I moved out when I went to Uni and spent my time there, aye, it's more expensive, but if you're getting a job, it'll help ease the pain.
My tips would be:
Echoing The Comet (The Comet....The comet.....the comet...the co...) , knowing how to cook is an advantage, as is knowing how to cook cheap. There's a number of student recipes out there to look up. Find a cheap supermarket too. If you're the kind of student who ends up partying and drinking etc. why not have nights in? Me and my flatmates/housemates (when we were in a house) used to enjoy cheap nights in. The alcohol is cheaper and you can stick a movie on or something. Stretches out those social times without having to spend out. Also, if you're stuck for food and REALLY trying to count the pennies...I discovered that rice or pasta and baked beans are not only a ridiculously cheap meal, but actually go together. Not something to rely on, but you can pick up tips to cut the budget.
If you and your friends can chip in and cook for each others, or chip in for the meal and the one who can cook, cooks, then it'll help spread the cost.
If you can use the library instead of buying a textbook, take advantage of doing it. Even if your lecturer wrote the book, don't feel bad. One of our lecturers had his own book on the syllabus and told us there's several copies in the library, so don't worry about purchasing it, he'd only get peanuts anyway.
If you already have plenty of changes of clothes, take advantage of that. You'll use the laundrette less frequently.
If going out at night, go with others and stick to a group...I know that's a fairly standard life rule, but some people ignore it...including me, but more folly on me.
Be active? There are extra-curricular things you can do at university, it's a once in a life time thing, so why not branch out and find new things to enjoy whilst you're there and some skills you pick up from it may help you in some way later on. I took advantage of the student radio station, wrote for the student magazine, ran a spoken word society and ended up doing live performances. Which I would never thought I'd do prior to university, even the student radio thing, that was incredibly random, I just went along to see what it was like and ended up walking out planning myself a radio show. But bare in mind, you still have your studies, so manage them wisely.
I know for many places, the first year can be seen as getting into the flow of things. If it is the case where you are going, take advantage of it. Learn what your preferred studying methods are, get it into your routine and get used to managing your leisure time, study time, lecture time, anything extra-curricular and your job. Universities will have seminars on topics that are optional, if useful or relevant to you, go to them, you might learn something useful, even if it's not a part of your curriculum (may even be useful in a later module). Some will view it as a year of goofing off, whilst it is good to give yourself time to have fun and enjoy yourself (all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy), but don't treat it like a vacation as some do. After the first year, your studying workload will increase and your final year, you will most likely be doing a dissertation. My advice with a dissertation, start early. It gives you room to decide you don't like the topic you've picked and find something more interesting. It will give you time to get your research ready. You will find later on, deadlines will be squashed together. I recall my sanity breaking during dissertation time, I didn't leave the research too late, but I should have started the write-up earlier and I ended up on caffeine fueled adventures of insanity. Which strangely, I look back positively on...I enjoyed the experience.
Study groups can be good. If you're not likely to encourage each other to procrastinate. I spent a lot of my final year in the library with friends and we studied and also made use of classrooms when we could. But also read each other's work and offered feedback. Getting feedback from each other can be really helpful in that it can give your work fresh eyes and spot things you didn't notice or consider before.
If you have a career's centre or some service related to careers. Check it out. One thing that I wished I did, your degree gives you the skills and knowledge you may need, but good careers advice can help you shape it, with employers in mind. I was overwhelmed by the world of finding employment when I finished, having gone to university straight after finishing school and only having small jobs, I really did not know much about what to expect job-seeking. Contacting employers and reading job advertisements for jobs you'd end up going for is a good way of knowing what they want too. It might influence choices you make whilst you are at university. Because ultimately, you want to leave and get a job and be ahead of the competition.
