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As the UK enters a recession, inflation rises, and the cost of living soars, times are tough, and research shows that students in higher education are increasingly feeling the pinch. Research from Unite shows that around two-thirds of students are now worried about the increased cost of living, and more and more are either considering or proceeding with dropping out.

Recently, a Department for Education (DoE) spokesperson said that it is responding to the crisis by increasing the amount students can access through loans and grants for living and other costs and cited the work of universities in this area. However, many students and those working within education argue that more help is needed and are pushing for more resources to become nationally available. The UUK, a collective of 140 universities, has specifically called on the government to do more to help universities support students.

At The Salary Calculator, we understand how stressful it can be trying to juggle education and financing your day-to-day, so, below we’ll explore:

• Some of the context around student finances right now
• The financial support and advice currently available and how to access it
• Tips to help you stretch your loans and grants

The rise in students struggling with the cost of living crisis

There are no two ways about it, students are really feeling the brunt of the cost of living crisis, and the implications are far-reaching. Working-class students are already underrepresented within higher education, and the current crisis threatens to widen the gap. Figures from the Student Loans Company in September reveal that almost 40,000 students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland permanently withdrew from their courses and stopped receiving student loans by the end of August.

It’s no wonder so many are finding university to be financially unviable, with a recent survey published in July finding that 11% of students were using food banks, with one-third having to rely on credit cards to survive. Moreover, while working to support one’s studies is nothing new, studies show that students are being forced to work far beyond the recommended 15 hours a week, with 9% of students working 21-30 hours a week and 11% working over 31 hours. Moreover, Unite has outlined that around one-third of students are having to increase their working hours just to stay afloat.

What financial support is available and how can you access it?

On the 11th of January 2023, the government announced that it would provide an additional £15 million in hardship funding this financial year to enable universities to better support students facing financial strain. Likewise, the government outlined that loans and grants supporting undergraduate and postgraduate students will be increased by 2.8% for the 2023/24 academic year, while university tuition fees will remain frozen at £9,250 for the next two years.

In addition to this, the 24 Russell Group universities recently announced a pledge to inject tens of millions more in financial support to help students with the rising cost of living, and match the UKRI uplift to its minimum 2022-23 postgraduate research stipends.

But, what does this mean in real terms? Well, if you’re struggling with finances at university, you may be eligible to access your university’s hardship fund. Eligibility is dependent on a number of factors, which we’ve outlined below:

• You’re a student with children or a single parent,
• You’re a student from a low-income family,
• You’re a student that is a ‘care leaver’,
• You’re a mature student with existing financial commitments ,
• You have a disability,
• You are homeless or living in a foyer.

Find out more about accessibility to hardship funds here.

There are other measures being brought in by universities, and these offerings vary from institution to institution. Durham, for example, is offering students free breakfasts while eligible households at York are being offered help with energy bills. The University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD) is offering meal deals for students in the university canteen, for example, soup and a roll for £1, and a food hub offering items for free for students or staff who need help with “no questions asked.”

Alongside hardship funds and student finance, you should check to see whether you’re eligible for other forms of scholarships, bursaries and grants. Scholarships are available to high achievers but are also awarded based on gender, ethnicity, background and disability. In the case of the latter, there is the Disabled Students’ Allowance. You can also get a scholarship for:

• Being vegetarian or vegan via The Vegetarian Charity’s grant,
• Being talented at eSports at the University of Roehampton,
• Studying Welsh through the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol scholarship.

To read more about the different loans, grants, bursaries and scholarships available, head over here.

Tips for stretching loans and grants

Once you’ve managed to access the grants, loans and scholarships you’re eligible for, you may find that you’re still struggling with your finances, and in this case, below, we’ve outlined some helpful tips to help you stretch your money a little further.

Groceries are undeniably expensive right now, so making savings where you can is helpful. Luckily there are a number of sites that offer either reduced or free food. Both ​​Olio, and Too Good To Go, are good zero-waste apps to check out. Likewise, check to see if there are any food waste supermarkets in your area. You can also check what food banks are available to you locally by searching on the Trussell Trust’s website.

When it comes to planning your week and making sure you keep costs as low as possible, meal plans can be really helpful. This way, when you go out to your food shop, you have a clear idea of what you need to buy and how much it’ll cost, saving you a lot of hassle and money.

