Money4Students - The Blog

20% off at Borders Books!

2009-02-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

We've been busy getting some great discounts for students across the UK:
Check out our latest http://www.money4students.co.uk/studentmoney/studentdiscounts">student discounts to find the best deals online.

The latest offers include:
1) A whopping 20% off at Borders Books
2) 10% off all books at Waterstones
3) 2 games of bowling at Hollywood Bowl for just £6!
4) 2 for 1 on main meals at Cafe Rouge.

Until next time...

800th Birthday Celebrations for Cambridge University

2009-02-14T03:03:00.000-08:00

The University of Cambridge marked it's 800th birthday in style, organising several events to highlight the greatest achievements of students who attended the university.

On the 17th January churches in Cambridge rang their bells to celebrate the anniversary to kick off proceedings. Further events are planned including science festivals and a Charles Darwin festival.

Later in the year a 'Festival of Ideas' is planned for October, which will be funded by the university. This fund will also cover the closing ceremony in November 2009, together with further events put forward by individual departments at the university.

So how did it all start? Way back in 1209 groups of scholars used to congregate at the ancient Roman trading post in Cambridge to study - this is now the University of Cambridge as we know it. We certainly see it lasting another 800 years as one of the top universities in the world.

Are you a a student at the University of Cambridge? Why not send in your stories about the celebrations to let students across the UK get an insight into how wild the parties really are! Just contact feedback@money4students.co.uk

Latest Student News - The effect of the recession on Universities

2009-01-31T01:01:00.001-08:00

The UK officially fell into recession (defined by 2 quarters of negative growth yesterday which means less public money will be earmarked for colleges and universities - so what does this mean for you?

The first signs of the effect on universities was evident in last week's annual government grant letter to the university funding council for England. John Denham (Universities Secretary) began with a warning in it that universities have enjoyed great "security of income and level of customer demand" than the majority of businesses and individuals that they deal with. Denham also berated universities for recruiting more students last year that they were supposed to, which led to him stating that he would not fund them to recruit any extra students for 2009-10. Most importantly he then announced that due to this 'over recruitment' he'd reduce the university funding that he indicated they would get by a whopping £19 million!

So what does this really mean? Well after several years of growth in student numbers across the UK, an abrupt cap has been put on any further expansion. During times of recession when jobs are more scare there's a tendancy for a greater number of students to apply to university to gain better skills - therefore competition for places is likely to increase due to this cap.

And the effect on student tuition fees? Well there are already indications that due to the lack of funding universities will be looking for a bigger contribution from students, i.e. higher tuition fees. Leeds Met (one of just two universities which set tuition fees below the maximum of £3,145) looks set to raise it's fees above the current level of £2,000 amid fears over the financial situation of the university. As the financial climate gets tougher there is already a widespread feeling that there will be more institutional mergers across the UK.

There are clearly tough times ahead for universities which is clearly going to have an impact for students, both in terms of competition for places and the cost of university - in times of recession surely larger loans are the last thing we need.

Money4Students Is Now Recruiting!

2009-01-14T13:44:00.000-08:00

Become a Money4Students Student Rep and get loads of great benefits, including exclusive discounts and offers, entry to all Rep competitions and free entry to all Money4Students events.

Another huge advantage of becoming a M4S Rep is that we'll give you a great reference when you apply for a job, so whether you're looking to go into PR, Marketing, Journalism or any other related field this is a great way for you to gain some invaluable experience. Sounds good doesn't it?

If you're keen to get involved get in touch by contacting info@money4students.co.uk. It's as easy as that! If we think you're suitable you'll be able to be a fully fledged member of the M4S team in under a week!

Got a burning question? Ask an expert....

2008-12-31T02:42:00.001-08:00

We've just launched a brand new feature to the site - 'Ask an expert'.

We know how many questions you have as a student about all aspects of student life, from STD's to when to start looking for a student house. You can now contact info@money4students.co.uk with any questions and our experts will try their best to get back to you within 24 hours with some advice.

Christmas at Money4Students

2008-12-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

So Christmas is getting closer and closer and we've been busy planning for 2009. We've launched the Christmas Offers Blog to try and save students some cash over Christmas but there's lots more in the pipeline to save students money in the New Year.

We're dedicated to trying to find the best offers on the market to try and save students across the UK loads of cash so that you've got more of your student loan left to spend on stuff you want. Why not sign up to a Free DVD trial over Christmas so you've got an unlimited supply of free movies to watch, or try the online games on the site (all free).

In the New Year we'll have loads of new features on the site to help you save money in your student life, and we'll be having some great new competitions which will all be free to enter.

Have a great Christmas!

The team @ Money4Students

The new VAT rate of 15% - how will it affect students?

2008-12-07T09:10:00.000-08:00

The government decided last week to reduce VAT (valued-added tax) from 17.5% to 15% - a cut of 2.5%. This was done to try to stimulate consumer spending during the recession. Everyone in the UK (including students) is required to pay VAT on goods and services - you won’t normally see it as it’s incorporated into prices. The new VAT rate comes into force from Monday, 1st December 2008.

