{"id":2402,"date":"2019-05-27T13:56:01","date_gmt":"2019-05-27T13:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.helloacasa.com\/acasa-blog\/?p=2402"},"modified":"2019-07-06T19:21:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-06T19:21:40","slug":"ways-to-save-money-in-your-student-house-when-you-go-home-for-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.helloacasa.com\/acasa-blog\/2019\/05\/27\/ways-to-save-money-in-your-student-house-when-you-go-home-for-the-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways to save money in your student house when you go home for the holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sharing a student house is kind of a unique living arrangement in many ways. You might be living with people you don\u2019t know that well, you only stay in a particular house for around nine months at a time on average, you probably don\u2019t pay council tax\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also one of the only living arrangements where you\u2019re not actually living there the whole time that you\u2019re paying to.<\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019ve got responsibilities that keep you in the area\u2014such as positions in campus societies or the student union, a part-time job or an internship\u2014most students prefer to go home for Christmas and Easter holidays. Some may even nip home for mid-term reading weeks, if they have them.<\/p>\n

After all, if you\u2019re lucky enough to have parents that do the majority of the washing up, cooking and food shopping, why wouldn\u2019t you take a break to rest, recharge and save a few pennies at the same time? But no matter how much you may save by falling back on the Bank of Mum and Dad every few months, your house back in your university town or city is still racking up costs, even if there\u2019s no one there.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re a student, every saving you can make is important. Find out how to minimise the burden your university house places on your wallet during the holidays with this blog from acasa!<\/p>\n

Ask your flatmates to be considerate<\/h2>\n

First things first, if any of your housemates have stayed in the house over the holidays, you need to find a way of tactfully asking them to not crank up the heating to their heart\u2019s delight 24\/7 or leaving all the lights on in the house. We all get a bit more comfortable when we\u2019ve got the place all to ourselves, but there\u2019s no reason you should be paying the same amount for utilities when you\u2019re not all there.<\/p>\n

Depending on your situation, it might even be appropriate to ask whichever flatmate(s) haven\u2019t gone home for the holidays to foot the gas and electricity bill\u2014and water, if it\u2019s metered\u2014for the time they\u2019re there.<\/p>\n

Switch off appliances<\/h2>\n

If the property is going to be empty for the entirety of the winter or Easter break, turn off anything that is going to be costing you extra. Remember that appliances left on standby are still using energy. According to the Energy Saving Trust, anywhere from 9% to 16% of electricity used\u2014and therefore paid for\u2014in the UK powers appliances in standby mode. Before the last person to go home for the holidays leaves, ask them to check:<\/p>\n