Student Profit

8 Freebies To Get Your Hands On Right NOW

Student Profit Staff — Tue, 24 May 2016 12:37:09 +0000

Who spends money on things any more?

Free (sort of) money

Sign up to websites like Swagbucks to earn cash (or other rewards) by doing stuff online like searching the web or just playing games.

Also, get cash back when you buy products through websites such as Quidco. Be sure to check our top cash back guide for more information.

Free meals

Sign up for Tastecard Trial for free and you’ll get a Tastecard which gives you 50 per cent off or 2 for 1 deals at more than 7,000 restaurants for a month, so half your food will be FREE!

The service costs a £80 a year usually, but you don’t need to provide any payment details for the free trial.

Free groceries

Get free food from Tescos by signing up to websites like tescohomepanels.com and Tesco orchard where you can get to try new or improved foods which are sent to you for FREE.

More free groceries

In addition to the above, sign up for a Tesco Clubcard Credit Card and you’ll earn clubcard points on all your purchases which will turn into vouchers. Use the Credit Card for your normal every day purchases and pay it off each month to avoid interest.

Free Cinema Tickets

Get to see the latest films before anyone else AND without paying with this free cinema tickets hack.

Another option is to take out a cheap travel insurance policy at Compare The Market to take advantage of their two-for-one cinema tickets deal.

Free gym visits

Many gyms offer free trials or passes where you can make use of their facilities of free. See here for more – it’s cheaper than signing up in January before deciding you cba.

Free condoms

Why pay? The NHS gives out free contraceptive through various locations across the UK. Click to the NHS page here to search for your nearest free condom service.

Free lottery

There is such a thing. Granted, it won’t make you a millionaire, but there is the potential to win free cash. Enter with your postcode online at the Free PostCode Lottery.

Student summer jobs 2016: 7 ideas for student work this summer

Student Profit Staff — Tue, 17 May 2016 17:54:10 +0000

The long summer break is here… it’s perhaps time to think about getting a job to pay for all those late nights out.

And with news that students could leave university with over £50,000 worth of debt, a summer job is becoming more of a necessity.

So, what options are out there?

Café or bar work

The food and hospitality industry is ideal for the summer student. It peaks in summer when kids are off school, so businesses are usually looking to recruit extra staff. An added advantage is that, if you do well, you could be offered an ongoing role during term-time.

Events

Not a reliable form of income but can be great for an instant cash boost. You can easily pick up event work from being a steward at a marathon to serving drinks at a VIP parties. Find out more here

Charity fundraising

Yes, you can get paid to fundraise for charity, the idea being that you’ll bring in more money than your wages. If you think you’ve got what it takes, check out Wesser for job opportunities.

Office work

Whilst many office-based businesses look to recruit long-term full time employees, there are openings for taking on summer staff during busy periods, particularly when other employees will be on annual leave. If you are studying a vocational course such as law, experience of working within the industry will assist your chances of finding a job on graduation.

Retail worker

A summer job in retail can offer you the chance to develop your people-skills, which will enhance your CV. There are also management training schemes available within this sector so a summer job could provide you with enviable experience to put on a future application form.

Childcare

If you’ve had experience as a baby-sitter or you’re doing a teaching course, then a summer job in childcare could be for you. This could include not just childminding, but working on a summer camp or holiday scheme. There’s even the chance to work abroad! If you like kids, such work can be both fun and rewarding.

Leafleting

While this may appear dull, repetitive work, it does have distinct advantages: it gets you fit and it often has flexible hours so it can fit around your studies. Just fire up your ipod and effectively get paid for going for a walk!

> Student Jobs: Top ten websites to find part time work

7 Ways To Make Money Easy, Doing Basically Nothing

Student Profit Staff — Wed, 04 May 2016 14:12:35 +0000

Here’s how to rack up some easy spare cash by making money doing really very little.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks allows you to earn points (aka Swag Bucks) by searching via their website (which is powdered by Google and Bing). The Swag Bucks points can be exchanged for all sorts of rewards such as gift cards or just straight cash into your Paypal account. You can also earn points by completing surveys and polls, shopping and watching videos.

Get Cashback

Use cashback websites such as QuidCo to get money back when you buy goods online, from insurance to food. Rather than buying direct from a website, buy through QuidCo and you’ll get paid for every purchase!