Another tip for finding cash when things are tight is to look into selling items that you don’t use or need anymore. Sometimes we can surprise ourselves with the amount of stuff we have that’s just gathering dust. Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Gumtree, Depop, and Vinted are some of the most popular sites for doing this.

It could also be beneficial to look into switching to a better student bank account because there are lots that offer lots of extras, such as free cash and railcards (which definitely can’t hurt if you’ve seen the price of train tickets recently). Money Saving Expert is a good site to check out if you’re looking to compare and contrast. Likewise, using a student bank account often means you’ll have access to a 0% overdraft, and this can act as a buffer when things get tough.

That said, it can be easy to slide into debt when money is tight. With around 27% now using credit cards to help with student life, there’s always a risk of not being able to pay back what you’ve taken out and that can come with a lot of stress. Don’t face this alone. There are a number of debt advice charities out there that can help, including:

• StepChange,
• National Debtline,
• Debt Advice Foundation.

As we begin 2023, you’re likely thinking about New Year’s Resolutions; many of us do. The new year feels like a fresh start and a great opportunity to get your ducks in a row. Of course, the last few years have been incredibly difficult for millions of people when it comes to finances, and in the current cost of living crisis and recession, many people are worried about money and looking for ways to improve their finances.

A recent study by LucidTalk, for example, surveyed adults living in Northern Ireland, found that almost half were either worried or anxious about their money situation. Over half of those aged between 18-45 were anxious, and 33% felt angry. These figures are likely similar across the UK.

That said, it’s not always easy to set or keep New Year’s resolutions, and research shows that only one in five can keep to a resolution for one to three months, and only 2% make it the full year. Something that is a key component of maintaining one’s resolutions is ensuring that they’re realistic and manageable; for example, resolving to become a millionaire by year’s end is likely to end in a reasonable amount of disappointment.

Below we’ve outlined some of our top tips for entering the new year with good intentions and maintaining your resolutions.

Be more aware of your spending and take a spending fast

It’s easier to know where you are with your finances if you have it all laid out in front of you. If you can categorise your spending and highlight any unnecessary expenses, or bad spending habits, you’ll likely be more able to make savings.

There are a number of budgeting apps out there that can help you gain more insight into your spending habits, and these include:

• Emma – which is a good app for helping you identify any subscriptions that you don’t use and are wasteful,
• Money Dashboard – which can help you budget by planning for future goals and categorises transactions,
• Chase – which is good for earning interest and gives you a spending overview of your monthly transactions.

Another handy tip to make you more mindful of your spending is to remove your bank details for apps that tend to be a money sucker. Whether Uber Eats or Amazon, adding another layer of admin when making purchasing decisions can help you to stop and think whether or not you really want to buy something, helping to put an end to easy spending.

Confront your debt

Debt can really pull you down and be an incredibly heavy weight to carry, causing stress and anxiety and research shows that being burdened with debt can affect both your mental and physical health. It can also be a scary thing to confront, and many prefer to keep their head in the sand. However, being brave, confronting, and addressing your debt can be transformative and come as a huge relief.

It can be challenging to know where to start, though, so it’s helpful to make a clear, concise list of all that you owe and order it in terms of importance. Our Debt Consolidation Calculator can help you to create this list, and see how much it is costing you in total. Following on from this, creating a personal budget to make dealing with the debt more digestible and easier to take on. It can never hurt to reach out for independent advice as well and set up a talk with your creditors.

Try to improve your credit score

There is a raft of benefits to improving your credit score. Some of these benefits include:

• You’re more likely to be offered a lower interest rate when borrowing
• You’re more likely to get approved for credit
• You’re more likely to be offered a higher credit limit

All of the above can help you achieve some of your wider goals more quickly. So, to boost your credit score, some of the following techniques can be applied:

• Ensure that you pay on time and stay within your limits,
• Prove your creditworthiness by taking out a smaller amount of credit,
• Register to vote.

Undertake a pension health check

Right now, when finances are tight and the cost of living is high, for many people, pensions are the last thing on their minds. Many are now deciding to decrease the amount they pay into their pensions or hit the pause button on pension contributions altogether. This can be tempting, however, experts say that a move like this can be incredibly damaging in the long run and jeopardise your retirement savings.

