YOUTH MATTERS Breaking the bank by Anna Hayward

Even my friends with jobs seem to struggle with matching their social lives to their funds. As a student myself, who is unemployed and survives upon the meagre generosity of my parent’s allowance, a night out can sometimes be too much of a stretch.

However when a night in means the morbid reality of watching the same documentary as your family whilst fighting over who does the washing up; the expensive option of an evening out can become tempting. With friends playing devil’s advocate their offers seem to overrule all rational thought of how I would get to college the next week. So a guide to a cheap night out in somewhere like Chichester is essential.

Firstly a cheap outfit for the night can be a major way of cutting costs. Shops like Primark and New Look are god’s gifts to students with decent clothes being put at low prices. An even cheaper option could be trading clothes with a friend and customizing the outfit with your older sister’s unused jewellery. However the danger of this is coming home to find your sister in a fury over the “borrowed” item, and has decided to liberate you of your faviourate pair of earrings as punishment.

Then there is tackling the costs of the night out itself. A nice yet cheap restaurant like Nando’s or Pizza Express allows you to customize what you order to the budget your sticking to. Another option could be Lloyds who attract customers with appealing offers of a burger and beer combination for just £5.

The clubs themselves can be expensive with plenty of drinks being bought on top of entry fees. A less expensive method would be to share the cost of a pitcher which means less cost but the same of amount of booze goes round.

Other options would be a trip to the cinema with food being bought before going; or a few games of bowling at Lakeside bowling where deals for groups are an effective way of cutting costs. If all else fails a cosy night watching movies with friends and plenty of tasty food is a sure way to enjoying a fun Saturday night.