What do you do betweeen lectures?
Saving money, and thus reducing your debt is all about choices - its an easy as that! Why not follow our guide to making simple choices that can save you money, which you might choose to put towards paying off your debts or make your life a little bit easier.

Take a packed lunch:
Taking a packed lunch to university will cost you around 50p rather than a pub lunch of say £5.00. If you take a packed lunch just 3 times a week then you have saved £13.50! resulting in lower interest charges as well as a little bit extra for the weekend. If you take packed lunches 3 times a week for a month then you might save as much as £54! you say? simple choices can equal large returns.

Limit the number of take aways:
Regardless of how tasty and convenient that chicken korma may be, take away food is expensive – and not only for your wallet but all at the expense of your health. With the average cost of around £10 for a take away meal this is a large expense on a student's weekly budget.
Now we all love takeaway food, and far from banning it (we ll leave that to Gillian McCathy!) we simply suggest you limit the number of takeaways per month. One or two a month is not bad, at a cost of around £20 as a treat when you have finished some work, or perhaps for a romantic date, but when it starts to creep 3,4,5 then alarm bells should start to ring, not only at your bank.
Cooking your own food is so much better for you, you can see it being prepared and at a fraction of the cost had you bought it at a pub, café or restaurant. Home cook food and fresh vegetables are also better for you, so not only will you look more radiant and beautiful, but you'll also hav some extra money.

Drink before you go out:
Having a few pre bar/ club drinks can lower unnecessary expenditure and time spent queuing at the bar, allowing you to concentrate on having a good time, knowing that you have saved money on your night out.

Don't go out every weekend?
Not only expensive, but its might lead to fatigue of the nightlife, and affect your studies. And who wants to -

Carry an NUS Card:
Always carry your NUS card for discounts on high street shops including TopShop, usually available from the student union you can also apply via the NUS website.

Keep an overdraft buffer:
If you always sail close to your overdraft limit, why not try and keep a £10 buffer in order to avoid bank charges which can be as much as £30. The Office of Fair Trading has deemed such charges unfair, and at Clear Student debt we feel, that even they are on the term and conditions of the bank's contracts they are absurd and can cause unnecessary emotional stress.
Click here to read an article on these charges and how to get your money back! Simply fill in our template and send it to your bank, demanding that such charges be returned to you.

Watch movies on Cable:
Cheap nights in, a few friends and a nice home cooked meal. Saves you loads of money on the cinema, expensive popcorn and a taxi ride home. With mixed packages from NTL or Telewest or why not simply get a free view box.

Scratch cards:
Despite the bright colours and promises of a life outside of Pot Noodle Ville, you are down more times than you are up. You are better spending your money on CD's in charity shops or why not save up the money you would have spent and buy a nice bottle of wine for your flatmates (just not the cheap stuff).

Mobile Phone?:
Remember when you were a teenager with a Pay As You Go mobile? I bet you would welcome how cheap they are to run even if you don't always have the new model.
At ClearStudentDebt we feel very strongly about the abolishment of mis-sold mobile phone contracts to students in favour of our Pay and Go friends. Being away from home is daunting enough but not being able to call home because your contract bills have gone through the roof can be upsetting. Whats more, those traditional mobile phone contracts of £30 a month usually end up costing around £100 – leaving an immensely sour taste in your mouth, where as a Pay As You Go will only cost you as much as you decide to use. EasyMobile offer a range of free text messages with a standard rate of 5p per text and 10p per minute on both land line and mobile calls.

Synic:
For all of the synics that think such choices will brand them a social outcast, there is no reason why one cant join in, just think about what you will be spending. Living within your means and free from stress (as a result of financial management) is far sweeter than exhausting all of your and the banks money on pub lunches and the Student Union bar.
Managing your finances will make you feel more relaxed, happier and enable you to focus on your studies, your friends and your family.

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