At Greenwich Students’ Union we know things are difficult right now. 

This page lays out steps we're taking in partnership with the University to support you with the increased cost of living. 

 

Cost of Living checklist

Here are our suggestions to help you save money as a student at Greenwich. Page last updated 20th September 2024.

 

You can view the University page on cost of living here

 

Click the buttons below to see the content in each section.

 

            

 

 

Free Community Breakfast & Dinners

Greenwich Students' Union in partnership with the University of Greenwich run free community breakfasts for our students. The dates of the breakfasts will be listed below.

This project aims to support students that are currently struggling with the Cost of Living Crisis across the three campuses. These meals are free and tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please book your tickets to the campus you would like to get your breakfast from.

No events currently listed

 
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Activities

  • Try out free Give It A Go activities on your campus - greenwichsu.co.uk/giveitago   
  • Set up a Society and you can get funding to run a social group, this could help cover the costs of your hobbies such as knitting. 
  • We have frozen clubs and society membership fees this year 
  • Utilise free student discounts such as Unidays, TOTUM Lite, and Student Beans. All new students will receive a free 1-year TOTUM card. 
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Energy

  • Come to campus to keep warm and turn off the heating at home 
  • Shower in Dreadnought to save on hot water 
  • Save power at home by charging up on campus before you go 
 
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Food

  • At our Greenwich and Medway university catering outlets, we offer great value food deals, including a £3 meal deal in The Deep End.
  • Use microwaves on campus to heat up your meals rather than eating out 
  • Bring a herbal teabag and travel mug to campus, we’ll fill up your cup with hot water in our GSU venues 
  • On that topic, bring in your water bottle, there are water fountains on campus, or ask us to fill it in our GSU venues 
  • Look out for our focus groups advertised on social media, there’s often vouchers for taking part or free food 
  • Use the edible garden at Avery Hill for free and fresh produce 
  • Try group cooking, baking and eating together with other students, this can save you cash when you all pool in, and use up less energy overall 
  • You can access a list of local food project and food banks here 
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Learning Resources

  • Ask your Lecturer which books are essential to buy and which can be accessed for free, rather than buying everything on your reading list. You can always recommend new books to the Library to purchase if they are not already available. 
  • Use Box of Broadcasts provided by Learning on Screen to watch TV online rather than purchasing it 
  • There are almost 150 laptops that you can borrow Greenwich’s LapSafe scheme 
  • £5 print credit for all new students
  • Library doesn’t charge you fines unless someone else is waiting for the book you have
  • You can use other uni libraries that might be closer to where you live
 
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Travel and Transport

  • Use the free bus between Avery Hill and Greenwich 
  • If you change to a student current account with Santander you can get a free 4-year 16-25 Railcard 
  • Add your rail card to your Oyster card to save on travel within London 
  • Check Dr. Bike for free repairs on your bicycle
 
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Free items and savings

  • Free sanitary products are available at all Greenwich Students’ Union reception desks and from some bathrooms 
  • Free condoms and lube for under 25’s (find your local service on the NHS website) 
  • Use the University’s Hardship Funding  
  • Use sites like Hot Deals UK and Wowcher to find ways to save 
  • Some browsers have vouchers built into them now, if you’re browser isn’t doing this, find a plug in to help you save money on online purchases 
  • Students are exempt from paying council tax, details on applying for your exemption here  
 
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Earning money

  • You can find GSU student jobs on our Jobs Shop site here 
  • The University employs student staff through the Student Ambassador Scheme 
  • Look out for our focus groups advertised on social media, there are often vouchers for taking part  
 
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Do's and Don'ts

  • It’s important to be mindful of those around you who might not want to say they're in financial hardship.

  1. Don’t suggest splitting the bill equally when eating out, people will prefer to pay what they could afford to choose from the menu. 
  2. Don’t do group lunches in high-cost venues like Pret, it’s expensive and people feel pressured to get something. 
  3. Don’t suggest going out to a club in central every night of the week, it’s not financially sustainable for most and prices are often much higher than your Students’ Union venues. 
  4. Don’t leave the heating on in your shared flat or use up lots of hot water if you’re splitting the bills with others. 
  5. Do ask for help and encourage others to do so, if you have ideas of what else GSU can be doing or if you want to start a project to help get in touch 
 
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Support

 
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What students are saying

We conducted a survey of 1,722 members in October 2022 to explore the effects of the cost-of-living crisis on different groups of Greenwich students.

Find the full report here

  

 
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