As students the unfortunate reality is that we can’t often afford all the luxuries and lifestyle we would like. Student houses aren’t the best places for borrowing either. But the Internet has provided, and there are plenty of options so you can fake the life of luxury!
Travel
Holidays can be expensive but couchsurfing.com has figured out a way to lower the cost. People register their homes online and offer a couch for people to crash on while travelling. An added bonus of the service is the owners offer to show you round so you get an authentic experience of the country. It isn’t always a literal couch either as some people have spare rooms to offer.
Always be careful when arranging to stay in people’s homes and it’s best to do something like this as a pair.
Pets
It’s difficult to have a pet as a student. Particularly with difficult landlords and allergic housemates. But that doesn’t mean you have to pay to go to the zoo to get your animal fix. Borrow my doggy matches up owners with busy schedules and cute dogs, with people who have spare time but aren’t able to have a dog. It only costs £9.99 a year to register as a borrower. You liaise with the owner and afterwards you can take their dog on walks to the park or even back to your house. It’s a perfect cheap way to relax after uni. Not to mention that some of the dogs are seriously gorgeous!
Pets and Travel!
It’s hard to believe that this actually exists. Owners list their homes online and you pay £5.99 a month. You can then stay in agreed house sitting places for free in return for taking care of the owner’s pets. This way you get an incredibly cheap holiday and you get to spend time with cats and dogs. Many of the owners only require you to feed the cat or take the dog for one walk per day. The rest of your time is free to spend exploring the local area!
Stuff & Things!
Want a house party to remember? Rent a strobe light or a smoke machine from rentmyitems for just £2.50 a day. You can get an impressive speaker system for just £5. Need a tent for a festival? You can rent one for just £3 per day. With loads of items from furniture to BBQ’s and bicycles, there’s plenty to browse and you’re sure to find something you’d like to borrow. Alternatively, if you have an acoustic guitar or a popcorn maker gathering dust you could always have a go at renting and make some extra money.
Dresses
Ball tickets can be expensive enough without having to buy a new dress as well. It’s also annoying when you turn up and find someone else has the same Topshop dress as you. But chicbychoice and girlmeetsdress let you rent designer dresses for events. You can hire Alice by Temperley, Alexander Mcqueen and Missioni dresses for under £60. Girlmeetsdress lets you hire up to 3 dresses to try on and you only have to pay for the one you wear. There’s plenty of choice, so you can look stunning at any event.
Bikes
Decided to join the cycling craze? But good bikes are too expensive? You can hire a bike from www.borrowmybike.org. Bike owners can register their bikes and you pay a small fee to borrow them for however long you need. It’s the perfect way to test out if you’ll actually use a bike before committing to buy, or even to compete in a one off charity event.
Swapping
Have a lot of things you no longer need? Swapz.co.uk lets you swap your unwanted items for things you want. You can swap unwanted clothing, jewellery and DVD’s. There’s even the option to swap festival or travel tickets if you find you can no longer go.
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