Savings in Numbers: Students Forgoing Latest Smartphones Could Save up to £1000 a Year to Combat Cost-of-Living Crisis

By Love Belfast

November 22, 2022

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As the cost-of-living crisis worsens, with energy price caps rising further, students who have settled into the first term of the academic year at university are set to feel the pinch particularly hard. A recent survey revealed that the majority of UK students (84%) are worried about how they will cope financially in the academic year.

University is already an expensive undertaking, and rising costs, financial pressures for academic and domestic equipment, on top of basic living costs, meaning students will need to budget even tighter. Additional research into student spending requirements found that students are expected to need to find another £439 per month, making cost-cutting paramount this year.

One area that often has high associated costs is the world of technology, in particular mobile phones. To illustrate how much students can save by not opting for the latest sought-after smartphone, SIM-only mobile operator Lebara Mobile has calculated the comparative numbers for other typical items and monthly spending at university to show just how this equates.

How Much Can Students Save?

By comparing the popular Phone 14 on a 12-month O2 contract, with unlimited texts and calls, and 30GB of data, the difference with a Lebara SIM-only deal with the same package was £1,019.52*.

Using 2022 data from UK student money advice website Save the Student on the average monthly spending and cross-referencing with the price difference, savvy students could cover two months rent, based on an average monthly spend of £418. They could also keep their cupboards and fridges stocked for 10 months by disregarding the latest tech.

Enjoying a beer, takeaways and eating out are a common part of student life. The figures suggest that they could enjoy over two years of takeaways and meals out, and be able to afford a further 204 pints of beer (based on a £5 average for a pint), if they didn’t splash out on the latest mobile tech.

Getting around is often a necessity of student life, and with fuel costs still inflated due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, transport has become more expensive than ever. Monthly transport costs are shown to be £34 per month on average, meaning that the mobile sacrifice could cover students’ travel for two and a half years (30 months) over the 12-month period.

The full breakdown of costs and how they compare in volume to the difference in tariffs can be seen in the infographic and supporting table below:

Cost difference	Expense	Cost	Months	Source
£1,019.52	Rent	£421	2	here
£1,019.52	Average monthly energy bill	£112	9	here
£1,019.52	Groceries	£101	10	here
£1,019.52	Going out	£47	22	here
£1,019.52	Takeaways and eating out	£41	25	here
£1,019.52	Transport	£34	30	here
£1,019.52	Clothes and shopping	£34	30	here
£1,019.52	Other	£18	57	here
£1,019.52	Course materials	£17	60	here
£1,019.52	Health and wellbeing	£15	68	here

Cost difference	Expense	Cost	Units
£1,019.52	Pints of beer	£5	204	here
£1,019.52	Large Dominos pizza (before discounts)	£22	46	here
£1,019.52	2021 iPad	£319	3	here
£1,019.52	Cinema tickets/Films at the cinema	£8.29	123	here
£1,019.52	Beats studio buds	£159.99	6	here
£1,019.52	Glastonbury festival ticket	£340	3	here

Looking at this regionally, students in Belfast stand to save the most when comparing renting costs, gaining over four months of rent in cost-savings compared to those in London who would save just over one month of rent by forgoing the latest iPhone. Full regional rent saving details below:

Saving	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52	1,019.52
Area	Manchester	Liverpool	Leeds	Bristol	London	Bath	Oxford	Cambridge	Edinburgh	Cardiff	Belfast	Sheffield	Birmingham
Rent Cost	594	650	658	552	836	664	787.5	680	617.5	584.46	252	716.66	600
Months	1.72	1.57	1.55	1.85	1.22	1.54	1.29	1.50	1.65	1.74	4.05	1.42	1.70
Source	Click here	Click here	Click here	Click here	Click here	Click here	Click here	Click here	Click here	Click here	Click here	Click here	Click here

With students staring at a shortfall in their budgets, it’s likely parents will have to stump up the deficit at a time when their bills and pressures are also increasing.

Lebara UK managing director Rajesh Dongre said his company’s SIM-Only Deals allow students to save money at a time when it matters most:

” At Lebara, our mission is to help Britons save money on their mobile bills. Studying at university is expensive and students are particularly hard hit by the cost of living crisis. Our SIM-only plans help save money on mobile bills while keeping you connected with family and friends on a reliable network with excellent customer service, from just £5/month for 3GB data. Moreover, our customers tell us that by switching to Lebara, they save over £10/month on average. It’s simply the smart choice to make.”