With many students heading off to university for the first time this September, shopping experts at MyVoucherCodes have put together a guide on how freshers can navigate their newfound financial freedom, and save a few pounds.

From saving cash on those all-important books to tips on socialising without stretching the purse strings, shopping expert Sarah-Jane Outten has put together her top tips for saving money as a fresher.

Sarah-Jane said: “For those heading off to university for the first time, the first few weeks can be a really exciting and nerve-wracking time. There’s so much to look forward to, but we also know that it can be a costly time for many, which is why we have compiled our top tips for students to be spending savvy this September.”

Top tips for students to save money:

• Take advantage of student discounts: The moment you have your student email address and a student ID it’s time to start taking advantage of the offers you can get. Plenty of shops will allow you to double up on savings and use a student discount on top of any other sales they may have. Shops like Boots also allow you to simply link your student ID to your Advantage card to get 10% off. Elsewhere Routledge, Adidas, Levi’s, and Acer all offer student discounts.
• Never pay full price for books: Whether you need science textbooks or poetry anthologies, the chances are someone else has the book in good condition and doesn’t need it anymore. People often sell their old books on Facebook university groups so take a look there. Ebay is also a good place to get second-hand books – make sure to look on voucher code websites like MyVoucherCodes to see if there are any codes you can use too.
• Try out societies: While going out every night is tempting, freshers’ week will also offer the opportunity to try out loads of societies, from sports clubs to, debate teams, craft groups and charity work – further on societies will often ask you to pay membership fees so before you pay to join loads of societies, try them out to make sure you aren’t wasting money on unused membership fees.
• Grab freebies at freshers’ fairs: From free pens to pizza, freshers’ fairs are a great place to find out about clubs and societies you might want to join, but also to grab yourself some freebies and see if there are any discounts on things like local gym memberships.
• Plan and prepare your meals: Bulk cooking your dinner and planning them for the week is an easy way to save money but with the cost of meal deals rising, prepping your lunches is another way you can cut down on your spending. Even grabbing a meal deal three times a week could set you back more than £500 a year. Taking leftovers onto campus or making a large batch of salad at the start of the week could save you hundreds across the year – Morrisons is offering an exclusive £17 off for new customers when they spend £80.
• You could also consider getting a food subscription with your house or flat mates with companies such as Gousto and HelloFresh and cook together and make some great savings, as they are currently offering 60% off new subscribers with MyVoucherCodes.
• Food shop in the evenings: While it’s no secret that you should never do a food shop when you are hungry, heading to the supermarket in the evenings means you can take advantage of the reduced food items. Every shop is slightly different so get to know when the discount stickers start appearing on foods and time your food shop – lots of food will be perfectly fine to eat still and save you money. There are also plenty of vouchers for supermarkets at MyVoucherCodes including an exclusive £14 off your first online grocery shop over £60 at Sainsbury’s and £5 off your first order of £45 or more at Iceland.
• Sign up for deals: With the majority of your time spent behind a laptop or in lectures (and on nights out), keeping an eye on the best deals out there can be difficult. Signing up to your go-to brands’ mailing lists, and money-saving websites like MyVoucherCodes is a great way to get offers straight to your inbox.

To find explore more offers for students visit https://www.myvouchercodes.co.uk/student-discounts