Student Special: "Saving money does not have to mean surviving exclusively on instant noodles and blind optimism"

There comes a moment in almost every student’s life when they check their bank account after Freshers’ Week and realise they have somehow spent the GDP of a small nation on pints, meal deals and late-night taxis. For many students, university is their first real experience of an economic concept known as “having absolutely no money.”

Between rent, transport, groceries and the occasional €4.50 latte, student life in Ireland has never been more expensive. Fortunately, saving money does not have to mean surviving exclusively on instant noodles and blind optimism. Freshers’ Week can be an unexpected gold mine.

Stall after stall offers free vouchers, discount codes, cans of energy drinks, branded water bottles, and enough pens to ensure you never need to go to the campus stationery store again. The experienced student approaches Freshers’ Week with the determination of a game show contestant, leaving campus with enough supplies to survive for several weeks at least!

The beginning of the semester is also a great time to get your hands on things older students might be throwing out. Whether it’s pots and pans, or that €100 textbook you’ll use once, doing a little digging for bargains can save you so much money.

From young adult Leap Cards to haircut discounts, you’d be surprised how many places offer student discounts. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Premium and Amazon Prime all offer reduced student rates, while places like Urban Outfitters, Caffè Nero, the Irish Film Institute and Just Eat regularly run 10% discounts. Before paying full price for anything, it’s always worth asking whether a student discount exists; the worst they can say is no. The best outcome is saving enough money to pay your rent!

Too Good To Go is arguably the patron saint of broke students. Restaurants, cafés and supermarkets sell unsold food at the end of the day for a fraction of the normal price. It is essentially a lucky dip, except the prize is dinner… and maybe 20 Lidl croissants you won’t know what to do with. Want an even cheaper option? Olio does essentially the same thing but for free.

Revolut makes splitting bills and collecting money for groceries so easy you might never have to fight with your flatmates again. The budgeting feature can also provide the humbling-but-helpful experience of discovering exactly how much money you spent on pints last month.

And then there is Vinted, where one student’s unwanted jacket becomes another’s favourite outfit. Whether you need a pair of boots, a winter coat or, for reasons known only to students, an oven mitt at eleven o’clock on a Tuesday night, chances are somebody is selling one cheap.

A night out in Ireland now requires approximately the same level of financial planning as a small wedding. A handful of drinks, club entry, late-night food and a taxi home can quickly push the cost of one evening beyond €60. Fortunately, saving money does not mean becoming a hermit.

Pre-drinks remain one of the greatest student inventions of all time, where gathering in somebody’s accommodation before heading out can significantly reduce the amount spent later in the night. It is also worth taking advantage of student nights, checking society events before buying expensive tickets, and using public transport – or even a bike! – wherever possible.

Most importantly, remember that the goal is not to never spend money. Go to the concert, join the society and have the occasional overpriced pint – but the trick is spending money on things you actually care about, rather than seeing it disappear on daily habits and impulse purchases. You have been warned!

Read the full Student Special in the current issue of Hot Press: