The Poor Student Handbook

Welcome to The Poor Student Handbook, the blog dedicated to saving your money. Here you'll find all the latest news on student offers, events and reviews of things in Lincoln - but don't worry, a lot of what you'll read on here will be applicable to any student around the country. You'll also be able to check out our sound advice on how to save money. Whether you want to know how to shop sensibly for food, or not get into debt at university, we'll be able to help. Feel free to ask us anything. Alex, Katie, Gayathri, Emma-Jane, and Jade Follow us on Twitter & like us on Facebook! Poor Student Handbook Promote your Page too

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Where's a good quality (but affordable) restaurant to eat out at?

Hi there,

The Handmade Burger in Lincoln does a 30% discount on a Monday and 15% on other days for students, which is brilliant and plus I hear their food is delicious.

Tower Bar at the Engine shed also do 20% discount every day for students as well, and their grub is pretty good. I definitely recommend their scampi. If you are into pub food the Shed do a £1.99 offer for certain meals on a Wednesday.

If you fancy international cuisine such as Chinese, then Yo Yo in Beijing have special prices for Wednesday lunch.

http://handmadeburger.co.uk/

http://www.engineshed.co.uk/tower-bars

http://www.yoyoinbeijing.com/

Hope this helps

Gayathri  

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Tower Bars Lincoln - Food Review

Here is the place which will accept your student discount all the time.

The Tower Bar (which is situated in the Engine Shed) does 20% discount at lunch every day for students. It gets better as unlike the Shed, which certain amount of food on the £1.99 Wednesday, the Tower Bar offered everything on the menu.

I ordered the Scampi, like I usually do in a pub nowadays. The service was incredibly quick and as soon as everyone ordered it was literally there in seconds.

The Scampi and peas were probably one of the nicest I've ever tasted- it was piping hot (so hot I couldn't even put it in my mouth). The only off putting thing was the chips- as firstly I'm not a massive fan of chips but these ones were massive.

Another point was that drinks were rather expensive- it was £2 for a J20 Apple and Raspberry. A soft drink in paces like the Shed is only £1.

On the whole however, cheap and I would definately go there again and try something new. 

 8/10

-Gayathri

http://www.engineshed.co.uk/tower-bars

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Christmas on a budget

I'm a really Christmassy person, so since the holidays are coming up, I thought I’d tell you about my 5 top tips for saving money over the festive season.

This may seem obvious, but buy value wrapping paper and bows, remember, the person you’re wrapping presents for is just going to tear all of that off anyway, so there’s no sense in spending loads of money on the best wrapping paper.

Secret Santa is a brilliant way to save money. If you want to get presents for your flatmates, it would be much cheaper to buy for one person than about 5. Plus, it leaves everyone with a present and even the anti-social one in the flat (you know every flat has one!) gets something to open.

Set a limit; try to agree on a price that nobody can go over that works for all those involved. If you set a limit of £10 or £5, it makes things less stressful and less costly for everyone.

A personal tip of mine is to get food or novelty gifts. This works best if you know the person well and get them something you know they’d enjoy or find funny. My example is my flatmate Lee – he’s the youngest in our flat and we’re always joking about him being ‘the baby’ – so for special occasions I get him really childish things that aren’t overly expensive. Last year I got him a Christmas colouring book and some pencils and he loved it.

My final tip is not to have your mind set on what you want to get someone. It’s great to have an idea of what you’re getting people, but don’t be stubborn. If it’s too expensive, try to find something else that they’ll like. 

Happy Holidays!

- Jade

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Recipe: Omelette

Okay, a lot of people have different ways of making omelettes, but here’s mine.

All you really need is eggs and a filling of your choice - mine is cheese (I’m somewhat of a cheese fiend) and sometimes bacon or salami. You’ll also need a pan, mug, fork and fish slice.

All you need to do for starters is put two or three eggs in a mug and beat them with a fork, then add a little bit of milk to the mix.

Get your hob warmed up and put a tiny bit of oil in a frying pan, enough so that your omelette won’t stick and leave your pan getting more food than you! Then pour your egg mix into the pan.

