Top four budgeting tips for international students

Keeping on top of your finances is a vital skill for anyuniversity student. With expenses that can include tuition fees, textbooks,rent, bills, groceries and leisure activities, sticking to a budget can be atough ask.

This is especially true of international students, who mustadapt to a new environment without the prior knowledge of Australia afforded totheir domestic counterparts. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of four handy tipsthat will help you save money during your studies Down Under.

Buy in bulk

Australia has a celebrated culinary scene, especially in thelikes of Melbourne and Sydney, so it is tempting to eat out often. However,buying food in bulk, cooking at home and making enough for leftovers is asure-fire way to cut down your spending. Try budget supermarkets like Aldi forcheap produce and keep an eye out for specials.

Hard rubbish

It’s amazing how often you see perfectly good couches,chairs and tables just left out the front of people’s homes. A savvy studentcan furnish most of their residence with hard rubbish, at literally no cost!You can also give Gumtree a go – people are often giving things away fornothing, as long as you go and collect it.

Op shop

Head down to your local St Vinnies and leave with a completeoutfit that costs the equivalent of a new t-shirt from a department store. Withitems of clothing going for as little as a couple of dollars, this is a bargainhunter’s dream. This is where you can take any old clothes you no longer need,so the relationship is reciprocal!

Happy Hour

Most university students don’t mind a tipple, so we aren’tgoing to tell you to lay off the booze completely. However, there are smarterways to go about it than paying $10 for a vodka, lime and soda. Find a placethat does a solid Happy Hour and take advantage of the discounts.