Sustainable spending

• Friends of the earth have some useful tips on their Friends of the Earth food wastage page
• The World-Wide Fund for Nature have 10 tips for sustainable eating, some can also save money!
• Keep an eye on use by dates so that you don’t need to throw out-of-date food away. Find more information via the Food Standards Agency
• Save the student also have some useful food and money saving tips on their Save the student food guide

• ‘Save the Student’ have some great ideas for growing food with limited space
• There is a waiting list, but also a student discount for renting an allotment from Leeds City Council

• Eating seasonal fruit and veg is kinder on your pocket and the environment. Find out what's in season on the BBC's Seasonal food by month guide
• You can get a regular delivery of in season fruit and vegetables from Oddbox

• Freezing your food will preserve longer and limit wastage. Check out Save the student's article,16 surprising foods you can (and can’t) freeze, for some extra tips

• Consider what is an average amount to spend on food shopping. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the average UK household (based on 2 adults and 2 children) spends £63.60 per week on groceries. 
• Do some meal planning using a guide like the this online Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning and meal planning template plan 
• Consider downloading Too Good to Go app,  which allows users to buy food from local cafes, restaurants etc. that might otherwise end up as waste

Switch off your unused electrical appliances. Get information about the savings you can make from the links below:

• Money Saving Experts Energy Saving Tips
• Money Supermarket Energy Saving Tips
• Energy Saving Trust tips

It's a good idea to know which appliances are the most energy heavy and how to limit usage, as well as understanding your home's energy rating. Below you'll find some helpful guides and practical advice:

• Energy Saving Trust's guide to the Top five energy consuming home appliances
• Energy advice for renters from Students Organising for Sustainability
• You can find the EPC rating for your home online at Gov.UK, you just need the postcode for the property

• Share clothes, accessories and cosmetics with friends.
• Borrow clothes or sporting equipment that you may only use once
• Support Leeds Community Clothes Exchange which is a community project encouraging the exchange of clothes and accessories in order to develop community spirit, reduce consumption and raise awareness of unethical consumer habits.
• If you have children don't let nearly new uniforms go to waste, support Leeds Uniform Exchange.

Buying cheap fashionable items and only wearing them for a short time before discarding has an environmental impact but can also be more expensive than buying clothing that is more durable and so will last longer, or using clothing exchanges or buying second hand from charity shops or online.

• Yelp has reviews of second hand and vintage clothes shops in Leeds
• Try online shopping for second hand clothes for example Oxfam's online shop

Try upcycling your clothes, there are loads of ideas, videos and blogs online showing you how to do it.

• Read Leeds Beckett Student Bridget's blog on sustainable fashion
• Hold a Swish party

You can repair clothing that is damaged and can improve the look too using embroidery or other techniques to brighten up your wardrobe

• Vogue has some ideas and tips that can start you off
• Hello workshops run zoom tutorials or in person workshops at their café in Leeds
• Find nine great ideas for caring from your clothes in this Stylist article

• One way of saving costs and cutting pollution is to look into Car-sharing
• Car Clubs are another option, although similar to regularly hiring a car, and charges are per hour and mile, the car may be parked at a convenient site for you in Leeds

• You can hire a bike from Leeds Beckett for three months for £50.

• Find out more about the scheme Leeds Beckett Bike Hire Scheme.

• If you have your own bike then make the most of Leeds Beckett Bike Fix - located in room B07 at the back of the James Graham building. Open Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday Mornings to give you help and support in maintaining and repairing your bike with our qualified mechanic.

Student MCard

A 19-25 or Student Photo MCard from Metro allows countywide travel and costs £28.20 per week or £104.50 per month and allows unlimited travel on bus and limited rail travel in West Yorkshire. Or, a bus-only Photo MCard will cost £18.00 per week or £67.00 per month.

First Buses

First Single University £1.50 for one bus journey on services 1, 1B, 6, 8, 19, 19A, 27, 28 and 56 between The Headrow and the Ring Road in Leeds.

16-25 Railcard

If you are aged 16-25 or a full-time student over 25 you can get a 16-25 Railcard and save a third on train fares in the UK.

• Find walking routes, information about walking campaigns, social walking and activities at Walking in Leeds

• Check out the Leeds Owl Trail

• There are lost of videos on YouTube showing you how to make repairs to all sorts of things
• Have a look at The Repair Shop videos
• Find repair guides for lots of electronics and gadgets at iFixit

• Check out the Which guide to getting a refund, repair or replacement on a faulty item
• Do you know a friend, or friend of a friend who is good at repairs

Ethical Consumer has a great list of rental and borrowing service organisations across the UK.

Visit the Revive Leeds; shop to see what tested seconds treasures they have in store or to donate your old stuff.

Browse one of the many charity shops in Leeds. Check out the reviews at LeedsList

You can get free stuff, or give away unwanted items using sites like Freegle or Freecycle.

LoveJunk is a reuse and waste removal marketplace for bulky items (like furniture). The reuse platform has 1000s of reusable items available every week that people and businesses are giving away. Everything is totally free.