Great news, you’ve secured a job that fits around classes and/or managed to convince someone at the loans dept to support your existence for the coming year. Cash is good, it’s essential in fact. Without it we can’t obtain those elusive gig tickets or that must-have accessory nor can we fund our descent into weekend chaos. Right now prices seem to be ramping up for the simplest of items. I’m going to show you how to get creative with the coppers so you don’t have to sacrifice your lifestyle and instead have a bit of fun in the process. After all I’m the girl who graduated with Honours without purchasing a single book. With that in mind, hats off to the team down at my local library- cough.

Night In
The pockets are looking empty and the wallet decidedly lighter, so this coming weekend you opt for a night in with a movie and some cash strapped friends. After stocking up on the eats and parting with a crisp note to those thieves down the DVD rental shop are you really any better off?
Turn the evening around with a VHS movie night. That’s right- dig out that antiquated piece of equipment from your parent’s attic or the back of a cupboard. Without a doubt there will be one to hand and more often than not so will a bin bag full of films on VHS. Failing that, take a walk down to the local charity shop to pick up a selection. This was something I myself have enjoyed but did more out of necessity when I first got my own place. No TV aerial or DVD player meant rigid boredom and enough silence to hear an internal dialogue. Soon I was using the Sue Ryder as the new film house, buying up five for a pound and returning them again once watched. I came across a few classics too like My Cousin Vinny and The Rocketeer and other films people have decided against converting to DVD- puzzling. Some may choose the tried and tested Disney method for nostalgic reasons and a sing along. If you are lucky see if you can locate some VHS taped from the TV, these were usually recorded during Christmas and Easter and have those retro BBC intros. It also means you can laugh at the old TV adverts for a Marathon bar or the ‘new’ Rover Metro. Now that is entertainment on a budget.

This Article was published in Scotcampus (Sep 09) www.scotcampus.com/freshers09