As it sets on the bottom of the pan, move the set egg with the fish slice, do it quite gently or you’ll end up scrambling it, repeat it a few times to make sure the egg doesn't stick on the bottom.

When most of the runny egg has set, you can add your filling to it.

Now, I normally slide my fish slice under half of the omelette and fold it over and some people put the flat omelette in the grill to brown off a bit – it’s all about personal preference. 

All you have to do next is serve it up on a plate and enjoy it!

- Jade

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Lincoln City Football Club

Okay, I’ll admit the title seems a little out of place, especially coming from me because I’m not a football fan – but just hear me out.

Lincoln City FC probably isn’t the best team, I’ll give you that, but going to the football with a group of friends is a great day out. Sincil Bank is a reasonable distance from most student accommodation and is always a laugh when you get there.

It costs £7 for a student ticket on the door or £6 for an early bird ticket. You’ll have to take your student card, otherwise they will charge you full price, sometimes people do take pity on you if you’re with a group of other students, but that’s quite rare.

They sell drinks and snacks there at quite a reasonable price and I can personally confirm that the hot dogs are really tasty!

I’ll admit, I only saw Lincoln win 3 games last year and I went fairly often, but I had such a good time and it’s something me and my friends remember really fondly and we still quote the ‘please don’t swear’ announcements (if you go, you’ll understand why, it’s quite funny)

I know £7 seems quite expensive, but it’s cheaper than a club would cost you on Saturdays and it still gets you out of the house, just giving you something to think about.

Hopefully I’m not creating a new wave of football hooligans! Just trying to encourage some booze-free fun!

- Jade

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Weekends are for recovery...

Hello again!

Most people think the weekend is the best time to go out, but when you’re a student it can be pretty pricey. So I decided I’d compare prices on a student night to weekend prices to give you an idea of when it’s best to go out.

Nightclubs tend to have higher entry prices on weekends and little or no drink offers for students. My advice, just relax over the weekend! If you want to go clubbing, go out on an evening where you know you have a late start or day off the next day.

Thursdays are a pretty safe bet with clubs, pretty much all of them have a student night on, which means there's a variety of places you can go to have a good night.

 Here’s a little insight into what some of the clubs offer:

Wahoo:

Rubix: £1.50 Kronenbourg, VK’s and vodka mixers and £2 for bombs

£3 entry before 12, £4 after

Tokyo

Ctrl, Alt + Del: £1 selected shots, £1.50 beers, bottles, spirit + mixer and Jaeger-bombs (Also can get 4 for £5)

£2 entry before 11pm

Home

Billionaire: £1 selected shots, £1.50 tuborg and vodka +mixers and £2.50 for cocktails.

£3 entry before 11.30pm at Union and £3.50 for Billionaire

A few of the clubs didn’t really like telling me their Saturday rates, but here a couple so you can compare:

Ritzy: between £4.50 and £6.50 entry

Tokyo often has events on Saturdays, so prices can sometimes be between £9 and £12

Other pub/club deals which are pretty handy to know about:

L4: £1 beer bottles and tequila slammers, £2.50 cocktails and Jaeger-bombs.

William Foster: Quids In, Wednesday after 8pm

Walkabout: Quids In, Sunday 

Have fun out there!

- Jade

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

My Next baby pink blouse £1 from the RSPCA in Lincoln

- Katie

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

My charity shop purchase - a Pineapple dance top for £3

- Katie

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Thanks!

ew27 replied to your post: Cheap student nightlife - Tuesday

you forgot that everything is half price in Dogma on & a shot of 6 shots in revs is £5 on tuesdays too :)

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Cheap student nightlife - Tuesday

It is inevitable that at some point during education, students will want to go out on the town and forget all their working woes. Here is a selection of what Lincoln has to offer for students on a Tuesday night. Enjoy at your own risk :)

Event Details: Fuzzy Logic; the UK's biggest student night. Expect mayhem, games, cheap drinks and some of the best music around including the best in mainstream dance and electro, RnB & Indie. Drink Offers:

·         £2.00 – Jagerbomb / Vodka Red Bull

·         £2.00 – Tequila / Sambuca / Jack Daniels

·         £2.00 – VK Flavours / Stella

·         £3.10 – Double Vodka Red Bull

Admission: £4.50 / £3.50 NUS. Buy online and save 25%.

