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One of the main things I was concerned about when preparing to move to Sweden was how am I going to manage financially because I wanted to spend my time primarily focusing on studies instead of overwhelming myself with additional part-time job. I believe keeping track on finances gives a great benefit, especially when living on a low budget. Since the International Tourism Management programme is a three-year programme, I had realised that my savings weren’t going to cover all my living costs while I study in Borlänge. I wanted to prolong my time of not having to find a part time job. Therefore, I picked out some of the tactics I used to live nicely, yet not spend too much.
Many students save on eating cheap food like instant noodles; however, I could not adopt this habit. Nutrition is what sets my day and mood, so eating well is a high priority for me. I found out that preparing food few days in advance can save quite a bit of money. I usually prepare healthy meals and store them in sealed lunch boxes for the next 3-4 days. By doing so, I don’t need to go grocery shopping more than 1-2 times a week. And hey, I don’t have to spend time cooking and preparing! Just heat it up and dinner is served. Before I started organising my meals, I made no shopping lists and bought groceries almost every second day… Not so smart, I guess. 🤷
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In the first year of my study programme, I often went out with my friends for a drink or two and we often laughed about drinks being so expensive that it is either paying rent this month or going for a night out… Okay, I’m joking, it is not this bad. But it can be quite pricy to drink/eat out. For this, there is a special bar for students only. It is organised by the student union and even the staff in the bar are usually students of Dalarna University. They open the bar every Thursday so students can enjoy a beverage for a lower price, and I have to say this – the homemade french fries they offer there are so deliciously good! It is a large portion, and it costs only around 3 euros. I often went there just for the fries. 😄
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Talking about lower prices, Sweden is well organised in offering plenty of different student discounts. There is an official student card called Mecenat card that is valid throughout the whole Sweden. You can apply for the card through the Mecenat app or their website http://www.mecenat.com/se. They usually ask for your Swedish security number (personnummer) or your email address, then you must provide an official study admission certificate which can be downloaded from the Ladok student platform. It took me five weekdays to get my Mecenat student card. In the app, along with the card itself, you can find a large variety of discounts for shops, transport tickets, memberships etc. Usually, you must show the student card from the app along with your document when you purchase a product or service for a student price. When purchasing train tickets, I often do so 24h before the train ride because “last minute” tickets can often be two times cheaper.
Image taken from the Mecenat official website www.mecenat.com/se
Generally, I find Swedish transport to be convenient and reliable. Trains and buses are usually on time and in-town buses come and go quite frequently. However, unless I need to get to the other side of Borlänge or go to another town, I usually use my bicycle to move between home, shopping mall, university, town centre, and other nearby locations. Borlänge is a small town and easy to get around with bike. It is maximum ten minutes by bike to the furthest destination I have had to go. So, by cycling, I don’t have to think of spending extra on ticket fees and moreover it is good to get some physical activity, since studying mostly equals to sitting in one spot for hours. In fact, in the summertime or any other time when roads are not covered in ice and snow, lots of Swedes use bicycles to get around the town. Borlänge’s landscape is quite flat, so you don’t have to face very steep streets to cycle up. Also, there are many bike lanes made for cyclists, so it eases the worry of getting in the way of a car or a pedestrian. Little tip: I would recommend purchasing a second-hand bike with a basket – makes it so much more convenient to carry any baggage with you. 😊
The photo is taken in my bicycle storage room.
I owned the smaller bike and decided to purchase a larger and newer one. Then I sold the smaller one. 🙂
Here is a blog article by one of the previous student ambassadors who wrote about getting a bike. Feel free to check it out if you are curious about purchasing one.
I would also add that local thrift stores often have a lot of nice things for sale, some of them can even be new. The prices are very low compared to the other stores, I have found many beautiful items there both clothes and home decorations.
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Now that I have shared some of my genius cheapskate tactics, another important thing for me is to have a separate bank account for the rent money. Since student accommodation rent price has water, heat, electricity, and internet included, it makes it easier for me to secure the upcoming months when they are separated from the finances I use on regular basis. You may also check out this student blog about the student accommodation in Borlänge.
https://studentblogsdu.wordpress.com/2022/05/28/student-accommodation-in-borlange-2022/
All in all, these are the things that have helped me distribute my finances and allow to take longer time to focus on studies. Though, it may depend on one’s situation and financial background, but those low budget tips are always there to support me. And I believe if you organise your time well, fitting a part time job in your schedule is not going to negatively affect your everyday student life. 🙂
Dalarna university student blog 