Surveys

The classic way to make money online: Sign up to websites like MySurvey to make cash in your spare time by completing quick and simple questionnaires. No hard work or long shifts here.

Free Tesco Vouchers

Get a Tesco Bank Credit Card and use it for all your regular purchases. So long as you pay it off each month, you won’t have to worry about interest or fees. As well as improving your credit score, you’ll earn club card points on all your purchases which will turn into vouchers with Tesco, or money off at selected other retailers or organisations under the Clubcard Boost scheme.

Sign up for a FREE lottery

The Free Postcode lottery is just that. A free lottery! The prize is ‘only’ £100, although that can roll over each day if no one claims it. Enter your postcode now at FreePostcodeLottery.com.

Sell your HAIR

Let your hair grow and then you can make cash by selling it for use in wigs and other products. Bloomsbury Wigs’ guide prices range from £15-£60 for 10-12 inches up to £200 for more than 19 inches. > How to make money by selling your HAIR

Qmee

Qmee will pay you just to search the web, simple as that! Sponsored ads accompany the search results and you can build up cash rewards which can either be paid out to a Paypal account or donated to a charity of your choice.

Sell copies of your old revision notes

Note Sale allows you to make cash from your old lecture and revision notes. You can upload your own notes and set a price, ranging from pence to pounds, and will keep 75% of all cash made. The site covers everything from GCSE to degree level, so you may want to dig up your old school work to turn into money!

English Students Have The Most Debt In The WORLD

Student Profit Staff — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 13:05:03 +0000

Students in English universities leave with the most debt in the world, new research has found.

And this is before the axing of Student Grants which will impact those starting courses in September of this year (2016).

Those who graduated from English universities last year, the first to do so having paid £9,000 a year in tuition, left with an average of £44,000 of debt.

That compares to an average of between£20,500 and £29,000 for those in American university (depending on public or private institutions) and £15,000 in Canada.

Average Student Debt

UK – £44,000
US £20,500-£29,000
New Zealand – £23,000
Australia – £20,900
Canada – £15,000

The numbers will only get worse in future with students beginning study in 2016 having no access to student grants, which have been replaced with bigger loans.

It means those graduating from 2019 will leave owing more than £50,000.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust and Education Endowment Foundation who carried out the research, said the figures could effect students for the rest of their lives.

“They impact on the ability of graduates to go to graduate schools, to afford a mortgage, the timing of having children and other major life decisions,” he explained.

And sir Peter suggested: “The cost of going to university has become so expensive that more young people should seriously consider higher level apprenticeships, preferably to degree level.

“By choosing this route they will earn while they learn, incur less debt, and develop skills which are greatly valued in the workplace.”

Photo by REX Features.

Here’s how to avoid Netflix UK’s new price rise

Student Profit Staff — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 10:48:03 +0000

Netflix is about to rise its prices but here’s how you can avoid the increase.

Netflix UK’s price increase in 2016 could see you paying as much as £1.50 extra each month.

While we think it’s still definitely worth it – it’s HUGELY cheaper than any TV subscription – you can avoid the rise.

Right now if you’re on one of the old plans you’ll be paying £5.99 a month for a package which, signing up today, costs £7.49.

Later this year the price freeze on the old packages will come to an end and everyone will be paying the new, higher prices.

“Later this month, members in the UK will begin to be ungrandfathered,” said Netflix in a statement. “Beginning May, the price update is rolling out elsewhere based on member billing periods.

“Impacted members will be clearly notified by email and within the service, so that they have time to decide which plan/price point works best for them.”

They added: “The prices taking effect were previously announced in May 2014 and follow a two-year period of holding prices to the previous level as a thank you to members.”

However there is still a £5.99 package available, although it limits you to streaming on only one device at a time and to SD quality only.

If you ‘Downgrade’ you’ll continue to be able to watch all the Netflix shows but won’t have to pay any more.

It’s just a question of whether or not the HD quality is worth the £1.50 extra each month to you…

11 Student Housing Mistakes You Must Avoid

Student Profit Staff — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 10:23:10 +0000

From cutting bills to avoid being ripped off, these are the top student housing mistakes you MUST avoid!