Address:

Pulse Ritzy JJ’s

11 Silver Street

Lincoln

LN2 1EH

01522 522314 () ‎

www.pulselincoln.co.uk

  Event Details:

UNION is 3 epic events under one roof and is ready and primed to become Lincoln's biggest weekly blowout. HUGE Dj's and HUGE personalities, in a HUGE club, and the best bit…TINY prices.

 Admission:

Wristbands are £5 and will entitle the wearer to weekly discounts. Available from reps: http://www.lincolnfreshers.info/Freshers_Accomodation_Flatmate_Finder/HOME.html

Without a wristband it is £3 before 11.30pm and the fee goes up after the set time.

Address:

Home Lincoln

Park Street

Lincoln

LN11UF.

01234 567 890

Event Details:

A night that was designed to go easy on your pocket. The best of Indie, Pop, Electro and RnB from the decades you’ve been alive for and a few before that.

Drinks Offers:

·         £1 Pints (9-11pm)

·         £1 Vodka & mixer

·         £1 Jack Daniels & mixer

·         £1 Corkys Shots

·         £1.50 Kronenbourg

·         £1.50 Jagerbombs

Admission:

£1 entry before 12am with sticker or wristband.

£1 before 11pm without a sticker or wristband.

Address:

Wahoo

13-14 Silver Street

Lincoln

LN2 1DY

01522 519122

  -Katie

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

The 5 high street shopping hints

Set yourself a budget before you head out for a shopping trip. Withdraw the amount of money you are allowing yourself to spend and leave your bank card at home. Annoying but you will thank me when your account remains in balance and your hands aren’t cut up from the excessive amount of carrier bags.

Stick to shops within your price range. If you know you have £40 to buy two pairs of shoes stay away from Harrods and Harvey Nichols, it isn’t even worth thinking about. Plenty of high street stores offer cheap clothing and footwear at a decent price, so take them up on the offer.

Plan a shopping route. If you’re heading somewhere with a lot of shops, plan where you want to go. This will mean you avoid making unnecessary detours into shops you didn’t intend to go to, meaning when you finally get to the intended shops they won’t be closed. This also means more shopping time, YAY!

Stop for a food or coffee break. A full day of shopping can be very tiring (I would know) and if you’re hungry or dehydrated, climbing through heaps of clothing and fighting your way past similar shopaholic’s can make you slightly ratty. Find a café near by so you can rest your feet and feed your face then once you’ve recovered, you can carry on. What a fantastic plan.

Keep the receipts. THIS IS A MUST. As much as you might think that the top you’ve bought is fantastic and is an everyday wear, a week down the line you might not feel the same way. I know because I regularly do exactly this. Put the receipt in your purse just for safe keeping. You’ll be kicking yourself when those gorgeous skinny jeans rip 3 days after you bought them and they’re unable to be returned. All I’ll have to say is ‘told you so.’

Hope these little hints are helpful towards all shopaholic students out there, if not then I suggest you go to meetings because you my dear are way past helping.

-Katie

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Interview with a charity shop shopper :)

“I would definitely recommend popping in to see what your local charity shop has to offer"

Interviewer: Katie Porter-Smith

Interviewee: Sue Webb, 46

From: Bridlington

Occupation: Dental Receptionist

Ever get that guilty feeling after you’ve bought something that no matter how good it looks, you really didn’t need it?

Well I did after I bought two jumpers, a pair of jeans, a snood, two pairs of gloves, a fluffy head warmer, a pair of winter boots and a going out dress in the space of a week.

This is exactly why charity shops are the saviour to shopping addicts such as me and Sue.

Sue is my boyfriend’s mother who happens to be a devout charity shop shopper.

Last week, Sue happened to drag me charity shopping, again. After the 100th shopping trip, I decided to ask her what the deal was with her charity shop obsession.

