If it feels like you have less and less money left at the end of the month, you’re not alone, and you’re not imagining things. The rising cost of living is expected to increase by at least 3% in 2022 and has already started affecting many of us, with inflation and the cost of food already higher than this time last year.
Two additional factors to expect over the coming year include a rise in energy prices (around 50% increase in April followed by another 20% increase in October) and National Insurance, the latter of which is due in April.
Reading the news about increasing costs can be daunting and overwhelming for many of us, but there are things you can do to keep costs down as much as possible and there is support available (don’t worry, we’re not just going to tell you to stop having avocado on toast).
So, in order to avoid that potential travesty, we’ve compiled some tips below on how to keep costs down:
Calculate how it will affect you
What does it mean for the average Bath student?
From April 2022, a student in privately rented accommodation will pay an extra:
- £21.60 more in energy bills per month (54% increase on average of £40 per month)
- £7 more in food (5% increase on average of £142 per month)
Total additional cost = £28.60+ per month
- We’re also aware that transport costs might be affected, and we’ll share any information we receive about this in a later blog or update.
From October 2022:
- £12.40 more in bills (20% increase on average of £61.60 per month)
- £24 more in rent (4.8% increase on average of £500 per month)
Total additional cost = £36+ per month
For the average UK student receiving a maintenance loan payment of £1,800 on April 1, these increases suggest a shortfall of £370+ after paying rent.
Calculate the expected increase in your monthly expenditure below:
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Item
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Current cost month-1 (£)
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Expected cost after April (£)
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Energy (gas & electric) bills*
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(Current cost/100)*54=
Add a further 20% from October 2022.
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Transport
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(Current cost/100)*4=
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Food (including takeaways)
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(Current cost/100)* 5=
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Rent
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500
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(Current cost/100)*4.8=
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Total additional cost
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£
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*£200 discount for every household. The Government are planning a £200 per household ‘discount’ on energy bills. To reduce the initial impact of the increase in costs, every electricity bill will be reduced by £200 in October 2022, followed by an additional £40 added every April from 2023-2027. For anyone starting their final year in October 2022 living in shared rented accommodation, or living with their parents, this might not be such a good deal. For example, (£200 discount in October + £40 levy in April) ÷ 5 students in 1 house = a saving of £32pp. in 2022. However, if any of those students live alone after graduating, they will each pay an additional £40 every April from 2024-2027 (£320) giving an overall cost of £288pp (£320-£32).
*Rental properties with ‘all-inclusive’ bill packages may not be exempt from increases. Check the small print in your contract & ask the SU Advice Team if you need help understanding what your contract means (suadvice@bath.ac.uk).
Can you make savings or increase your income?
With the average student facing a monthly deficit of £370+, here are a few ideas that could save you over £200 a month.
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Estimated monthly savings
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Energy
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Turn appliances off rather than leaving them on standby
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£4
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Charge your laptop & mobile at the library for free
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up to £3.30
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Turning the thermostat down by 1 degree can reduce bills by 10%
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£6
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Check your landlord has had your boiler checked in the last 12 months (faulty or old models can consume more energy)
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Ask housemates who use more energy (like having an electric heater in their room) or have someone to stay for 3+ days a week to make a fair additional contribution to the bills.
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Make your own draught excluder or double-glazing (use window insulation film or low-cost bubble wrap) to reduce heat loss by 20-50%
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Invest in a heated airer. At £120 it’s not the cheapest option in the short term, but these can last 10years+ & cost 4p an hour to run (compared to £1.07 for an average tumble dryer cycle)
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£4 based on 5 loads of washing per month
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Transport
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Discounted Trainline railcards with a TOTUM card
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up to 33% off train fares
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Understand how to find the cheapest rail fares
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£10+ off a single trip
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Food
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‘Downshift’ one brand on everything in a Supermarket shop
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£30+ (or £15+ if you swop half your shopping)
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Shop for cupboard essentials with ApprovedFood.co.uk. If you know someone who runs their own business or you’re an entrepreneur on the side, you can sign up for a wholesale membership at places like Costco and buy items in bulk.
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up to £60
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Time trips right to bag yellow-sticker discounts
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up to 75%
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Nectar & Lidl Apps
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up to 30%
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Student discount on all Co-Op purchases with a TOTUM card
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10% on every shop
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Student discount on Domino’s Pizza Bath using the SU discount code ‘STBATH50’
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50% off when you spend £20+
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Batch cooking is a great way to save not only money, but also time. You can prepare meals for the week ahead and freeze them to use later.
One helpful resource is the Eat Well for Less recipes, which feature recipes for cheaper options of your favourite takeaways and much more.
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Apps such as Olio and Too Good To Go aim to reduce food waste by giving restaurants, cafes and supermarkets a platform to offer food at significantly reduced prices or for free. Just download the free apps and see what offers are available in your area. Particularly towards the end of the day you can find places like Pret giving away food that would otherwise be thrown away.
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TV & technology
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Legally avoid paying the TV licence fee
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up to £13.25
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Deals on phones & leading technology brands with a TOTUM card
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20%+ discounts
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If you want a Netflix/Premium Spotify account, see if you can jump on a family plan with housemates, friends, or family to share a subscription (e.g., a Spotify family plan split by 6 accounts sharing would cost £2.83 per month) or get a Spotify student account (£5.99 per month).
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Up to £7.16 |
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Rent
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If a contract includes all bills & utilities, check the small print to see if your landlord can increase these during your tenancy.
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Pay attention to the EPC certificate when choosing a property to rent. All privately rented housing should have an EPC rating of A-E (with A being the most energy-efficient) although this doesn’t apply to rented rooms within a house.
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Take regular meter readings & check your landlord isn’t charging you too much for energy.
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Understand the private accommodation options available to you & check the number of months in the contract (privately rented contracts are usually 12 months) & get any agreed discount for the summer in writing. Use the official Bath StudentPad website to find properties & housing advice.
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£1,000+ a year (£80+ a month)
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Other
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University of Bath Student Hardship Fund
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one-off payments of up to £3,500
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Check your eligibility for a postgraduate scholarship
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£2,500 to £26,000 towards total tuition fees
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Consider getting a student bank account
0% overdraft of around £1,000 for 2-3 years, plus additional benefits
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Perks including a free 4-year 16-25 railcard, free 3-year TOTUM card, £80 cash, £20 Uber Eats voucher.
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TOTUM student discount card (£29.99 for 3 years or free for one year membership of TOTUM digital)
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up to 70% off clothes, travel, food, fitness & more
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If you have something that’s broken and you don’t want to throw it away or replace it, you can be sustainable and save money by taking it along to Bath’s Share & Repair, which also occasionally hosts events on campus.
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Whether it’s tools, camping gear, technical equipment, or anything else, you can borrow these items and many more for a small fee from Bath’s Library of Things.
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Work, Work, Work, Work, Work
If you find you have spare time alongside your studies, you could also consider getting a part-time job. The Students’ Union Jobs page regularly posts local vacancies, including on-campus roles, none of which require more than 20 hours of work per week (except for holiday roles).
Can’t find a role that interests you? Sign up to our email alerts and be notified whenever roles come up that are relevant to your interests.
Extra Help
We understand that this might be a worrying time for many who are facing additional financial difficulties. Below are some additional support resources to consider if you find you are struggling, be it financially, mentally or if you just want someone to talk to.
References:
- Student bills – Setup, compare and split - Save the Student
- What can we do about student accommodation costs? | Wonkhe
- Student Money Survey 2021 - Resutls - Save the Student
- Seven home appliances are adding money to your energy bill when they're not being used