess what? You’re probably eligible for Youth Allowance from The Government. Find out if you should be getting assistance here but for Pete’s sake, don’t mess with tax-payer’s dollars unnecessarily.
You know the funny thing about humans, other than our general facial composition? We have to take daily measures to stay hygienic and it can become expensive. But hey hey, there’s a lil’ loophole for this one with this free samples delivery website.
It’s not just makeup and shampoo and all that jazz either, with food and drink, movies and entertainment, tickets to events and expos and more. Hit it up here.
OK, now that you’ve found some ways around the financial burden of university, save on supplies with Officeworks here who will beat any cheaper prices by 5%. If that’s not a cash hack then take my round trip tickets and call me a liar.
See you in Pari, wee wee.
Photo: Eurotrip.