  “I started shopping in charity shops about two years ago after I went out with one of my friends who was wearing a gorgeous dress that cost £6 from a charity shop in Hull.”

“I never thought charity shops would be anything special. I’d only ever passed by the window, I would never have thought to go in.”

“Now I’m a regular and pop in every time I go shopping. I recently bought a pair of shoes from Scope for £7 and found out they originally retailed about around £60. You can get never worn designer clothes for a fraction of the original price and if you are tight on money or are looking for a specific item, chances are a local charity shop will have something you’re looking for.”

“A few weeks ago I was even invited to a champagne reception for a preview of the Christmas collection at Help the Aged. There were nibbles, champagne and Christmas chocolates being handed out with the opportunity to win a raffle prize worth £25. Not only are the clothes really cheap but the atmosphere and people are really friendly and welcoming.”

“I would definitely recommend popping in to see what your local charity shop has to offer. Charity shops are sometimes just a really cheap version of the high street. You can’t really go wrong.”

-Katie

Read more interviews>

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Recipe: Tuna Pasta

Ingredients:

·         1x spring onion

·         250g of pasta

·         1x 185g tuna in spring water/brine/sunflower oil

Optional Ingredients:

·         198g can of sweet corn

·         227g can of chopped tomatoes

·         3 tbsp of mayonnaise

·         1x garlic clove

·         Basil or parsley

·         Handful of grated cheese

Or

·         Sauce of choice

  Method

1.       Open tin of tuna and drain, leaving a small amount of fluid in the can.

2.       Trim roots and leaves of the spring onion and then chop finely, moving them to one side when finished.

3.       If adding sweet corn, drain the liquid from the tin and set to one side.

4.       If adding garlic, finely slice the clove and put to one side however much you feel is necessary for the recipe.

5.       Add pasta to a pan, add water to just cover the pasta and bring to the boil.

6.       Once bubbling, reduce the temperature and simmer till the pasta is cooked.

7.       Drain pasta over the sink and depending on the next addition to the recipe, either place pasta back in the pan and on the hob or place pasta in a mixing bowl.

8.       If adding tomatoes to the pasta, place drained past back on the hob and add the chopped tomatoes. Simmer till warmed through.

9.       If adding mayonnaise, mix mayo and tuna together then add to the mixing bowl containing the pasta.

10.    Once chopped tomatoes and pasta have warmed either, pour into a mixing bowl to cool and add the tuna or place drained tuna directly into the pan on the hob and heat the tuna up.

11.   Add chopped spring onion to the dish, (garlic and sweet corn if chosen) and stir thoroughly.

12.   To finish off, sprinkle some grated cheese, basil or parsley over the tuna pasta and serve

 - Katie

Read more recipes >

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

SOL Wristbands

Hey everybody, I’m going to talk to you about a nifty little money-saver, the SOL wristband.

SOL is a society at the University of Lincoln that gets you pretty good drink deals. Its £5 for a year’s membership and you can’t really go far wrong.They’re working on getting more deals set up, but here’s what they’ve got so far:

Revs:

£1.50 - pint of Carlsberg and Tuborg bottle

£2 - pint of Strongbow and VKs

£6 – 6 shot stick

£6.50 – 2 cocktails

£10 pitchers

25% off all food

Walkabout:

£1.50 - VKs and vodka mixers

£1.75 – pint of Carlsberg

£2 – Jaeger-bombs

Lloyds:

25% off all food and hot drinks

A SOL wristband will also get you queue-jump at the following clubs:

Fatpoppadaddy’s at Wahoo on Monday

Ka-Pow! at Wahoo on Tuesday

Ctrl, Alt + Del at Tokyo on Thursday

Superbull at Ritzy on Friday

That’s all they have so far, but they’re nagging nightclubs and pubs everywhere to try to get their members the best deals. If you never go out to these places, it’s probably not for you, but if you go to these places often, it is definitely worth getting yourself a wristband.

- Jade

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Railcards

Hello happy students!

I’m hoping you’ve all done this already, but if not, I have a tip that’ll save you quite a lot of money.

It can be pretty expensive to keep and run a car while you’re at uni, and getting the train home isn’t much better a lot of the time. That’s why I recommend getting a 16-24 railcard.  

