5 FUN WAYS TO SAVE MONEY AS A UNI STUDENT
Saving money as a university student doesn’t have to be all about making your own lunch or buying cheaper textbooks. There are actually heaps of fun ways to save money that can also help you become more involved in your university culture!
Take advantage of student discounts:
There are loads of discounts available for students, from discount card companies to independent student discounts, you just need to spend a bit of time searching to take advantage. Check out UniDays, Student Edge and Student Beans to access a directory of student discounts for fashion, travel, technology and health brands. For more local discounts, have a look at your university clubs or check out our discounts and deals page!
Keep Track of Free Food Days:
If you check out the upcoming events of your university, student clubs and student union, you’ll find there are free food days almost every week of semester. The SSU runs welfare services like free breakfasts and BBQs which you can rock up for every week. It’s also worth making a note of any on campus events during the semester even if they seemingly have nothing to do with food (eg. O-Week, RU OK? Day, Wellness Week) as more often than not you will find a free lunch provided. Don’t forget to participate in student club nights either! It’s not unusual to find free pizza or discounted drinks provided at parties of club events.
Volunteer in Your Spare Time:
If you’ve got time between classes that you aren’t using to study, consider volunteering with one of Swinburne’s volunteering group. Food and other benefits are often provided on the day of volunteering, you can even rack up points which they can use on rewards like free merchandise and free training programs (like barista and RSA training), not to mention it’s a great way to meet new people and make friends!
Birthday Freebies:
There are countless businesses that offer freebies and discount on your birthday if you sign up to their members club. There are too many to list here, but some of our favourites are: Free Muffin from Muffin Break, Free Spud or Salad from Spud Bar, Free ice-cream from Baskin Robbins and two free games of bowling at AMF!
Tip: Make a separate email account to sign up for these membership clubs so your student email doesn’t get clogged up with advertising.
Take Part in University Activities:
Alcohol in Australia is seriously expensive, but if parties are on your university bucket list don’t fret. Most bars and clubs are well aware university students tend to be pretty cash poor, so they offer discounted drinks and entries to parties, events and pub crawls organised by university clubs or associations. Keep an eye out around campus for event posters and check your student email for invites.