In the New Year, it can be helpful to do a little health check with your pension and see where you are with your future savings. Through this, you’ll be able to assess past performance, if you’re hitting your goals and whether there are other better pension options on the market.

If you’re not currently saving into a private pension, it could be worth thinking about opening one. Research from Which?, for example, shows that individuals need £19,000 a year to live comfortably in retirement (£28,000 if you are a couple). Likewise, research shows that the minimum required contributions are near the 12% mark to achieve suitable funds in retirement.

Consider switching bank accounts

A study conducted back in 2020 found that nearly half of Brits (40%) stay with one bank for their entire lives. Often it can feel like too much of a palaver to switch, and many also don’t know that there are better deals. You should only stay loyal to a bank if it is serving your interests, and if there’s a bank out there with better deals and perks, why not make the switch? Last year, for example, banks were offering as much as £200 for new customers to switch their accounts.

Make sure you’re up-to-date with the latest personal finance developments

These days, it feels like everything is almost always in flux, especially when it comes to personal finances. The best way to make sure you’re prepared for any changes that may affect your finances is to keep up-to-date with all the latest.

There are upcoming changes to income tax (a freeze in April), potential council tax hikes, and the state pension and benefits are set to rise with inflation. At The Salary Calculator, we’ll help you keep your finger on the pulse with these announcements, so that you can get a better grasp on what you need to do with your money.

With merriment and mistletoe, gingerbread houses, and Christmas lights, the festive season can be a wonderful time to get together with loved ones. However, it can also be pretty pricey, especially these days. According to research from the Trades Union Congress (TUC), for example, the cost of traditional Christmas dinner food has risen by an average of 18% in the space of a year, three times faster than wages! Meanwhile, Finder predicts that those across the United Kingdom will spend £20.1 billion on Christmas gifts this year.

With the cost of living crisis making us feel the pinch more than ever, it’s likely you’re looking for ways to scrimp and save this Christmas. So, at The Salary Calculator, we’ve compiled a list of seasonal saving tips to make things a little less stressful.

At The Salary Calculator, we’ll explore the following:

• Ways to save on Christmas food shopping,
• Guidance on how to keep presents affordable,
• Tips for low-cost transport,
• The top tips for energy saving in the season, and
• Apps that keep saving simple.

Christmas Food Shopping Saving

With so many little bits and pieces to buy for the festive dinner, it can really add up! However, it can help to know some of the cheapest supermarkets to buy your Christmas food from. Alert conducted a study into this (not including Aldi and Lidl), and found that Asda has come top of the list at £55.90 for festive essentials this year. Holding the middle ground is Morrisons, at £64.24, while Waitrose, perhaps unsurprisingly, was the most expensive at £73.81.

In a separate review by MoneySupermarket, which included Aldi, the budget supermarket was crowned the cheapest supermarket for festive bits in 2022. This was followed successively by Asda, Tesco, and Lidl.

Once you’ve decided which supermarket you’ve chosen for your Christmas shop, you can save further by employing some of the following tips:

• Go plant-based! – There’s a misconception that going plant-based is expensive, however, researchers from Quorn found that going meat-free this Christmas could save you up to 71%. Whether you buy a meat alternative, or make a nut roast, swapping out the meat components to your Christmas dinner can save a fortune, while also helping the planet and saving the animals!
• Check online codes for new shoppers & other discounts – Many supermarkets offer discount codes to first-time online shoppers, which can save you a tonne on your Christmas shopping. This can be as much as 30%. Plus, this time of year, there are lots of other discount codes available as well. Sites like VoucherCodes.co.uk can be a big help here.
• Use your leftovers, don’t throw them away – When you’ve finished your Christmas dinner and you’re full to the brim, often the thought of more food can make you a bit queasy and you may throw away the extra bits left uneaten. This leads to five million Christmas puddings, two million turkeys, and 74 million mince pies being sent to the rubbish tip while still edible. To make sure you don’t add to this, turn leftover veg into soups or bubble and squeak.
• Only buy what you’ll eat – For the above reasons, make sure to buy only what you know you’ll eat. It can be tempting to go ham on Christmas shopping and buy all the little trimmings and extras, but if you know it’s unlikely to get eaten, don’t buy it and save yourself a pretty penny.

Affordable gift giving

Gift-giving can be one of the most stress-inducing parts of Christmas and cause a lot of worry when it comes to finances. That said, there are things you can do to alleviate this stress and have a more affordable Christmas.

