Here are the best ways to have a night out on a budget as a York student

April is one of the most financially stressful times of year to be a student. York rent prices are rising, your loan is being stretched to its absolute limit and you have to sit back and watch as your overdraft bears the brunt of your Easter partying. But fear not, there are actually ways you can have fun on a night out in York without spending a fortune and here are a few of them:

Shopping for the best alcohol deals

via Google Maps

The discount sticker is your best friend when you go scavenging.  Even if it’s just 50p here and there, that adds up, and over the course of three or four bottles of vodka (or, as we like to call them, Thursday evening) you could save some serious cash.

It’s not just the discount stickers, three for two deals, and two for £5 are all ways to make the alcohol bigger and the price tag smaller. You may have to say goodbye to your taste buds for a little while, though, as the cheap stuff isn’t known for being the nicest to down.

Pre drinking

Under normal circumstances pres are there to help you get a little buzz on before you hit the clubs, so you don’t have to endure the dreaded 15-20 minutes of being sober in a club. Not here they aren’t. Every free shot you take with a mate in their accom is £2.50 saved down the line. Line a few up and you’ve saved a tenner already.

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Making a bottle of shit mix made up of 50 per cent vodka to take on the bus is also very handy in ensuring you’re not blowing your entire loan in Salvos.

Head to the cheapest bars

When you do head out for the evening, you need a solid plan. The campus bars are always a good shout, especially if you catch them during their happy hours. Most bars don’t charge entry and if your friends aren’t on the pull (and don’t mind endless Declan Mckenna), your night out could stay in Stone Roses, one entry fee cheaper and much less muscle pain in the morning.

If not, you’re going to want to do your homework. Become like an airport dad and know what deals are where and on what day. If you’re really committed, work out what the price per unit of alcohol is in each of the best deals and keep track of exactly what you’re drinking. If you’re like me, you’ll also want to pay in cash as much as possible so you actually feel the money disappearing, rather than tapping your phone against a bit of plastic and hoping you haven’t just spent your weekly shop on something colourful in a bucket.

Score some free drinks

Depending on how naturally charismatic you are, getting other people to pay for your drinks is a very good way to save money, which you can do in two ways. First, you can accept drinks from friends and kind strangers, everyone wants to be the guy who buys a round for everyone, because that guy is cool as shit, and who are you to stand in the way of their dreams?

Alternatively, you could start remembering old debts, and kindly offer to forget about them for a drink. Someone borrowed a fiver last term for Circuit Laundry? It’s fine, they can make it up with a shot that only costs half that. Covered someone’s entry when they lost their Freshers’ band? No worries, make it up with a shot. 

There’s fun at home

What’s better than a night out? Depending on the day of the week, a night in. Wednesday and Friday are sacred, but the other five days of the week really aren’t much to speak of, right? Maybe I’m trying to convince myself, but a really good night in can go just as hard as a night out. Some night-ins go so hard that they evolve into flat parties and can actually leave you with more leftover alcohol than you started with.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• 10 things you’ll only get if you’re a member of Uni of York’s Dance Society
• Here are 11 things that York students would do to improve the Uni of York campus 
• Here are the best places in York to take a first date