Cashpoint Issue III
winter 2012
A termly newsletter giving financial information, updates, hints and tips to University of Reading Students
Xmas Presents on a budget Think small. If you know you’ll feel bad if you don’t buy presents for your friends and family, write a list of who you need to buy for, set yourself a realistic budget of how much you will be able to spend, and stick to it. Make the most of the student discounts with your NUS card – shop at stores where you know you will get money off, bagging yourself an expensive present at a bargain price! There is a list of places that offer student discounts on www.nus.org.uk. Everyone gets gifts that they know they will never use – don’t leave them sitting in the back of a cupboard, think
Are you getting what you’re entitled to? about re-gifting! Just make sure you don’t offend anyone by giving them back a present that they bought you.... Don’t be turned off the thought of handmade gifts - they show the kind of thought and effort that family members will really appreciate!
Stay safe when shopping online Online shopping can be a great way of shopping around and bagging some bargains, but make sure that you are staying internet safe as well as internet savvy. Secure websites will often show a padlock symbol in the bottom right of the browser
window, are likely to have a ‘https://’ web address (rather than ‘http’ – the ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’!), and the address bar might go green – all great signs that a site is secure. Check out www. getsafeonline.org for further info.
Instead of presents, why not give the gift of doing stuff for your loved ones? Make your own vouchers promising time and effort doing things that you know will make a difference to your family – like promising to send regular emails to your Dad, or call your Mum regularly.
Distract everyone from the fact you haven’t bought them a present whilst still maintaining the spirit of Christmas – organise a Christmas quiz or treasure hunt, make amazing meals / cakes / decorations, or do all of the post-Christmas dinner washing up!
Are you receiving all the funding that you are eligible for? Having a problem getting your money from Student Finance England? Whether you are studying fulltime or part-time, check www.moneysavingexpert.com or www.gov. uk/student-finance for further information, or visit the Student Advice service in RUSU if you need some support.
TV License If you watch live TV on your PC or laptop, you need to make sure you have a TV License – not having one could lead to a fine and a criminal record. Info on TV licences can be found on their website, along with the payment options. Check it out: www.tvlicensing.co.uk.