How to Have Fun and Stay Solvent as a Student

Entertaining yourself as a student is a tough balancing act. On the one hand you want to do something that involves all of your housemates and creates a lasting memory, but on the other you don’t want to break the bank. Not only that, but you need to ensure that your extracurricular activities don’t negatively impact on your studies.

As you’d expect, finding the right balance isn’t easy. Fortunately, however, we’ve got a few ideas up our sleeve that we think could help. Although by no means comprehensive, our three suggestions should keep you entertained without going broke. In fact, if you’re willing to fully embrace some of our ideas, such as mobile bingo games, then you may actually make some money.

Beer Pong Performances

A staple game across the US for many years and now one that’s enjoyed by youngsters across the UK, beer pong is not only cheap and highly entertaining, but it fuses game play with that necessary social lubricant of beer. The basic requirements of a game of beer pong are a table, a selection of cups (filled with beer) and a ping pong ball.

When the game starts, the main aim is to get your ball into one of your opponent’s cups by bouncing it across the table. Every hit your score, the opposing team has to drink the beer. When it comes to entertainment and drinking beer, there are few games that can match the aptly named beer pong.

Mobile Bingo Bonuses

Most people now own a smartphone and that means everyone can now access a slew of online casino style games. As well as poker, table games and slots, the latest craze to hit the mobile market is bingo. With games running throughout the day, it’s now possible to organise your own home game with your friends. Whether you play the game as a prelude to a night out or as the centrepiece of a night in, mobile bingo allows you to converse with friends, enjoy some drinks and, importantly, make some money without having to put your livelihood at risk.

Games at sites such as Titan Bingo have buy-ins from as little as £0.10 and that means you can win prizes in excess of £50 for less than a packet of crisps. One of the advantages of playing online is that when a game stops, the action doesn’t. Chat games allow you to win more money without even needing to play with a set of balls.

A Night at the Theatre

While it may be somewhat more sophisticated than the average student night out, a London show is a great way to while away the hours. As a student you have the ability to get a significant discount on a range of tickets, but only if you know where to look. For example, if you’re planning on a trip to the West End then you should take advantage of your ability to do things on a week day by booking an early performance.

Because it’s harder for theatres to sell tickets for shows that take place during the day, it’s possible to get a marked discount for many shows. Another way to bag cheap theatre tickets as a student is to look at fringe performances. Although some won’t have the same polish as West End productions, there’s a wealth of talent on display and you can enjoy an evening of entertainment for no more than £10.

Come Dine With Me

You might not be able to stump up a £1,000 top prize, but if you’re tired of beans on toast and fancy doing something a little different, then a homemade Come Dine With Me is a great idea.

To make your event a success you’ll need four friends, some semblance of culinary ability and a dining table. While you don’t necessarily need to be Heston Blumenthal, it’s probably a good idea to have a starter, main course and desert nailed down if you want to stand a chance of winning.

To make the night more interesting, you could run with the “student” theme and impose a budget on how much you can spend on ingredients. A £10 meal for five won’t be easy to achieve, but it will certainly test your skills and make for some entertaining dishes.

Singstar Sensation

Singstar may have been forced to take a backseat to games such as Rock Band in recent years, but for unbridled entertainment it can’t be beaten. Any time you’re looking for a night in and endless hours of fun, a gaming system, a few versions of Singstar and some drinks are all you need.

The heads-up system means you can battle with your friends and come up with ingenious ways to force your housemates to drink some alcohol. High score battles, who can hold the longest note or who sounds the best can all be used as measuring sticks.

Other than the initial outlay of buying the computer and the games, a Singstar session is an extremely cost effective way to enjoy yourself in between your studies.

Breaking the bank on an evening of entertainment is always a concern for students. However, if you’re careful with your money and use your brain, then it’s possible to enjoy yourself and, in some cases, make some extra cash in between your studies.

Tags: student finance

Category: Entertainment