Between bringing in the festivities with your uni pals and paying to get back to your hometown for a family Christmas, the holiday season can quickly get costly. That’s why we’ve written this student guide to a cheap Christmas, so you can make your loan go further without being a total grinch – and still have money leftover for Fresher’s in January!
How to budget for:
Gifts and presents
Celebrating Christmas at university
Decorating your student house
Travelling back home
Enjoying Fresher’s Week
Budgeting for gifts and presents
Who says you can’t still be the number one gift-giver on a student budget? These Christmas present ideas and buying tips will give Santa a run for his money:
Set spending limits: Decide on a maximum amount you can spend on each gift for your nearest and dearest ahead of time. Don’t forget to take into account postage fees if you’re buying something online.
Prioritise your presents: Accept that you might not be able to treat everyone to the most expensive gifts (that’s being a student, after all!) and focus on the most important people in your life first.
Go homemade: An easy way to save money as a student is by gifting something homemade. This could be baking a festive cake for the family, putting together a DIY pamper package or getting crafty for the Christmas tree.
Shop second-hand: ‘Tis the season to grab a bargain and save the planet while you’re at it with second-hand present shopping. All you need is a few hours to trawl through Vinted and eBay, and you’re sure to find some goodies. If you fancy a rummage, you can also hit the charity shops!
Piggyback on bigger gifts: Ask your family what they’re doing ahead of time and see if you can join in on their gift giving. For example, if someone is buying a large gift, see if you can purchase a smaller item for that person to go with it.
Create personalised gifts: The sentimentality of a personalised present will always hide the secret that you’re sticking to a student budget. Foolproof options include: their favourite photo in a frame or a big jar of someone’s favourite Christmas treats.
Don’t buy wrapping paper: As pretty as paper is, it’s not a very cost-friendly (nor eco-friendly!) way to wrap gifts. Instead, reuse an old gift bag or get crafty with your packaging this holiday season.
Celebrate a low-cost uni Christmas
If you’re like us and absolutely love the festive season, you’ll want to start celebrating Christmas at university before you all go your separate ways back to your hometowns. Here’s how you can get merry without burning a hole in your pocket.
Cook a group Christmas dinner
You simply can’t beat a Christmas dinner – but that doesn’t make the preparation any less fun. Save time and pennies by sharing the responsibilities with your friends or housemates. Whether this is each person paying for and bringing a dish, or dividing the dishes secret-santa style and bringing a surprise plate to the table, there are plenty of ways to plan Christmas dinner on a student budget.
Have a Christmas craft night
In the spirit of gifting homemade presents to cut down on cash, why not make them with your friends at a Christmas craft night? You can pick up craft essentials cheap at The Works or Home Bargains, and put on a Christmas playlist to get everyone feeling extra festive.
If you have a big friendship group at university or want to buy presents for everyone in your student house, Secret Santa is an easy way to keep costs down. Simply set a budget, put everyone’s names into an online generator, and let fate decide what happens next. If you’re feeling stuck for ideas, you can even decide on a theme to make buying easier.
Decorating for less
An easy way to get into the Christmas spirit at university is to decorate your student halls or house. As well as making it cosy, there are plenty of ways to deck the halls without setting you back:
Hit the charity shops: Charity shops can be a goldmine for Christmas decor, especially if you go around the time people start putting up their decorations – and chucking their old ones out.
Buy cheap dupes: A great money saving tip is to browse the pricey Christmas section at posh stores, then grab the cheaper dupe from the supermarket. You would be surprised at how good Tesco and ASDA are for dupes these days…
Create your own tree: Artificial trees can be expensive, and real ones can be a huge mess. Instead, create your own tree with some dry twigs and decorate it with baubles and fairy lights. You can even spray paint it to match the room.
Get crafty: The cheapest way to decorate your house for Christmas is by making the decorations yourself. From window stencils to Christmas wreaths, even the least artistically inclined can get crafty.
Cheap ways to travel home for the holidays
Trying to travel while at university can quickly become costly – especially if you’re heading back home for Christmas during peak season. These tips for student Christmas travel on a budget can get both you and your wallet home in one piece.
Book train tickets on TrainPal
The quickest way to travel around the UK without a car is by train, but this can be pricey over the Christmas season. Booking your tickets on TrainPal can help you save money on your train fare, especially with their automatic split-ticket tool. Better still, there are lots of discounts available on TrainPal through TOTUM. Don’t forget to add your railcard!
Travel outside of peak hours
One of the best things about being a student is not needing to stick to working hours. By travelling outside of peak time, you will quickly shave money off the cost of your ticket. Avoid Friday nights, the weekend, and the morning commute. You’ll also find transport to be a lot quieter during these times, great for relaxing into the holiday spirit…
Get the coach
Coaches are a great option for holiday travel. Not only can they be much cheaper than taking the train, but you’re always guaranteed a seat. There are plenty of coach companies to choose from, but some of our favourites include: National Express (25% student discount), Flixbus (20% student discount) and Megabus (10% student discount).
Car share
If you’re lucky enough to know someone with a car at university (and they live in the same direction as you!), see if you can jump in with them on their way home. Running a car can be expensive, but even if you offer to split the cost of petrol, it’ll likely be cheaper than paying for a train fare. Just remember to get your road trip playlist ready ahead of the drive.
How to do Freshers’ Week on a budget
January at university means two things: January exams and round two of Freshers’ Week. While January Freshers is a bit less hectic than the one in September, you’ll still need some money leftover from Christmas to bring in term two.
Here’s how to do Freshers’ Week on a budget:
Cook in bulk: By January, you should be well acquainted with your housemates. Save money by doing a big weekly shop together at a budget supermarket, and then cooking in bulk for the week. Lasagne, anyone?
Stock up on basics: Fill your cupboards with easy essentials and ingredients that can be the base of any dinner. We’re talking spices, pasta and tinned goods. This will help you save money on meals later.
Take advantage of freebies: Universities and companies at freshers’ fair often give out free food, drinks, and other goodies. Make sure to bring a tote bag to scoop up the freebies, and go on an empty stomach to make room for free treats!
Attend free events: Whether it’s walking tours, festivals, or club tasters, jump on the many free events at freshers’ week put on for students to meet each other. You can find a full timetable from your student union.
Walk instead of taking taxis: If you live close to campus or just a few minutes walk from town, ditch the taxis and save a few pennies by using your own two feet. You’d be surprised how much of a city you see when you’re trying to get your steps in.
Go to student nights: Everyone knows the weekends are for the locals and the weeknights for the students. By going out during the week and to specific student evenings, you can take advantage of cheaper drinks, cheaper entry and shorter queues for cheesy chips.
Use your student discounts: The biggest thing you’ll miss when you graduate is your student discount. So bank up the savings while you can and reap the rewards of being a student whenever you can.