Being lazy

Don’t accept the first place your see and do your research when looking to let privately: Search for reviews of your potential landlord, consider how much bills for the property will be (see the EPC certificate) and check out other things that may be relevant to you in local area, such as parking.

Checking the condition of the property

When visiting a potential property be sure to have a GOOD look around and NEVER agree to live anywhere you haven’t seen. Make sure you check all the corners, cupboards and see everything such as lights and appliances are in working order.

Not taking photos

When you first move in be sure to photograph the condition of the property, especially any damage or issues already present, to make sure you don’t get the blame and lose your deposit. > 5 tips to keep your flat deposit safe

Bringing everything you own

Make sure you know what’s included (if furnished property) and don’t bring pointless things you don’t need.

Not budgeting

Sort out a budget when it comes to paying rent and bills as they’re the most important things. If you’re sharing a house, make sure you figure out a way to split bills and for everyone to pay for their share…

Sort out who pays what

On that topic, deciding who makes student bills can be a bit of a nightmare. Generally the best advice is to make sure everyone’s names are on any bills so that no one person will be held liable if another fails to pay up on time. An alternative option is to give each housemate a different bill to be responsible for.

Upsetting the neighbours

Making the neighbours angry is just not on so keep the noise down late at night else you could find yourself getting evicted and/or given a bad reference when you move on.

Not getting contents insurance

Make sure you to cover your personal property with contents insurance in case of fire, flood, theft and so on. You may be regret it if you don’t, and some tenancies may require it.

Maintaining the property

You could lose your deposit or be charged if you damage the property so look after it as if it were your own home. Report any problems to your landlord as soon as possible. Not only will damage hurt your wallet, it won’t make for a good landlord referral when you want to move on.

Paying council tax

If you’re a full time student, you don’t need to pay council tax but if you’re sharing with non students or part time students, they may have to pay.

Sorting out whether or not you need a TV license

A so-called TV licence loophole may allow you to ditch paying £145+ a year. Furthermore, you may be able to get a TV licence refund for what you’ve already paid.

The Cheapest and Most Reliable Cars for Students

Student Profit Staff — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 11:55:55 +0000

Here’s a countdown of the best cars for new and young drivers.

A study carried out by What Car? magazine in association with Warranty Direct has looked at pretty much every car available in the UK to decide which is the cheapest and most reliable to run.

And – for the ninth year running – Honda tops the list with its Jazz.

The so-called Reliability Index used to rank cars takes into account a vehicle’s typical failure rate, age, mileage and repair costs.

What Car? editor Jim Holder said: “Honda’s success in the Reliability Index is chiefly down to low failure rates.

“However, when things do go wrong, the cars are also relatively cheap to fix.”

Other good cars included the Toyota Yaris, Mitsubishi Lancer and Vauxhall Agila.

On the other hand the most expensive cars to maintain were topped by the Audi RS6, BMW M5 and Nissan GT-R.

Check out the full lists below…

Most reliable cars

1. Honda Jazz
2. Mitsubishi Lancer
3. Vauxhall Agila
4. Toyota Yaris
5. Suzuki Alto
6. Chevrolet KALOS
7. Suzuki Liana
8. Hyundai Getz
9. Mazda MX-5
10. Mercedes-Benz

And the least…

1. Audi RS6
2. BMW M5
3. Nissan GT-R
4. Porsche 911
5. Bentley Continental GT
6. Mercedes-Benz CL
7. Mercedes-Benz V-Class
8. Citroen C6 512.00
9. Mercedes-Benz SL
10. Mercedes-Benz GL

Main picture credit: M 93/Wikimedia

Student Finance Deadline 2016: This year’s all important Student Finance deadlines for 2016/2017

Student Profit Staff — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 06:23:37 +0000

It’s time to fill in those Student Finance 2016 and here’s those all important deadlines and dates you need to know about.

The applications for Student Finance for 2016 opened in February with deadlines in May and June. Do it early and save the stress! You don’t need to know which University you’re going to go but you’ll probably need some weeks to dig out all the documents needed to apply anyway.

What is the Student Finance deadline for 2016?

The 2016 Student Finance deadline will depend on whether you’re beginning a new course or continuing a course.

For new students in 2016…

New students must get their applications completed by the deadline which for 2016 is 27 May. Note that this is the deadline for you to file your application online, not for you to have your application assessed.

