As a student, money is almost always a problem, so much to buy with so little; if you know you're not a 'baller', 'Lagos big boy', 'alhaji', 'slay queen' or anything of sort, the first tip is stay indoors as much as possible lol, the best way to save money is to 'not spend money', don't put yourself in a situation where you'd have to spend what you don't have, however if you must go out at a time when you do not have the disposable cash, look for house parties, they are usually free with free drinks, small chops, food etc. 

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Money is very important in life. It is one thing humans can’t do without and the only way you can have ‘money galore’ as a youth who is getting to the ‘adulting’ stage (so stressful) is spending wisely. Here are few tips on how to save money on a night out with friends.

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1. Transport: you have three option; drive, get a taxi(uber, taxify, oga taxi etc.) or car pool. Car pooling is always the cheapest, either find a friend that drives or get a few of your friends to chip in on the taxi fare. Rather than taking an uber alone for 3k, share with two or three friends and pay as little as N750 or less.

 

2. Venue/Event: If you are really trying to save money, you need to have a plan, know where you going before you leave, whether you are going out for dinner, or drinks or clubbing or a concert or whatever, find out what the average food or drinks price is, look for affordable places. For concerts, it is advisable to get your tickets before the date or alternatively you can get tickets at the door, average ticket price in Nigeria is around N5000 for regular.  Luckily it is free to get into clubs in Nigeria, there are usually no gate fee except bouncers that try to gate you once in awhile. You need to have a strong game plan; find out how much it will take to get into the venue of your choice. Are you spending on you alone or on every one of your friends? Please are you a money-making machine? Think wisely!!​

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​3. Do not, I repeat - Do not take your debit or credit card out, always pay in cash- That way you will be mindful of what and how you spend your money, there is something about electronic money, it doesn't feel like real money, so hold the cash, feel it and let it pain lol, next time you'll sit in your hostel. 

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4. Pre Drink! Pre eat! Pre Drink! - Always try to start your night out at home with your friends, eat something or start pre drinking, have a drink or two, that'll save you money on buying drinks where you go or if you're lucky you might get too tired to go out or one person might decide to stay in and end up killing the vibe for everyone.You might hate it that night but trust me you'll be alright the next day. 

by moyosore ali

updated 20 november 2017