Agreeing to a price limit on gifts with friends and family can help to lessen the burden when it comes to gift-giving. This allows you to set a budget and stick to it.

Likewise, choosing ‘preloved’ presents can be another great way to cut the cost of Christmas. There can be a lot of pressure to buy your loved-ones new clothes, toys and ornaments, but there’s a whole world of preloved presents out there, just waiting for a new home. Charity shops can be a brilliant way to go, and you’ll be helping a good cause along the way, and not to mention the planet!

And, why not have a go at making Christmas presents this year? Whether that’s knitting a hat or making Christmas truffles or honeycomb, making your own Christmas presents can save a ton of money, be a fun activity, and add a personal touch to gift-giving.

Transport tips

Transport around the holiday can get pretty expensive, whether that’s because you’re travelling by train or you’re taking a cross-country car trip to see loved-ones. Luckily, we’ve got some travel tips to make things slightly cheaper.

One thing many people don’t think of when travelling by car, is how much extra fuel is used when the boot is packed in full. So, if you’re about to set off on your Christmas travels, remove any unnecessary items from the boot because this can end up costing you more than you’d imagine.

If you’re travelling via train, the age-old advice of booking your trains in advance has never been more true. Figures show that you can save up to 60% on your train fare by booking it early (up to 12 weeks in advance). If you’ve left it a bit late (after all, there is a lot to get done in the lead-up to Christmas), before you book an open return, see if you can buy single tickets or ‘split’ tickets to break up the journey, this can sometimes cut your ticket price by quite a bit.

Saving energy in the season

Everyone knows how expensive energy is right now, and unfortunately, prices aren’t expected to lower anytime soon. However, there are some practical ways to reduce your energy bill this Christmas.

Why not use the microwave for cooking your vegetables, rather than the hob? According to research by Quorn, carrots, sprouts, and peas can all be cooked in under three minutes, working out at around just 3p. The research team found that this is a 79% saving on using an electric hob, and a 6% saving on using the oven.

These days, it’s very much the age of the air fryer, and it’s not surprising why. Air fryers take less time to cook and use less energy – and they can be used for a whole variety of cooking. According to Jenny Tschiesche, the author of The Air Fryer Cookbook, you can cook just about anything, and even the star of the show of your Christmas meal can be popped in if the basket is at least 7-8 litres capacity.

While it might feel tempting to light up your house with an assortment of multi-colored lights and inflatable Christmas decorations, it might be a good idea to leave the lights off this year. You won’t be alone, either. According to a survey from GoCompare Energy, 27% of people are planning on putting up fewer lights this year and a sixth aren’t putting up any at all. However, if you’re overcome by the Christmas spirit, and feel the urge to light it up, purchase LED holiday string lights or timed lights that turn off automatically.

Best apps to help you budget and save

These days, there are lots of apps that can help you work out where you are with your finances and help you save.

The Too Good To Go app, for example, enables people to purchase and collect high-quality food from restaurants and supermarkets that would otherwise go to waste at an affordable price.

Meanwhile, the Emma app is a free budgeting app that tracks your subscriptions, sets up monthly budgets, tracks your payday, and makes payments within the app. Similarly, Money Dashboard links to over 90 UK banks and financial providers so you can get an overall view of your finances and budget accordingly.

Recently, there have been lots of government budget announcements and a number of changes made in regard to pensions. These changes come alongside discussions around potential alternations to pensions in the future. With such a raft of changes, it can be difficult to know where you stand or how exactly you’ll be affected.

At The Salary Calculator, we’ll walk you through all the information you need to understand pensions in the current financial climate in a straightforward way. We’ll cover the following:

• The triple lock and discussions around its replacement
• The increase the state pension
• The pension age increase
• Upcoming changes to tax payments for retirees

The triple lock

The triple lock was a pledge made by the Conservatives in their 2019 manifesto but was broken over the pandemic. Now, despite doubts, it has been reinstated under the new budget. It ensures that pensions increase in line with either:

• The average wage increase,
• Inflation, or
• 2.5%

As such, there will be a 10.1% increase in State Pensions from April 2023.