For returning students in 2016…

Returning students tend to have just under a month longer with the deadline for 2016 on 24 June.

Student Finance 2016 changes

Remember it’s all change this year. If you’re starting a course (i.e. A new student going to University from September 2016) you’ll be caught up in it all: Grants are no more and have instead been merged into the maintenance loan.

If you’re a continuing student however you don’t need to worry, you’ll still be able to apply for a grant as in previous years.

Do it all online

New or continuing student, you can apply and re-apply for Student Finance 2016 via the Student Finance England website available from gov.uk.

Missed the deadline?

If you’ve missed either the above deadlines don’t worry just yet. Those deadlines are only the dates for guaranteeing that you’ll get your application sorted in time for the start of your studies.

The ultimate deadline for applying is 9 months AFTER the start of the academic year, although of course you’ll have to pay your own way until you application is assessed and sorted.

Is your laziness in the kitchen seeing you get ripped off?

Student Profit Staff — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 14:03:27 +0000

Buying fruit and veg can end up costing you FOUR TIMES more if you can’t be bothered to put a little effort in.

Whether it’s ready sliced mushrooms, peeled carrots or even halved avocados – which, yes, do actually exist now – your laziness could be seeing you ripped off.

Of course one would expect that prepared veg would cost more but the mark up on some products is often extortionate, a study by Which? magazine has revealed.

The convenience sees some goods costing more than 400% over their unprepared alternatives.

Carrots can cost more than twice as much (60p/kg v £1.50/kg) while broccoli and mushrooms also see big price rises for just having been cut up.

The same goes for spiralised vegetables, including carrots and courgettes, which you make yourself using just a regular old peeler or cheese grater.

Which? said: “Most of us like to think we’re savvy shoppers. But it’s not always easy to compare costs when complex mental arithmetic is required just to weigh up the same product presented in various packet sizes and styles.”

They added: “It’s not only carrots that are more expensive when they are ready-prepared, shaped or sliced – broccoli florets are more than three times the cost of a whole head of broccoli. Even when you discount the weight of the stalk, it’s still a hefty mark-up for a ‘ready-to-cook’ label.

“And you could be paying up to an extra £1 per kg just for the convenience of having pre-sliced mushrooms.”

How To Buy Food As An Almost Broke Student

Student Profit Staff — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 17:35:05 +0000

Food shopping on a student budget can prove tricky especially when there isn’t much of a budget to spend.

What not to buy

Don’t bother with expensive ready meals which almost always cost far more than the raw ingredients you can purchase to make yourself. It’ll also be a lot healthier made at home rather than in a factory being pumped with chemicals to keep it preserved.

Get budget busting recipes

You can make huge savings with these budget busting recipes and don’t underestimate the student classic super noodles – here are 8 ways to improve instant noodles.

Plan

Plan your meals ahead and you’ll save loads: Select cheap dishes that share common ingredients to minimise your spend. For instance, you can turn one packet of mince into meatballs burgers, lasagne, Shepard’s pie and much more. When you head to the shops, make yourself a shopping list and stick to it strictly to avoid impulse buys.

Don’t waste

Never waste food. In shops, search for items with a long a shelf date as possible, keep an eye on foods that are nearing their expiration and use them up! Even if food does go ‘off’ you may be able to eat it – brown bananas can become banana loaf cake while you can turn stale bread into a delicious pudding.

Win at supermarket reductions

You can’t guarantee it but supermarket reductions can mean HUGE bargains. Check out the reduced isles or sections when you’re shopping to see if there is a good offer to be had.

Love your freezer

You can freeze pretty much anything (including milk and bread!) so love your freezer to avoid waste and get more for your money (see below). Consider buying prepared frozen fruit, veg, fish and meat ahead of fresh alternatives as they’ll last a lot longer and you don’t have to worry about preparing it for freezing yourself.

Buy in bulk if you can

It costs more upfront but you’ll make long-term savings buying in bulk so if you have the money to hand it makes sense. We’re not talking crates of stuff here, but simply buying bigger packets of foods you often eat (rice, pasta, etc.) works out cheaper gram for gram. Same goes for meat, buying a pack of eight chicken breasts for a month will be cheaper than buying packs of two each week. As above, use your freezer to store what you don’t plan to immediately use.