Cost Of Living

With costs for food, energy and essentials rising, students are facing increasing challenges to stretch their budgets. In a recent NUS Cost of Living survey, 136 out of 214 students at the University of Leeds indicated that the cost of living was having a major or moderate impact on their income.

Your Exec team have been researching, listening, and planning to make sure LUU can provide support and help to alleviate some of these pressures. This is something they will be prioritising throughout the year, and we will update this page as their plans take shape.

The LUU building is yours. Make yourself at home. You have access to:

• Spaces to study, eat, and socialise, with plenty of power sockets,
• Microwaves to heat your food in the student kitchen areas ( in Union Square opposite Joblink and by the dance studios in the lower floor of the LUU building),
• Showers in the male and female Old Bar Toilets
• Common Ground, Old Bar and Terrace, who are all offering ‘saver’ menus and meal deals,
• The Co-op, where you can get a 10% discount on your groceries and meals with a TOTUM card.

Our Joblink provides hundreds of students with jobs every term, and LUU regularly advertises for student staff.

If you’d like to earn some extra money while you study, have a look at our opportunities and get in touch.

Your budget

Budgeting involves planning out how much money you can spend based on how much you earn or receive. As students tend to have several sources of income, calculating this can get a little complicated. Follow this link for a step-by-step guide.

Get the most out of being a student by using an NUS TOTUM card to access big discounts at Co-op, ASOS, Odeon, and more.

We also have our own student discount platform over at LUU Deals, where you can find special deals, discounts, and freebies.

Your bank

When joining a bank, select a student bank account to enjoy student benefits. The best we can suggest is Santander – the only account with a guaranteed 0% overdraft each year, plus a free four-year railcard.

New banking apps like Monzo and Starling Bank have useful tools for gaining insights into your spending habits, and for budgeting and saving in a convenient and flexible way. These apps allow you to set limits, keep your money divided into different pots and give warnings when you go over budget.

Your travel

Always compare your options before booking anything to make sure you’re not wasting money. Check different routes and different travel options (Can you walk there? Is there someone you can share a lift with?) and try different times to avoid peak-time prices.

If you’ll be travelling by train, book tickets in advance for the best prices. If you travel by train frequently, invest in a student railcard, which gives you ⅓ off all rail journeys. Occasionally, there are different prices for the exact same train journey. There are several websites that will calculate your cheapest option:

traintickets.com | mytrainpal.com | trainsplitting.trainsplit.com

When travelling by bus, choose First Bus for student discounts. If you’ll be using the bus frequently, First Bus offers weekly, monthly, term-time, and annual bus passes that will save you money.

For longer journeys, choosing a coach can often be much cheaper than the train. MegaBus, National Express, and Flix Bus have plenty of great deals for fast and direct travel at low prices.

Your home

If you’re living away from home for the first time, you’ll need to get kitchen utensils and homeware accessories alongside your course materials and stationery. Remember to ask around before buying anything. If you have someone to borrow what you need from or if someone is looking to throw something away, ask if you can take it.

Buy second-hand where possible. Websites like eBay and Depop offer tons of second-hand items at affordable prices. You’ll also find plenty of cheap and unique hidden gems in charity shops, such as on Headingley High Street. For course books, always check the library first, or ask your coursemates to borrow instead of buying. If you do need to buy a book, try studentmonkey.com or unibookswap.co.uk.

Going camping but don’t have a tent? Need to repair your bike but missing the tools? Save yourself a trip to an expensive hardware shop and visit the Library of Things in Headingley, where you can borrow tools, homeware, sports equipment and more.

Your food

Want to save money and reduce food waste at the same time? Too Good To Go is an app that connects users with cafes, restaurants and shops to sell unsold food for cheap prices (or for free) at the end of the day. This avoids unnecessary food waste. Olio is similar, but connects neighbours and local businesses with each other, so that surplus food can be shared for free.

Leeds is a place of many food markets; take a look to find fresh, local produce, often for cheaper prices than in a supermarket.

Food shop in the evening

In the evening, shops tend to reduce the price of food that hasn’t been sold during the day – look out for items with yellow stickers. Get a bargain, while doing your bit to reduce food waste.

Use cashback sites

Get cashback on online purchases with TopCashback, Quidco or Swagbucks.

Shop second-hand

Explore the variety of Leeds’ charity shops and vintage stores for pre-loved fashion at reduced prices – a win for your pocket and a win for the planet.

Get loyalty cards

Most supermarkets and stores have loyalty cards you can use to collect points and save money. At LUU, we have our own loyalty scheme, LUU Rewards – start collecting points on every purchase you make in any LUU outlet to spend later.

Shop around for bill providers

Often, the default WiFi or energy provider isn’t the cheapest – use a comparison site to find the lowest prices as soon as you move to a new house.

Cook for the whole flat

Cooking meals in bulk is a great way to save money – enjoy discounted prices when you buy in bulk, save time and avoid food waste.

Worried about money? Talk to us.

If you’re having financial issues or maybe need some advice on budgeting, find our Help & Support team in the foyer or get in contact via email or telephone. Our team will give you free, confidential advice, every day of the week during term time.