According to experts, the government has considered scrapping it altogether and replacing it with a new system following the next election. Some commentators have also forecast that, in the future, state pension entitlement could eventually become means-tested, a model that is currently present in Australia. A means-tested pension top-up was also proposed by former Chancellor Gordon Brown back in 2002.

This kind of means-tested pension is not without its critics, though, and with recent whisperings of this kind of model being proposed, former Pensions Minister Baroness Ros Altmann claimed it would be “disastrous.” Altmann, for example, outlined: “Without a decent basic state pension underpin for everyone, the real risk is that more pensioners will end up poor in retirement and this will damage long term growth for us all.”

The increase in the state pension

As per the triple lock, pensions will rise in line with September’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation. So,

From April 2023, payments will be as follows:

• £203.85 a week, up from £185.15 for the full, new flat-rate state pension (for those who reached state pension age after April 2016).
• £156.20 a week, up from £141.85 for the full, old basic state pension (for those who reached state pension age before April 2016).

Increasing the pension age

The UK is currently in a recession, and the Treasury is frantically searching for ways to raise money. One of the proposals that would reportedly raise billions is increasing the pension age. As per current legislation, the retirement age is to rise to 67 by 2028. By 2039, this is set to increase further to 68. However, ministers are pushing to increase the pension age to 68 by up to six years earlier in 2033.

Some experts say that if this goes ahead, those who are currently in their 50s will receive £10,000 less when they retire.

New Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride has now confirmed that the outcome of the State Pension age review will be published before May 2023 – so a final decision is coming soon. Stride was recently grilled on potential upcoming changes to pensions in the Spring budget. When asked whether or not the portion of people’s lives spent in retirement should shrink (currently at one-third), he said he couldn’t be drawn on what his thoughts are “at this stage” and questioned whether John Cridland’s (who led a previous review of the state pension age in 2017) was right in his calculation of one-third.

WASPI – Women Against State Pension Inequality, meanwhile, has called for the government to introduce fairer policies. Jane Cowley, director of Waspi, for example, said that the government needs to “look less at average figures” and “take greater account of the lives of people in economically disadvantaged areas.” She added: “Often in these areas there is a drastically lower life expectancy and very few years spent in good health during retirement.”

Likewise, Angela Madden, chair of Waspi, said: “Ministers need to recognise that while we are living longer, people in their late 60s and early 70s tend to be in declining health.” Adding: “It isn’t right to expect everyone to work full-time till they drop.”

Upcoming changes to tax payments for retirees

According to reports, if the UK Government increases State Pensions by 10.1% next April, although 12.5 million people would see a boost, another 500,000 could be included in the “tax net.”

Former Liberal Democrat pensions minister and partner at pensions specialists LCP (Lane Clark & Peacock), Sir Steve Webb, explained that this is because of the freeze on tax thresholds, coupled with the increase in pensions.

Elaborating on this, Nimesh Shah, the chief executive of Blick Rothenberg, on the BBC Money Box podcast, called this a tax increase “by the back door.” He continued: “Everyone uses the word stealth tax increase. They didn’t want to increase the headline rate in the run-up to the next general election.” Shah said that this is an example of the fiscal drag effect: “Someone’s wages go up but they are paying more income tax because of those frozen allowances. The state pension is increasing by 10 percent which is great news but pensions are now going to get dragged into income tax.”

In his first speech as Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said the country was “facing a profound economic crisis.” Following this, it was announced last week that the country had officially entered a recession. This means there has been a prolonged downturn in economic activity and a fall in GDP for two successive quarters.

In the wake of this news, the new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, warned that “decisions of eye-watering difficulty” are ahead and that the government will be asking “everyone for sacrifices.” He subsequently announced the long-awaited Autumn Budget, detailing a wide range of tax rises and spending cuts. After this announcement, the pound fell 0.9%.

At The Salary Calculator, we know that this is an incredibly challenging time for millions of people, and it’s likely that you’ll have a lot of questions about what the budget means for personal finances. So, we’ll walk you through the changes likely to impact you. This includes:

• What changes are upcoming
• When these changes will take effect
• Cost of living payments
• The impact the changes will have on take-home pay
• What’s happening with benefits
• Helpful resources to cope with the cost of living crisis

What changes are coming up?

