Surviving a Night Out on a Shoe String

I would say one of the most annoying moments for students is when a big night out is coming up, all of your friends are going, but there is a slight doubt in your mind because of one issue......CASH!

If you don't have enough cash to go out, my usual advice would be don't give in to peer pressure or temptation and stay in to put in those valuable study hours, but if going on a bender is unavoidable or you actually really DO want to go, here are some tips on how to survive the night on a tight budget and have a good time too.

Stick to your Budget
Before going out, plan ahead and choose how much you can afford to spend on the night out. This should be based on how much money you actually have, and can you afford to live until the next bit of cash comes in.
Now you have chosen your budget, stick to it! Here's the best advice I can give you....do not take your cash/credit card out with you. Get your cash out from a machine in advance, so the temptation to withdrawl more than you have budgeted wont be there. And of course don't go spending all of your budget at once or too quickly. Oh yes an nearly forgot, don't borrow money from your friends, especially if you can't afford to pay them back.

Stretching your Budget
To make your money go further, take advantage of special offers in pubs and clubs, such as buy-one-get-one-free offers, or money off offers, this will get you more booze for your buck.
Another way would be to go to student friendly pubs and clubs or even the student union, these places usually offer good reduction on alcohol prices and are usually free entry, or money off entry for students. But it could be as easy as just choosing to go to the cheapest places possible, you should take into consideration the entry free and the price of your favorite tipple.

Taxi
This is usually a stumbling block, let me guess how many of you out there, including myself have gone out on a budget when suddenly closing time comes and it hits you really hard in the face when you realise you didn't take into account that you needed a taxi at the end of the night. My advice would be to place your taxi money in a separate pocket or a separate area of your wallet and DO NOT under any circumstance spend it.

If you follow these tips, not only will you have a great night out but you shouldn't have any regret the next day, you will also have enough money to do what you usually do but didn't have to sacrifice much. If you have any questions or need some advice, please don't hesitate to email me on onlineblogs@gmail.com