money

The life of a student has two sides. On the one hand, there is this new level of independence, the huge number of possibilities to have new experiences and so on. And yet, on the other, scarier hand, a list of new and unprecedented problems and questions seem to wait just for you.

How can I save money without having the feeling of living a beggar's life? Which recipes suit both my (low) budget and my taste? What are the best ways to comfortably earn some extra money? And, after having resolved the financial challenges, how can I socialise and make some lovely new friends?

Having got through all these problems myself, I can provide you with some quick, handy and useful tips to make your everyday life much more comfortable.

1) Keep calm and enjoy your meal

I know that probably 80% of you come to university not having any further cooking experience than how to ‘cook' instant pizzas and noodles (I'm not blaming you, Mum's dishes tasted too good). Am I right? If yes, try this super-quick, super-budget and super-lovely curry.

Chicken and Vegetable Curry (from this recipe):

Moving to Britain can mean that you'll be dealing with a lot of new things, and one of the most commonly encountered one is an entirely different currency. Wherever you're from in the world, the British pound will be new to you, and there are some useful things to know when using it.

Exchange Rates

The first and most immediately apparent difference you're likely to notice is that £1 is more valuable than just about any other single unit of currency in the world. This has the effect of making prices for things like groceries appear to be quite low in comparison, simply because the number will be lower, even if the value is actually the same.

In order to make sure that you know how much things actually cost, it's very important that you become familiar with the exchange rate between the pound and whichever currency you're most used to using. When you know this, you'll be able to shop smartly, and will be able to know when something is good value or not. It's a good idea to look at the actual exchange rate to get the best idea, not the prices that the bureau de change is offering.

After you graduate from university, you will have a lot to think about and a lot to sort out. One of the many key things you will have to give some thought to is your financial situation. As a university graduate, it is now time to stand on your own two feet, which means looking at ways to get your financial situation off to a good start.

While you might not have had a huge amount of experience when it comes to finances - after all, for most students finances are pretty limited - the sooner you start planning the better. Some of the things that you will need to think about in order to start life in the real world on an even footing include:

Earning some money

In order to sort out your finances you actually need to have some finances to sort. This means getting a job sorted out so that you have some money coming in. You should avoid the mistake of waiting for the ideal job to come along, as you could be waiting for some time in the current economic climate. Instead, get yourself any job that pays a decent wage and start earning some money while you wait for the perfect job to come up.

Why should I worry about banking?

As a student, money is often in short supply. Any way that you can make it stretch that bit further is a good thing and the motto for many is "every little helps". One easy way to help your finances is through the way that you choose to do banking.

The simple process of choosing where to place your savings can save you a surprising amount of money, both in the short and long term. What's more, unlike some money saving tactics, you don't have to sacrifice anything other than a little time to research the best deals.

What options do I have?

In terms of basic everyday current accounts, there isn't a huge amount of difference between the different banks. One thing to look out for is that many of them offer special free gifts for students. Whilst some of these are merely gimmicks, some are really useful and can save you loads of money.

Savings accounts are the ones that you really should spend a bit of time researching. There are of course your standard savings accounts, but, more often than not, the best option is an ISA.

A recent report has revealed that people in London are eating more and more unhealthily as living costs continue to increase. Here Erik gives his view on this growing problem.

"Better quality foods are often more expensive, as well as often the healthier options. For example, a box of chips with two spicy chicken wings costs £1.50 at my local fast-food place, but when I asked for rice, which is healthier than chips, they wanted to charge me £4. No wonder many people do not have any other option than to just to live unhealthily.

Or bring their own food, which is often impractical, and unusual in the eyes of the consumer society. Recently, I saw a man open a sachet of instant soup and add to it hot water from a flask, right in one of the London's shopping malls. Way to go, but I thought him weird and would not like to be viewed as such. No one would. And therefore we choose rather to be the victims of fast-food than public disdain.