In the Chancellor’s budget statement, he made a number of announcements in regard to National Insurance (NI), Income Tax, Pensions, and more. This included:

• That income tax personal allowance will be frozen at £12,570 until April 2028, in addition to a freeze on the Basic Rate.
• The threshold for paying the 45p rate has also been lowered to £125,140 from the existing £150,000, bringing an additional 246,000 people into the bracket. Those within the bracket will now pay an extra £580 each a year, equating to an additional £1.3 billion a year for the Treasury.
• The main NI thresholds will remain frozen until April 2028.
• The pension triple lock (frozen during the pandemic) will come in, meaning that the State Pension will increase in line with whichever of the following three is highest:

-Inflation

-The average wage increase

-2.5%

• The National Living Wage (NLW) will be increased by 9.7% from £9.50 an hour for over-23s to £10.42: an annual pay increase of over £1,600 for a full-time worker.
• Young workers and apprentices on the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates will also see their wages slightly boosted. Those aged 21-22 will see an increase of 10.9% to £10.18 an hour, while for those aged 18-20, their wages will increase by 9.7% to £7.49 an hour. Those aged 16-17 will see their wages increase by 9.7% to £5.28 per hour, and the same for Apprentices: an increase of 9.7% to £5.28 an hour.

Speaking about the changes brought in under the budget, Hunt said the government is taking “difficult decisions on tax-free allowances.” Adding: “I am maintaining at current levels the income tax personal allowance, higher rate threshold, main national insurance thresholds and the inheritance tax thresholds for a further two years taking us to April 2028. Even after that, we will still have the most generous set of tax-free allowances of any G7 country.”

When will the changes take effect?

Although the Chancellor announced the budget on the 17th of November, the changes will take effect from April 2023, affecting around 19 million families.

Will cost of living payments continue?

The government has announced additional cost of living payments will be made throughout 2023-24. This means that:

• If your household receives means-tested benefits, you will receive an additional £900 payment.
• You will receive an additional £300 payment if you live in a pensioner household.
• If you are an individual on disability benefits, you will receive an additional £150 payment.

What impact will the changes have on take-home pay?

While there will be a continuation of cost of living payments, freezes on NI and Income Tax payments for those on lower incomes, and an increase in the NLW, according to statistics experts, the announcements from the budget statement mean that you’ll likely be worse off.

Discussing what this means in real terms, Robert Cuffe, a statistics expert at the BBC, explained that if you’re one of the lucky ones to receive a pay rise that “just about keeps pace with inflation” in April 2023, while your pay cheque will be bigger because prices have risen as much as your salary, you won’t be better off. Cuffe outlined that if you’re a basic rate taxpayer, the government will take around £300 out of your increased wages, and if you’re a higher rate taxpayer, this jumps to £670.

To better understand how the budget changes will directly affect you and your finances, head over to The Salary Calculator’s Take Home Tax Calculator.

What’s happening with benefits?

In the budget, it was outlined that benefit rates will increase in line with inflation, equating to an increase of 10.1% this year. So, for families, the benefit cap will increase from £20,000 to £22,020 (and in Greater London, £23,000 to £25,323). Meanwhile, for single adults, the benefit cap will rise from £13,400 to £14,753 (£15,410 to £16,967 in Greater London).

With regard to those on disability benefits, there is a new Disability Cost of Living Payment. So, according to the government, more than six million people across the UK on non-means-tested disability benefits will receive a £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment. Those eligible for this cost of living payment include those currently receiving:

• Disability Living Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Scottish Disability Benefits
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• War Pension Mobility Supplement

Resources to help during the cost of living crisis

It’s understandable to have concerns about the cost of living crisis and personal finances, but there are some resources available to help you navigate these difficult times. We’ve shared some of these resources below:

Local government support: https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/safer-and-more-sustainable-communities/cost-living-hub

Unbiased: https://www.unbiased.co.uk/pages/hub/cost-of-living-hub

Citizen Advice: adviceguide.org.uk

Local Energy Advice Partnership: https://applyforleap.org.uk/

Trussell Trust for UK food banks: https://www.trusselltrust.org/get-help/find-a-foodbank

The Community Fridge Network (not means-tested): https://www.hubbub.org.uk/the-community-fridge

Stonewall Housing: stonewallhousing.org

Street Link: https://www.streetlink.org.uk/

My Supermarket Compare: https://mysupermarketcompare.co.uk/

Save the Student: https://www.savethestudent.org/save-money/money-saving-resources.html