{"id":6938,"date":"2026-04-08T14:03:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/?p=6938"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:07:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:07:48","slug":"smart-spending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/smart-spending\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart Spending"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Studying in London doesn’t have to mean overspending. With a few smart habits and helpful discounts, you can stretch your budget and still enjoy the best of the city. Here, our students share their top tips for making money go further at Westminster.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Priyambada, Public Health BSc<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Managing finances can be difficult, but planning strategically helps and goes a long way:<\/p>

  • Cut down on costs <\/b>– Make sure to cut down on costs that seem unnecessary, like buying a coffee on the way to university or work every day or buying things that aren\u2019t needed but look appealing. Cook at home whenever possible and embrace free entertainment like picnics at Hyde Park or strolling around beautiful neighbourhoods. Getting around on foot or using public transport keeps costs low.<\/i><\/li>
  • Spend wisely –<\/b> But at the same time, it doesn\u2019t mean that you won\u2019t enjoy life or celebrate the small and big wins or treat yourself for overcoming a bad day. London offers a whirlwind of excitement, but living large in this city means spending wisely.<\/i><\/li>
  • Save for travel –<\/b> If you like travelling, you can create a \u201ctravel fund\u201d for yourself where every month you put some money aside, so when the time comes, you can go on a vacation without worrying about finances.<\/i><\/li>
  • Live Smart in London – <\/b>You only live once, so if you\u2019ve got the chance to call London home, go ahead and live it up. Just remember to indulge smartly.\u00a0<\/i><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Hameem, Computer Science BSc<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Living in London can be an amazing experience, but it can also be a little pricey if you\u2019re not careful. Here are some tips I\u2019ve found really helpful for keeping costs down while still enjoying everything the city has to offer:<\/span><\/span><\/p>

    • Travel smart \u2013 <\/b>Apply for an 18+ Student Oyster card for 30% off TFL travel. A railcard can also be a great addition if you travel outside London. If your destination isn\u2019t far, try walking or cycling \u2013 it\u2019s free, healthy, and a great way to explore.<\/i><\/span><\/li>
    • Shop savvy \u2013 <\/b>For groceries, places like Aldi, Lidl, and Asda are much more budget-friendly than M&S or Waitrose.<\/i><\/span><\/li>
    • Make the most of free resources \u2013<\/b> Before buying books or course materials, check what\u2019s available through the University library or free e-book collections. You might be surprised how much you can access without spending money.<\/i><\/span><\/li>
    • Grab student discounts \u2013<\/b> Apps like UniDAYS are packed with offers for food, clothes, tech, and more.<\/i><\/span><\/li>
    • Open a student bank account \u2013 <\/b>Many offer great perks like a free railcard or other incentives, which can save you money in the long run.<\/i><\/span><\/li><\/ul>
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      Studying in London doesn’t have to mean overspending. With a few smart habits and helpful discounts, you can stretch your budget and still enjoy the best of the city. Here, our students share their top tips for making money go further at Westminster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":914,"featured_media":6929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,89,296,86,82,11],"tags":[52,298,299,24,27],"class_list":["post-6938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-applying-to-university","category-getting-ready-for-university","category-hello-westminster","category-london-life","category-student-experience","category-undergraduate","tag-budgeting","tag-hello-westminster","tag-money-saving-tips","tag-student-life","tag-undergraduate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/914"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6938"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6950,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6938\/revisions\/6950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/wearewestminster\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}