Previously a new TV costing £99 (inc. VAT) will consist of the following:
- Base price: £84.26
- 17.5% VAT: £15.74

With the new VAT rate of 15% the same TV should now cost you £96.90. This is a reduction of £2.10, which equates to 2.13%. So in reality the 2.5% cut in VAT will only result in a 2.13% reduction in prices as the VAT is charged on top of the base price.

So what does this mean for students?

Well you should find that there’s a 2.13% reduction in prices on all goods and services which are subject to VAT. However, this is likely to be slightly more as businesses are unlikely to price goods at funny prices - they like round numbers. So if we go back to the TV example it’s likely that the retailer will now sell the TV for £86. You may find though that there isn’t a reduction in price - instead the retailer will increase the base price so that the VAT inclusive price remains the same as before. For the TV example the retailer may increase the base price to £86.09 which will mean that the end price is still £99.

We don’t believe this new VAT rate will affect students very much at all. Either prices will remain the same or alternatively we’ll see a reduction in prices but it’s so minimal you’ll hardly notice it (unless you’re spending hundreds of pounds!). You may find that you end up paying more in the longer term when you graduate from uni because the government needs to make the money back it’s lost in VAT from somewhere - it’s likely VAT will rise in the future or they’ll find another tax to try and make some money. From current reports it looks like VAT will return to 17.5% at the end of 2009, before rising again to 18.5% in 2011-2012.

Save some cash this Christmas

2008-11-14T16:32:00.000-08:00

With the current state of the economy loads of retailers are slashing prices in an attempt to stimulate consumer spending. They're hoping that by reducing the cost of gifts etc. people will start to spend money now to try and bag a bargain - which will help the retailers to keep their profits up.

This is great news for students as you can get some great discounts at retailers that don't usually offer a student discount. We've decided to create a Christmas offers blog which lists the hottest offers on the market, from free prints at Truprint to 50% off an Tiger Tiger in Newcastle (Money4Students exclusive). If you're looking to save some money on presents or just treat yourself, click here to view all of the student christmas offers!

Student Energy Bills - A Guide to Saving Money on Student Bills

2008-10-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Managing student loans is not easy when you have bills to pay. We want to try and help students across the UK to reduce energy bills so that they come out of university with less student debt. Our tips below can help to save students hundreds of pounds:

1) Students can save money on gas and electricity bills by switching providers
We've created a 100% impartial energy search engine which allows you to compare the prices of all gas and electricity suppliers and find the very best deal for your student house. By using a energy search tool all students are able to find the best deal on the market - it's easier than speaking with each provider and trying to get a quote.

2) By buying an electricity meter which shows you how much electricity you are using all students can directly see how much money is being spent on energy. This lets you know what you should be turning off to save some cash!

3) Wear more clothes! By wearing a jumper around your halls or house you can cut down on your heating bill. You should also make sure you turn down the heating when you go home for the holidays (but make sure you don't let the pipes freeze over Christmas!)

4) You can save cash on your energy bills by using energy saving bulbs. Energy saving bulbs use up to 80 per cent less electricity than a standard bulb, but produce the same amount of light. In other words, they can help you to save money and energy, all in one wise purchase. And by saving energy, you'll be helping to fight climate change too. Technology's moved on a lot since energy saving light bulbs were first invented, and so has the way they look. In your mind's eye think of an energy saving bulb, does it look bulky and oddly shaped? Maybe giving off a colder, harsher light than a normal bulb? If so, be prepared to think again. There are now more reasons than ever to buy energy saving lightbulbs.

The savings:

Depending on how long your lights are in use every day, just one energy saving lightbulb could save you up to £7 and 26 kilograms of CO2 a year. Also because it will last up to 10 times longer than a standard bulb, it could save you around £60 before it needs replacing.

These days, the average price of an energy saving bulb is only £3 a bulb, so you'll usually recoup the extra outlay within a year!

5) Turn things off! It sounds pretty obvious but you can reduce your bills dramatically by turning things off. For example turn off any unnecessary lights, turn off your TV and computer fully (not just putting it on standby but COMPLETELY off!), turning off your heating in your room if you go home for the weekend and turning off the tap while you're brushing your teeth.
Leaving appliances on standby uses so much electricity for doing nothing apart from lighting a little red LED light - save yourself some cash and get into the habit of hitting those 'power' buttons.

6) Use 'economy' cycles. Most dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers have 'economy' cycles, which basically means that they use less electricity when this option is selected. In your student house you should always make sure that you stuff them full - fill the dishwasher completely and stuff that washing machine so that you do less loads, and therefore use less energy. You should then select the 'economy' cycle to save even more energy. This will help to reduce your electricity costs - especially if all of the students in your student pad do it.

Click here to see how much you can save by using the Student Energy Comparison Tool

Save money on your gas and electricity bills!

2008-10-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

Student energy bills are just getting bigger and bigger everyday after the energy companies put up the price of gas by around 30% this year. Most students will move into student accommodation and stick with the current gas and electricity supplier rather than seeing if they can get a deal. If this is you you could be spending loads more than you have to each year.

We've now got a Student Energy Comparison Engine on the site which allows you to type in the postcode of your student house and then find the cheapest energy - you can actually save up to £276 on your gas and electricity bills by switching companies. It's free and easy to use and should help you to save some money this year - just click here to search for cheaper gas and electricity. (You can switch at any time throughout the year)