1. Home Insurance
What with laptops, MP3 Players and stereo systems being essential kit, students can become a target for criminals; those aged 16-24 are three times more likely to be the victim of burglary than the general population.

To save money check if your insurer will add your contents in your new college home to your parents' existing home insurance policy. Esure, for example, will cover your possessions to the same value as that of your parents free of charge.

2. NUS Extra Card
The National Union of Students offers an Extra discount card, which at just £11 entitles you to a plethora of savings. These include £100 free credit from 3 mobile network, 25% discount at Pizza Hut and 10% shopping discounts at high streets stores such as Office and La Senza.

3. Deposit Protection
The trickiest day of your tenancy in rented accommodation will be the last day. You could end up pulling a cleaning all-nighter only for your landlord to turn around and say that the house is not up to scratch.
To avoid bitter disputes over getting your deposit back, it is very important to sign up to the government-backed Deposit Protection Scheme. The DPS is designed to protect tenants from rogue landlords and resolve disputes about deposits quickly.

4. Computer software
At an RRP of £219, Windows 7, which includes the latest version of Microsoft Office, doesn't come cheap. But students can get a massive discount by visiting the Microsoft website, where the latest version is available for just £30. Your identity is verified by your university email, so you won't be able to cash in on this until you enrol.

5. Young Person's Railcard
One of the drawbacks of leaving home is the cost of going back. A young person's railcard offers you a third off all train journeys for a cost of just £26.
Alternatively, coaches tend to be much cheaper than trains, even accounting for the railcard; National Express offer a 30% discount on coach discounts, while Megabus offer dirt cheap coach rides starting from just £1.

6. Shop around for your mobile and broadband
It's a good idea to revisit how much you are paying for internet on your smartphone. O2 charge up to £70 for a tariff on the iPhone, while their cheapest Simplicity tariff is just £10 a month.
Broadband Genie is a broadband comparison website that provides a modem speed test to ensure that your internet service provider is giving you the service you have paid for.

7. Student bank accounts
Banks always dangle deals in front of students to lure them in. Halifax offers one of the highest overdraft facilities, starting at £500 and rising to £3,000 for up to five years and charges 0% annual interest.
Other banks have quite handy freebies on offer: Natwest offers a free young person's railcard if you sign up quickly enough, and HSBC offers two years free worldwide travel insurance.

8. Group shop
Rather than buying your food individually, it might be an idea to do a group shop with your flatmates. Some golden tips for when it's your turn to get the food in include:

1. Never shop when you're hungry or hungover, those impulse purchases won't even last the bus ride back.

2. Set a budget and make a list to limit the aimless wandering. .
3. If you know that those fresh carrots aren't likely to get near a chopping board in the near future, buy frozen instead.

9. Explore all that's out there
Your students' union should offer a free student finance advice centre - your first point of call to ensure that you're getting all the money that is available.

They can also direct you to all additional sources of funding such as the Disabled Students' Allowance.
If you're dyslexic, for example, the DSA will be able to help with specialist software for taking lecture notes.

10. Library books are just as good
Become acquainted with your library as soon as possible. The books in the library are just as good as those on Amazon. Humanities and social sciences courses, in particular, have heavy weekly reading lists.

Buying every book new, even if the lecturer who wrote it told you to, is a sure fire way to bankrupt yourself.
Try and set up an arrangement with your friends so that if you must buy books new, at least the cost is reduced.