11 Dec Saving Tips for Students

Written By: Megan Martin

Being a student on a budget can be difficult. Figuring out how to navigate around one of the most expensive states in America is daunting. With the responsibility of guiding yourself through difficult times and gaining a new sense of independence it can be hard to take on such a big role. Wherever you go on a year abroad it is always best to plan ahead and view your options to see what’s most affordable. A big mistake of mine was not researching the prices of food plans or an average food shop and when I arrived, I was shocked to say the least. You can never fully prepare for the expenses of a trip or a whole year abroad. The unaccounted miscellaneous things, the food, the trips, the activities and school fees- it’s a lot to wrap your head around. I had my fair share of trial and error whilst being in San Francisco. I’m still currently navigating what’s best for myself but setting goals is a place to start.

When I first arrived I had set myself expectations of how much I should be spending and then arrived to an empty bed. Completely forgetting I have to buy bedding and washing items and random bits that I never thought of. So it’s completely ok to not know where to start because I set myself goals and went straight through them in the first few weeks.

Before arriving in your designated location it’s always important to plan a budget and gather as much resources to make life easier in the long term. Whether that’s applying for a student loan or working a job. It is vital to ensure you can afford your year abroad before you get stranded in a random country. I researched many accommodation prices, plans and overall costs to get an estimate of what I needed, but always carry more as you never know what’s expected. Coming to America I have discovered that it’s significantly more expensive than in the UK. The price of some chicken is cry worthy! So ensuring beforehand you have an overall estimate of costs is a good place to start. My home university helped me significantly with the journey to America. They give everyone an overall budget and estimate to ensure everyone can afford their year. Reaching out and getting help from university is the best option to begin with as they can offer extra fundings or advice for budgeting.

I started my journey overspending and overthinking about my day-to-day spending. Sitting down and calculating yourself a budget is extremely hard. Especially if you’re not so skilled with maths (myself). I eventually turned to some budgeting apps (free of course) to help with my spendings for the month and estimating how much I would be spending on each food shop and miscellaneous activities. The app I settled with is called buddy and is very useful in telling me when I should stop spending. Setting yourself goals and experimenting with a budget is good and useful. Trial and error is the best way to learn. Whether that’s bulk cooking or researching recipes and making a list. Everyone works in a different way and what may work for me might not work for you, but I did my fair share of experimenting.

A way to make life easier and also help interact with those that you’re living with is to set a shared plan or shop. Whether that be food or products around the accommodation. I settled with bathroom objects alternated each week/restock and doing an individual food shop every 2 weeks. Cooking with flatmates can also be a good way to bond or open up to each other’s experiences/cultures and save money. Writing out a list of meals and a shopping list is more useful than you think. Especially since I have the urge to grab everything that looks good. Budgeting doesn’t mean you have to diet or limit yourself to a bland life. It just means planning and preparing. Whether that’s bulk cooking and setting out meals for yourself for the week or booking activities in advance with student discounts (UNiDAYS). SFSU also offers a meal plan for those without access to a kitchen and who don’t want to cook! In regards to SFSU, I have found that out of all my shopping options that trader joes seems to be the most beneficial. It’s cheaper (not necessarily cheap as we are still in California) and there is a good range of products (Whole Foods is not even worth exploring). The SFSU also provides a pantry for free food items every Thursday which is useful if you are looking to cook!

I discovered that using a budget app, making lists and pre-planning meals, shopping every 2 weeks, looking for free local events to explore the city and treating myself every now and then worked best for me. A good place to start is using apps or reaching out to the university and researching your options. I now find budgeting quite fun and easy.

Looking online for local events or discounts for activities in instagram or google is also a good way to explore San Francisco without having to spend ridiculous amounts of money. Whether it’s more scenic routes like the Golden Gate Bridge, botanical gardens, exploratorium or googling discounts for student activities around the city. There are also lots of activities on campus if you struggle to navigate yourself. It’s always good to budget and explore with someone else so you can have a foundation. It can be hard budgeting, especially when in a new country and city that you want to explore. Feeling like you have to limit yourself because you don’t have the money to go out every weekend. But it’s not the case! It may take a while to get into the swing of things, but you can make the most of the year abroad and still budget. Whether that’s limiting yourself to activities every other weekend and rewarding yourself or reaching out for extra help, you can do it.