Friday, 7 February 2025 | Term 1 | Week

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School Leavers - Tips

This information has been complied to help you in your first years of leaving school. We wish you well and hope this helps you.

TIPS FROM FORMER STUDENTS

Flatting

1. Let the landlord know as soon as anything breaks down or needs repairing. Make sure the landlord is willing to look after maintenance.
2. Take your own utensils and coat hangers.
3. Flatting with those who have finished their course and are working can be hard as they are earning money and you are not.
4. Flatting with a family can be hard - they are doing the family thing while you are doing the young thing.
5. Learn how to make a bed.
6. Know how to make a flat duties roster, and get tips on how to make it work.
7. Dressing – what to wear in a colder/warmer city will differ from home. A new city will have lots of different shops so don’t be tempted. You will need a warm coat in a colder city.
8. Try to get a warm room – buy a heater if you need to. Keeping your room warm will keep you well. If your room is mouldy then your clothes could be too. Try to keep your room warm and dry. 
9. Be security conscious – don’t leave wallets and valuables lying around. It could be worth having a lock on your bedroom door.

Food

1. Try to eat out only in the weekends – it will save you a lot of money.
2. Shop at the local cheapest supermarkets, rather than the dairy – it is a lot cheaper. Shop for a longer period of time – try not to go every day, but just once a week.
3. Chicken is cheap for cooking. Don’t buy cheap mince, as it is full of fat and you end up with less meat. It is worth it to buy lean mince even if it costs a bit more.
4. Share the cooking if flatting – it is worth putting up with bad cooking sometimes – share some ideas together.  It is cheaper to cook a meal together.
5. Before you leave home, learn to cook some good staple meals that you are good at, with fairly cheap ingredients. It is better to cook a few things well than lots of things badly. If you are only cooking once a week you will not get sick of it.
6. Stock up on yum food from home before you leave.

Washing 

• Buy a drying rack to dry your clothes. This is much cheaper than running a dryer.
• Learn how to separate whites and colours.  Learn what can go in the dryer and what can’t. Learn how to use the washing machine.

Cleaning

• Learn how to clean the toilet and bathroom before you leave home.

Furniture

• Try to buy from another student if you can. Try the Salvation Army, Hospice Shop or similar in the area. Old furniture does the job just as well as new and is nowhere near the same cost. TradeMe is great for getting furniture.

Going out 

• Go out with a friend – this is the person who will make sure you get home, who will tell you that you have had enough to drink, who will help you get away from the guy/girl who won’t leave you alone, who will share a taxi with you. (This goes both ways – be a great friend and do the same for them).
• Don’t take your eftpos card into town with you as your details could be stolen and your account used. This happens more often than you may think.
• Buy your own drinks – do not accept them from anyone except those you trust. Keep your drink with you at all times or leave it with someone you trust. Drinks can be easily spiked.

Haircuts, Dentists, Clothes shopping

• In your new town you may be able to get cheap hair cuts at a hairdressing college or by trainees at a salon, teeth repairs at dental school, clothes at factory shops and opportunity shops. Ask around – taking an interest in local businesses can be very beneficial.