{"id":618,"date":"2025-03-04T09:30:48","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T09:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/?p=618"},"modified":"2025-03-04T10:17:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T10:17:15","slug":"on-campus-saving-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/on-campus-saving-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart ways for students to save money"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\">We&#8217;re all counting our pennies, bargain hunting and trying to find the best value right now. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s plenty of great advice online about saving money as a student, so we won\u2019t reinvent the wheel here. But we understand that knowing where to start can be overwhelming. To help, we\u2019ve highlighted four simple yet effective ways to cut costs and make the most of your budget.<\/p>\n<h4>1. Take advantage of discounted accommodation rates<\/h4>\n<p>Living on campus? There are two schemes that could help reduce your accommodation costs:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/student.kent.ac.uk\/life\/living-on-campus\/reslife\">Residential Life Ambassador (RLA) Scheme<\/a>:<\/strong> Returning students and postgraduates can apply to become RLAs, helping build a strong student community within their colleges. In return, they receive a discount on accommodation fees.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u2018Show Your Flat\u2019 Scheme:<\/strong> Open to any residential student, this program allows you to earn a \u00a310 credit per hour towards your accommodation fees by showcasing your room during Open Days and prospective student events. Just indicate your interest when applying.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1162\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1162\" style=\"width: 6048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1162 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/files\/2025\/02\/Wordpress-thumb.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"6048\" height=\"4032\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1162\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">ResLife Team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>2. Find a part-time job<\/h4>\n<p>A part-time job can provide extra income while fitting around your studies. There are plenty of opportunities both on and off campus, including:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kentunion.co.uk\/jobshop\"><strong>Kent Students\u2019 Union Jobshop<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kent.ac.uk\/ces\/localparttimework.html\"><strong>Careers Work-Study Programme<\/strong><\/a>, both excellent places to start your search.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Casual campus roles<\/strong>, such as catering, housekeeping, or accommodation support. Check your emails or visit local catering outlets to see if any positions are available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>3. Cook at home and save on food<\/h4>\n<p>Eating in is a tried-and-true money saver! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/canterbury\/undergraduate-accommodation#self-catered\">Self-catered accommodation<\/a> comes with fully fitted communal kitchens, making it easy to prepare meals with friends. Why not turn it into a weekly tradition? Pick a theme, cook together, and enjoy a budget-friendly night in.<\/p>\n<p>For those times you do eat out, don\u2019t forget about <strong>the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kent.ac.uk\/student\/news\/33031\/new-3-meal-deal-in-rutherford-dining-hall\">\u00a33.50 meal deal<\/a><\/strong> available every day at Rutherford Dining Hall.<\/p>\n<p>Looking to save on groceries? Check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kent.ac.uk\/student\/news\/32163\/how-to-save-money-on-your-food-shop\"><strong>blog on cutting food costs<\/strong><\/a> for handy tips. If cooking isn\u2019t your thing, consider a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kent.ac.uk\/catering\/meal-packages\"><strong>meal plan option<\/strong><\/a>, available separately or as part of accommodation at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/canterbury\/undergraduate-accommodation\/becket-court\">Becket Court<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/canterbury\/undergraduate-accommodation\/keynes-college\">Keynes College<\/a>, which includes \u00a314 daily credit to spend in campus catering outlets.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1172\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/files\/2024\/09\/ACCOMUKC0103.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"5849\" height=\"3899\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>4. Save the small stuff<\/h4>\n<p>Every little saving adds up! Here\u2019s how you can maximize your budget:<\/p>\n<ul data-spread=\"false\">\n<li>Always ask for <strong>student discounts<\/strong> when shopping, travelling, or eating out.<\/li>\n<li>Use a <strong>student-friendly bank account<\/strong> that helps you save as you spend.<\/li>\n<li>Check <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moneysavingexpert.com\/students\/\">Money Saving Expert\u2019s<\/a> student section<\/strong> for the latest deals and financial tips.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t already, take a look at our <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/budgeting-for-accommodation\/\"><strong>budgeting blog<\/strong><\/a> for more tips on selecting affordable accommodation and managing your expenses.<\/p>\n<h3>Need more support?<\/h3>\n<p>We hope this gives you a solid starting point! If you&#8217;re struggling or need advice, don\u2019t hesitate to reach out\u2014we\u2019re here to help. For more information on cost-of-living support at Kent, visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\"><strong>dedicated web pages<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;re all counting our pennies, bargain hunting and trying to find the best value right now. There\u2019s plenty of great advice online about saving money &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/on-campus-saving-tips\/\">Read&nbsp;more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74976,"featured_media":1068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[247846,246077,247356,247082,19109],"tags":[247871,247870,246077,247356,247680],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1174,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618\/revisions\/1174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/accommodation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}