Cambridge is regularly named one of the most expensive places to live in the UK and, as a student, it does not take long to work this out for yourself. Some may be lucky enough to attend a college with subsidised rent costs, but if you’re at a poor college such as Robinson, like me, a huge chunk of your loan has already been bitten into before you have begun term. 

Admittedly, I am no paradigm of sensible spending. I used to believe I could justify a certain degree of expenditure because I was cycling everywhere. I quickly found the holes in my logic when I found myself buying weekly bottles of wine to formal hall or breaking the bank on May Ball tickets. However, there are few things I love more than a bargain, so over my two years here I have discovered several cheats to help you graduate from Cambridge with only the slightest of overdrafts.

The one thing that helps a Cambridge student survive the endless hours of lectures or moping in the library is the hope of a meal to cut through the boredom. The reality of university is that the bottomless kitchen cupboards you may be accustomed to at home get replaced with expensive meals out and empty fridges. You may only have to flash your CAMCard, but it is better to avoid eating in your college buttery everyday because it quickly adds up. If you are cooking, avoid Sainsbury’s as the convenience does not outweigh the extortionate prices. For lazy people like me, Asda can deliver your weekly shop straight to your door. For the more industrious, choose Aldi and take pleasure balancing your shopping on your handlebars during the ride home. For the criminal-slash-desperate, scour the kitchens of your college for anything you could steal. 

When you’re on the go and bored of cooking or the buttery, head to Nanna Mexico on Monday and make the most of their £5 student meal deal. Or if after 8.30pm on a week day, Itsu sells everything half-price. Outside of these hours things become a little bleak. Downloading the TeamFirst and UNiDAYS apps, furiously scanning for voucher codes online or buying a tastecard also enables you to eat cheaply at expensive restaurants. If you’re feeling feisty and immoral, I advise downloading Tinder, swiping right on a few people who seem generous and organising dates at extravagant restaurants where you don’t have to pay.

There are two words that probably haunt many bank statements: ‘Kuda’ and ‘Cambridge’. How can you spend that much on VKs? Evidently the answer is very easily. With a pub on every street corner of the city, alcohol is a significant expenditure, and freshers will quickly learn to avoid the Smirnoff and sign up for a lifetime of supermarket own-brand spirits. If you do plan on going to Life, make sure you sneak in the back through a crowd of people via the smoking area entrance. When possible, use your natural charm to bag free drinks but, I warn you, it won’t be too long before the tables turn and you’re buying the round. Another top tip is to host pre-drinks, as since everyone will inevitably rush off to Cindies, you will definitely be left with plenty of half-finished bottles to save for future occasions. Quitting drinking is also a good way to save money. 

I try to save wherever possible but I have two major weaknesses: clothes and coffee, which both causing detrimental damage to my purse. Cambridge is crammed full with charming independent coffee shops that produce delicious, organic coffee, but they’re undeniably overpriced. Try carrying around coffee granules or tea bags with you and ask for hot water, then you don’t even need to spend a penny. If the barista asks you anything, just tell them you’re on a detox diet. Where clothes are concerned, never buy from ASOS without a 20 % off code. I ban myself from walking through the Grand Arcade as its gravitational pull takes me straight into Topshop. Luckily for us, the charity shops at the Grafton Centre or on Mill Road are full of bargains. Alternatively, borrow off friends by asking for jumpers when you’re cold. It’s up to you whether or not you give them back.

Budding entrepreneurs could try getting involved in the street entertainment scene and give busking a try; since there is a man playing guitar from a bin and one playing a saw, we can safely assume that anything is acceptable. Maybe you’re in a capitalist mood? Why not try buying several tickets for popular upcoming events so that you can sell off the unwanted ones at a profit. If you’re less ambitious, pick up every penny you see on the ground; that way you’ll not only be rich, but you will accrue masses of good luck.  

Perhaps you think my advice is stupid, but I implore you to at least remember my top tip: next time you are craving a drunken meal on your way home, step into Gardies and order a 99p scoop of chips and ask for a dollop of delicious, free houmous.