Ways to save money as a student

As a university student, having ways to save money can be extremely helpful! There are many resources I use that have helped save me money through my university experience. In this article, I will show you ways to save on food, clothes, hygiene products, entertainment, and more. 

Saving on food: 

Flashfood

Flashfood is a free app that shows you deals at nearby grocery stores. You can find all sorts of deals that will help you save money on food. The deals switch out daily, some days you can find $5 boxes of fruits or vegetables, and sometimes you can find a $1 loaf of bread. This app is a great resource for saving money!

You can download Flashfood by clicking here!

Make a meal plan 

Making a meal plan can be a great way to reduce waste and spending! Weekly meal plans are very cost and time effective. If you plan what you are going to eat for the week, you waste less food (and therefore less money) and you spend less time deciding what to eat every day. Plus, if you can, make a meal plan with roommates and split the cost of groceries, this can help cut the cost in half. You can find a template below of a weekly meal plan schedule!

Download restaurant apps 

Most fast food restaurants like McDonald's, Burger King, and Tim Horton’s have daily offers if you download their apps. These daily offers and coupons can be really good deals; and if you don’t feel like cooking, they can help save you money when ordering out. The image below shows some examples of some Tim Horton’s Offers! 

Saving while shopping: 

SPC card

The student saving card, also known as the SPC card, can save you money on a variety of different clothing stores, restaurants, and travelling. After purchasing the card, you can use it at any store that accepts SPC (which is most stores), and you will get a discount on whatever it is you are buying. There is also an SPC app available to download, that will look like this in the app store: 

Get a PC Optimum card

You can get good deals on a variety of products through the PC Optimum card, you even get money back. This is a points system that works, you build up points fast, and every 10,000 points is equal to $10. You can also check the PC Optimum app for daily offers on hygiene products, skincare, food, and more. They also have promotions that help build up points, for example, one deal they often offer allows you to get 10,000 points back if you spend at least $30 on skincare. With that deal, you would get 33 percent of what you spend back. The PC Optimum app looks like this: 

Gas Buddy 

Gas Buddy is a free app that shows you where to get the cheapest gas in your area. If you drive a car and are as scared by these gas prices as I am, GasBuddy can help reduce some of that stress. Right now, even just saving a few cents per litre can be very helpful, and with this app, you can find the cheapest gas and save a few bucks. If you use public transport, don’t forget there is a U-Pass included in your tuition! So, you can ride all Durham Region Transit for free, with the online pass. You can find the GasBuddy app in the app store; the image below is what you should look for: 

Saving on entertainment:

Unidays 

Unidays is a free website you sign up for by using your student email, the website gives you access to deals on things like clothing brands, health and fitness, tech and more. I use Unidays to save on my apple music subscription, they offer students monthly apple music and apple TV subscription for $5 a month. As a student, it can be hard to find good sources of entertainment when everything costs money, so $5 for both music and a streaming platform, comes in handy. You can get the student discounts through Unidays as long as you have a student email!

You can sign up for the website, click here! 

Xbox game pass 

The Xbox gaming pass is a monthly subscription that gives you access to hundreds of video games. The pass costs $14 a month but gives you access to all of the games on the Xbox database. It is a good way to try out games without having to spend $50 plus. The game pass offers the first 3 months for $1, which is a great way to see if you like the subscription! It is available for both PC and Xbox.

You can click here to sign up!

Public Library 

Lastly, the public library is a great way to save on books, video games, and music. You can sign up for a library card for free and can gain access to eBooks, audiobooks, regular books, PlayStation games, Nintendo Switch games, and more. The library is an overlooked resource that provides a ton of free entertainment, and Durham Region has a great library system! Check out your local public library and sign up for a free card!