You can get an application form from your nearest train station and all you need is a passport photo that they can use and a form of I.D so they can check it’s actually you. They sort the card out there and then so you don’t have to wait around and hold up the queue.

It’s £28 for one year and £65 for 3. I know that seems like a lot of money to part with at once, but it is definitely worth it. It takes a third off the price of your ticket. I only go home about 4 times a year, but that has already made paying for a railcard worthwhile. If you don’t believe me, here’s my example:

(To get home, I get the train from Lincoln to Ely)

A single ticket cost me £20.70 without a railcard

With a railcard a single ticket only costs me £13.65

- That’s £7.05 I can spend on going out when I get home or just for coffee or snacks on the train.

My four trips home have already paid for my railcard, so it’s definitely worth it.

The extra money may help over the holidays, so just keep it in mind.

Happy savings!

- Jade

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Pomodoro E Basilico – Restaurant review by Alexandra

I am the biggest fan of Italian food; I can’t get enough of it, really. It’s no surprise then that I went on a bit of a search round Lincoln to find a really lovely Italian restaurant that I could afford on a student budget.

Pomodoro E Basilico, found just off the high street opposite Varsity, is one of the nicest restaurants I’ve been to in a very long time. I make a habit of eating out with friends, and whilst I am a very happy pub-grub lover, I also enjoy actually sitting down elsewhere than in the ordinary student hangouts.

The restaurant itself is very light, and the service is both quick and enjoyable. I say that because it’s refreshing to eat in a place where the waiting staff are just as courteous and happy to serve you, a student, as they are to serve an established couple or family.

The food is very affordable, with a lunchtime deal of a starter and main course for just £6.95 and a wider choice of dishes on evening menu for £9.95 for the same. Even without the offers, two courses could be eaten for under £15.00.

The most recent time I went to lunch there I had Bruschetta Tradizionale – essentially toasted ciabatta with a topping of tomato, garlic, red onion and tomatoes – followed by Carbonara, which even as a meal that I regularly have at Italian restaurants (and make at home), was absolutely beautiful.

If you are looking to eat out regularly at an inexpensive restaurant where both the atmosphere and the food is wonderful, then I would definitely recommend visiting Pomodoro E Basilico. Whether it’s just a night out with the house mates, or a lunch with your partner, the menu is not only affordable for everyone, but it’s varied enough that it will satisfy a range of appetites.

Find them online:

http://www.pomodoroebasilico.co.uk/

Have a look at the menus:

http://pomodoroebasilico.co.uk/menus/lunch-special-menu.html

http://pomodoroebasilico.co.uk/menus/evening-special-menu.html

9/10 from The Poor Student Handbook

[thepoorstudenthandbook-blog]

Lincoln Christmas Market- Sunday

Heya!

So today was the last day of the Lincoln Christmas Market and I believe it was worth waiting for. 

I took my family up and we paid £14 to go on the Park and Ride. This was rather good actually apart from there was a queue for the buses but we got there very quickly.

When we got there, there was too many markets to choose from. So we went around the tent and see what we could see and could we afford any of it.

The main advantage of this market was that everything was incredibly unique, those include the 'Warwick Thimbles' which sold exclusive thimbles, a market that sold unique such a wand with magnetism, and one which sold glass vases.

Me and the family managed to buy a puzzle clock, a mushroom woodwork piece and a tea light with some scented candles.I also managed to get myself the best hotdog I've ever tasted, with Lincolnshire sausage smothered with onions and ketchup! YUM!

However, we found out while looking around that this was not a cheap market! Some of the statues acceptable, but some of them incredibly overpriced. The stalls that were cheap however, really weren't that exciting. The Ferris Wheel cost £4!

Like I said before, the stalls that stood out were the food stalls. Lincolnshire Sausage, Hog Roast sandwiches and the Farmhouse Fudge were real winners. Although the Bubble Inc. was rather exciting to see.

I think we would have enjoyed it more, if it wasn't for the dismal weather- the rain really brought the entire mood down for us.

-Gayathri