Monday 12 October
Managing your money as a student can be challenging, especially when the cost of everyday essentials continues to rise. Whether you’re looking for ways to make your money go further, need support with budgeting, or are struggling with the cost of living, you’re not alone.
During Cost of Living Week, we're highlighting all the ways we support you whilst the cost of living continues to increase.
We’ve brought together useful resources, advice and support on our new Cost of Living hub to help you manage your finances and make student life a little more affordable.
On this page, you can find guidance for setting a budget that can help you stay on top of your spending and make your money last throughout the term. We've also got information on how to save on travel, finding and making the most of student discounts, and spending wisely on food and essentials.
Our Community Hub on campus will be open every day this week and throughout the year to support you with the cost of living at university. We stock essential items like bedding and clothing, and other useful items like homeware and electronics. If you are in need of anything, it's worth popping in and looking around.
One way to help with the cost of living is to increase your income! You can look for jobs in the local area for private businesses, or even work on campus for the Union or University.
Here at the Union, we offer a wide range of part-time and flexible job roles for students, and employ around 150 students each year. If you are looking for your next job opportunity, visit our jobs platform to see our current vacancies and apply.
The University also offers part-time jobs for students, and you can find these jobs advertised via Unitemps.
If finding a job is proving difficult, we can also support you in building your employability and CV to make your next application even stronger.
As your Union, we know that building your skill-set and confidence can help you find jobs to support your finances. We offer free employability workshops as part of our Destination Success programme, where you can build skills without spending any money!
You can also volunteer with us here in the Union in a range of voluntary roles, improving your leadership and developing your CV.
The University offers endless opportunities to help you become more employable, helping you secure your next job with confidence. You can visit their Employability Hub or their Employability campaign page to find out more about what's on offer, from CV workshops to Careers and Placement Fairs.
Did you know we run free or low-cost events every single week throughout the year that you can enjoy without breaking the bank? Our Surrey Belonging Programme runs all year, with events like film screenings, creative and active events, and opportunities to meet new people and make friends.
You can also find all our other free events, including weekly events at Manor Park Social and our Tuesday night Quiz at Hari's Bar on our What's On calendar.
During Cost of Living Week, we're highlighting all the ways we support you whilst the cost of living continues to increase. We're also running some events to showcase some of the ways you can save money, to help make finding work easier, and to help you socialise and get creative without spending money!