St Andrews may look and feel small but I have learnt that there is always something new to discover. Whether it is a new study spot, meal deal, or workout class, you can never say that you know this town through and through. However, I have decided not to gatekeep my recent discoveries and share with you my favourite St Andrews hacks that have helped make life at this uni easier.
Use Different Grocery stores
Tesco and Sainsbury’s are both conveniently located in the town centre. Accessible and convenient for everyone going to and from the library, they are the preferred choice for a quick snack or a last minute grocery shop. However, this sometimes makes us forget that we do have other options.
If you are looking for a snack in between classes, Naturity has great options and, although we may associate organic labels with a stab to our wallet, some items—like their almonds—, are only a couple pence more expensive than other grocery stores. Plus, it’s a super fun shop to look around! Another alternative for a snack is the Asian food market: they have affordable prices and bubble tea!
If you are looking to pick up some quick last minute grocery items I also recommend giving I.J. Mellis, Newport Bakery, and Holland & Barrett a go. Especially if you are looking for bread, nuts or a drink. All three of these stores have great deals for students: I.J. Mellis does a 10% student discount on selected items, Newport Bakery has a coffee and pastry breakfast deal for under 5 pounds, and Holland & Barrett has great discounts all year round through UniDays.
Which brings me onto my next hack…
Keep up to date with UniDays and StudentBeans
UniDays and StudentBeans were a great discovery in my first year. I would frequently scroll through these apps and try to find discounts before making a purchase, however, as I got overwhelmed by longer assignments and more social events I started neglecting them. I even forgot they existed!
Until the other day when another girl in HerCampus told me that Black Sheep was doing 2 pound drinks on Mondays on Unidays. Now, I am not the biggest fan of coffee chains, but long hours at the library call for many cups of coffee and in this town 2 pounds is a bargain!
After this breakthrough I got back on these apps and found more deals for some of my favourite stores like Holland & Barrett.
Use Loyalty Cards
How many times have you seen a Clubcard offer at Tesco and wished you had one, or had not left it at home? For me, this is almost a daily occurrence.
As you may have noticed from this article, I am a sucker for a good deal and there is nothing that bugs me more than seeing half priced products but paying full price because I forgot to bring my loyalty card. Due to having an international phone I cannot download supermarket apps- my solution to this? Take a photo of the QR code of my physical club card. This way it is always with me and I will never miss out on a deal again.
You can do this with all your loyalty cards and store them in a photo album on your phone. I also like to store coffee shop reward cards in the back of my phone to make sure that I do not miss out on the opportunity of getting a free coffee at the end of the week.
I know that having all these reward cards can be a bit overwhelming but, trust me, it is definitely worth it. You can even narrow it down to the five stores or cafes you visit most frequently and you will see a big difference.
Use the Uni Cafés
The snobby third year in me had also forgot about Uni cafés, thinking that a salad from Pret was way better than anything the Student Union or the Old Union Café has to offer. In truth, the Union has great offers for students. Their salads and panini are not only quite decent but also reasonably priced making them a great alternative to other pricier chains, whose food quality may not be that great.
After all, these cafés are made to suit students: they usually have great wifi, many spots to study and great deals to keep you fuelled for another study session.
The Library is not the only Study Spot
Another thing I tend to forget is that there are more places to study besides the main library. Every time deadline season rolls around, I start to get anxious about securing a spot at the library. I sacrifice sleep and exercise to make sure that I am able to sit in one of the pods in the silence section. But this is not worth it. I get tired very quickly and usually have to leave earlier because I cannot focus.
Lately, I have been trying out different spots and it has been a game changer. I love the library but every once in a while, when it gets too busy, I like to change it up. My favourites are the Byre theatre and Space on South Street. But you can also check out the Old Union Café, Butts Wynd, St Mary’s library, and the Union.
I also like going to cafés like Spoiled Life, but I often find that they are not very well suited to students (like me) who get easily distracted by fancy drinks and social interaction.
I hope these hacks make the last remaining weeks of the semester a bit easier and, if you’ve discovered any new hacks, please let me know. I have one more year to get to know St Andrews through and through- if that is even possible!