{"id":10425,"date":"2025-09-30T08:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T07:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/accommodation\/?p=10425"},"modified":"2025-09-30T09:48:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T08:48:51","slug":"living-on-a-student-budget-in-exeter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/accommodation\/living-on-a-student-budget-in-exeter\/","title":{"rendered":"Living on a Student Budget in Exeter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Looking after your money whilst at university can be a challenge, but there are tips and tricks to help you, as student Brinda Paruthi discovered.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Before starting university, we all have a vague idea of budgeting. It often sounds something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cDon\u2019t spend too much.\u201d<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Helpful? Not really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between unexpected costs, the temptation of late-night Deliveroos, and the occasional \u201ctreat yourself\u201d moment (which somehow turns into five), managing money at uni is a skill; I might even call it an art. But it doesn\u2019t have to be painful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s your go-to guide made with tips and tricks used by myself and some picked up by my friends so you can survive and thrive in Exeter on a student budget &#8211; without living off toast and regrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Student Discounts &amp; Freebies<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. TOTUM\/NUS card<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your key to discounts on everything from food to clothes to travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. UNiDAYS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free app with discounts for students on brands like ASOS, Apple, and Boots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. StudentBeans<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another great discount app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Exeter Student Guild Events<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Follow their &#8220;What&#8217;s On&#8221; page for free and low-cost events &#8211; film nights, wellbeing sessions, fairs, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>All of these help you save on food, subscriptions, clothing, travel and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Know Your Shops:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Groceries: Aldi, Asda <\/strong>and <strong>Lidl<\/strong> are best for cheap staples. Bring a backpack and maybe a flatmate &#8211; stock up! <strong>Co-op<\/strong> is great for quick trips (use StudentBeans to check if your nearest shop participates in their student discount scheme). Either way, wherever you choose to shop, get yourself a free loyalty card\/membership to collect points and redeem vouchers (<strong>Waitrose <\/strong>allows you to grab a free coffee while you browse in-store if you are a member)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>St Nicholas Market<\/strong> and <strong>Exeter Farmers\u2019 Market<\/strong> (Thursdays, check location) can be surprisingly affordable for fresh produce if you shop smart. The University also hosts an occasional &#8220;Feed your Flat&#8221; day where you can go with your flat members and pick up ingredients for the chosen meal of the event &#8211; all provided by the university.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Too Good To Go App: <\/strong>Get surplus food from local caf\u00e9s and restaurants (like Pret, Greggs, and Costa) at affordable prices; also a great way to reduce food waste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Plan Your Meals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Create a loose weekly meal plan before shopping; spontaneity at the supermarket = expensive surprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Affordable Room D\u00e9cor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just because you\u2019re on a budget doesn\u2019t mean your space has to feel like a storage cupboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Primark<\/strong>, <strong>IKEA<\/strong> and <strong>Wilko<\/strong> have affordable bedding, storage, and other home accessories.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Amazon<\/strong> can also be affordable especially with Prime (get your Prime subscription with your student discount)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Facebook Marketplace<\/strong> and local charity shops (like <strong>Exeter British Heart Foundation<\/strong>) are goldmines for second hand treasures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>DIY &#8211; photos from home, postcards, plants (fake ones if you can only commit to keeping yourself functioning).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vinted and Depop are great places to find preloved items that might fit your budget and look perfect.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Free things to do in Exeter:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Take a walk along the Exeter Quay, through Rougemont Gardens or around Cathedral Green.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Visit The Royal Albert Memorial Museum &#8211; free entry and genuinely interesting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Join campus societies: many offer free or cheap events even if you\u2019re not a paid member.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Extras<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Track your spending (try apps like Monzo or Emma)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set weekly limits: yes, sometimes we need to say &#8220;no&#8221; and that&#8217;s a crucial part of growing up &#8211; be realistic with what aligns with your goals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Batch cook and freeze &#8211; you&#8217;ll thank yourself during deadline nights.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don\u2019t compare spending &#8211; everyone budgets differently (or some people don\u2019t budget at all, which you\u2019ll realise when they\u2019re asking to use your oat milk when their money runs out)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Being a student on a budget isn\u2019t always easy but it <em>is<\/em> doable. With a little planning, some clever hacks, and the occasional impulse-resisted purchase, you can live well in Exeter without going broke. And remember: it\u2019s okay to treat yourself sometimes just maybe not <em>every<\/em> time you pass a Pret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myunidays.com\/GB\/en-GB\">Free Student Discounts | Exclusive discount codes and Deals | UNiDAYS<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.studentbeans.com\/uk\">Free Student Discounts UK | Valid 2025 Codes<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/totum.com\/\">TOTUM | UK&#8217;s no.1 Discount Card &amp; App for students, professionals, apprentices.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exeterguild.com\/whats-on\/events-hub\">What&#8217;s on at Exeter Students&#8217; Guild<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.toogoodtogo.com\/\">Save Good Food From Going To Waste &#8211; Too Good To Go \u2013 Too Good To Go<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking after your money whilst at university can be a challenge, but there are tips and tricks to help you, as student Brinda Paruthi discovered. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":345,"featured_media":10427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,595,711],"tags":[271,423,771],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Living on a Student Budget in Exeter - University Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/accommodation\/living-on-a-student-budget-in-exeter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Living on a Student Budget in Exeter - University Living\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Looking after your money whilst at university can be a challenge, but there are tips and tricks to help you, as student Brinda Paruthi discovered. 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