This may not be your first term at University, but it may be your first time in a shared house and one of the first times that you have paid your own bills. This can be a stressful process for some people, especially if the payments are coming out of your own bank account! With this in mind we thought that we would make it a little bit easier on you by giving you 10 Top Tips for paying student bills!

1) Consider opening a house account for bills. Glide UK is a great resource which allows you to create a shared account which splits the bills evenly between you and your housemates with just one single monthly payment.

2) For gas and electricity, make sure that you contact your provider with a meter reading when you move in – and out – to avoid being overcharged.

3) To save on the water bills, ensure that you avoid leaving taps running when brushing your teeth and washing up.

4) Full-time students don’t have to pay council tax so make sure that you pick up an exemption form from your local council.

5) For TV, phone and broadband make sure that you choose a bundle so that everything is included in the same monthly payment. Have a read of our ‘Guide to Student Broadband’ for some great tips on how to get the best out of your broadband.

6) Try to remember that your parents’ insurance won’t cover your belongings whilst you are away at uni so make sure that all your expensive gadgets are insured. Endsleigh are the recommended insurance provider by the NUS so visit their site to get your gear covered!

7) Make sure that you get a TV license as you can be fined up to £1000 if you don’t have one! A TV license costs £145.00 a year but you can claim back some of the money if your license is unused for three months. Since the typical university accommodation contract lasts 39 weeks make sure to check if you are eligible! For more information visit: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk.

8) Another good water tip is to ensure that there are no leaks in the pipes which could be costing you extra money.

9) Switch to a ‘pay as you go’ mobile contract if you are unsure of how much your bills are going to total. Giffgaff offer unlimited texts, 500 minutes and 1GB of internet for just £10 a month! Once your finances are figured out you can switch to a monthly contract at anytime if the pennies are available!

10) Most of all, be organised! Set up a spreadsheet to figure out exactly what is being paid by each person a month. This will avoid any squabbles between housemates and ensure that you all enjoy the excitement of living together for the first time!

This is a guest post provided by Wilko’s, a top UK high-street retailer for great value home wares and household goods. To check out more of their excellent student tips, visit the Student Life Sorted section of their website!