Cost of Living
GSA Resources
Help in tough times.
Information on fees, funding and finance.
Free support and advice direct from our specialist student support services.
Advice and support to help you manage your money.
Period Poverty
The Glasgow School of Art supports eradicating period poverty. Along with providing disposables in toilets across campus with bulk items available in the Stow building shower room, basement L toilets in the Reid building and GSA Halls laundry rooms, GSA is providing the opportunity to order reusable pads and cups.
If you need to order these items free of charge, please follow the link below and fill out the survey to get the pads or cups ordered to your door: Hey Girls
- Vegan
- Sustainable
- Chemical Free
- Organic
If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at accommodation@gsa.ac.uk.
Mental Health Resources
The cost of living and your mental health.
Support you can get with your mental health.
In need of some new clothes or household items?
Take advantage of your student discount. We'd recommend downloading UniDays and setting up an account with your GSA email address to verify your student status. This way you can get discounted goods from clothing retailers, food chains and many more. It's surprising how many companies have partnered with this app.
Charity shopping is a great way to get good quality products for a fraction of the price, which helps the environment too. For a list of charity shops in Glasgow, follow the link below:
Top Ten Charity Shops - Glasgow
Are you a book lover? World of Books sells second hand books at a far lower cost than buying brand new AND delivery if free within the UK. Just remember to check the quality rating before you buy and expect the book cover to not always be what is advertised (it's what's in the inside that counts!).
Managing money can be difficult for a variety of reasons - first time independently living, dealing with a small budget, mental health and of course, the current cost of living crisis. Check out our advice below to help with sticking to a budget and on how to spend more wisely. If you have any great tips, please let us know so we can share with other residents.
1. Plan your meals
Planning meals is key in saving money in the long run. We’d recommend batch cooking if possible, slow cookers are a great way to batch cook and save on energy. Keep it simple and be real with yourself, if you believe you might be tired after a long day in the studio, at work and/or catching up with friends, it’s unlikely you’ll want to make a fancy meal with lots of ingredients. Meals don’t need to be complicated or expensive to taste good. Focus on healthy, basic ingredients and herbs/flavours that can go in a variety of meals.
2. Create a list
Creating a list is essential in sticking to a plan of any sort. Write down the days of the week and what meal you plan to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and snacks). Then make a full list of ingredients. Once you have your list, go through your fridge, freezer and cupboards to make sure you haven’t already got some of the items (check the date of course). Score these off your list and you’re ready to shop.
3. Buy Frozen
This can be tricky when sharing appliances with flatmates so it’s best to communicate your plan OR share expenses for bulk frozen items to save space. Buying frozen is often cheaper and less food is wasted due to shelf life.
4. Apps
Certain banks and apps allow you to budget more easily, not just with your food shop! We’d recommend having a look online for highly rated free apps that suit your needs which is a great visual aid in helping you budget on the go.
Travel
Meeting friends or wanting to make a trip across the city? If you're 21 and under you can apply for a Young Scot Card. This allows you to travel for free on any bus, making meeting up with friends, family and visiting new places far cheaper.
Further information:
Trains — you can get a third off most train tickets by applying for a 16-25 Railcard. Some banks offer free 16-25 Railcards as part of their student accounts.
Student Discounts
Make sure you look out for, ask and take advantage of your student card and student discounts:
- Vue - 21% off
- Ciniworld - Save around £2
- Hollywood Bowl - 10% off
- Roller Stop - £6 each Tuesday
Free
Instead of selecting activities with a cost, why not visit the below places with friends, family or yourself...for free!
- Trongate 103 (The Glasgow Print Studio, Transmission and Project Ability)
- George Square
- Glasgow Cathedral
- The Necropolis
- Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA)
- The Lighthouse
- Centre of Contemporary Arts
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
- The Tall Ship
- The Huntarian
- Glasgow Woman's Gallery
- Transport Museum
- Glasgow Green
- Burrel Collection
- Pollock Country Park
- Self-guided mural tour
- Queen's Park Southside
- Kelvingrove Park
Eating In
Organise a night in with your friends or flatmates after exploring the free activity options in Glasgow and split the cost or take turns in hosting.