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Lifestyle.  Books
CDs/DVDs
Games/Computer Software
Computer Hardware
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Lifestyle. 1) Books www.amazon.co.uk If you are still a virgin when it comes to e-shopping, then this site might just persuade you. It's a high profile site with endless titles, constant discounts and reliable service. Make a massive saving on your course books and also books that you want to read. Recommended. www.alphabetstreet.com A user-friendly site that you should bookmark immediately. Coupled with audiostreet.com these sites will soon become as familiar to you as Sesame Street. Some fantastic discounts. www.bookshop.co.uk WH Smiths online book shop. Instead of standing for hours in the shop and not buying anything, you can do it here instead. If you feel happier dealing with a name that you are familiar with then click away. Massive savings on High Street prices. www.studentbookworld.com Studentbookworld - book site devoted to students offering discounts of up to 30%, meaning you might not have to buy your course book between the six of you.  2) CDs/DVDs www.audiostreet.com This site is extremely easy to navigate, added to the fact that the latest top titles start at £9.99 and mid price records are all £6.99, it's just too easy to press the buy icon. What is your student loan for anyway? Recommended. www.cdparadise.com Another product from the WH Smith stable. With the cross-over with its other products it means it's much easier to buy all different types of formats in one go. My only criticism of these sites is that they are not always broken down into categories, meaning that you need to know the title, which hinders window shopping. They are probably so sick of it in the shops they thought they'd put an end to it in their virtual store. ww.Cd-wow.com Wow in name and wow in nature. Top titles for only £8.99, delivered to your door from Hong Kong within a couple of days. Highly recommended. www.101cd.com A commendable 450,000 titles to choose from. Looks like you haven't got the largest collection after all. www.bensonsworld.co.uk A site totally devoted to video and DVD sales. Established mail order company now turning their hand successfully to the net. Worth a look. 3) Games/Computer Software www.gameswire.com Dedicated solely to games of all formats, this magazine style site has everything to offer the gaming junky. www.jungle.com Based surprisingly on a jungle theme this company has sponsored Castleford Tigers Rugby League team whose ground has just been renamed, you guessed it, "the Jungle". A real brand-orientated, fun site that not only offers games but Cds, videos and hardware. It's user friendliness may well attract you to become a repeat customer. www.gamesparadise.com Our friendly newsagent, WH Smith's, gaming section. You know that you can't afford it but the justification is that you won't spend money in the arcades and on beer. In fact it's the best financial remedy possible. "Let's buy loads. We'll save a fortune." www.letsbuyit.com This is the site where you buy something together with a load of ants and in theory get it cheaper. www.pcworld.co.uk The High Street giant offering 150,000 downloads and plenty of software. If you're looking for hardware though, you'll need a good compass to navigate you around the site to help you find it. No cheaper than the store. www.softwareparadise.com Thousands of different titles ranging from anti-virus programmes to games to databases. Worth a look. www.studentcomputers.co.uk This student friendly site offers good discounts and is well worth a look. Recommended 4) Computer Hardware www.microwarehouse.co.uk With hardware it feels more reassuring to see the kit in action. It's an idea to go to your local supplier, rack his brains for everything he knows, tell him you need to think about it, then run home and use a site like this one to take advantage of the very low prices. www.misco.co.uk Certainly the most design led of the hardware sites and in turn the easiest to navigate. The other sites have crammed a lot of information into their home pages which makes it difficult to get started and can be frustrating. Conversely, this site is a real joy. www.dabs.com Use this site as a competitive comparison to www.misco.co.uk or perhaps for products that they do not stock. www.insight.com Easy to use site with plenty of hardware to choose from. The U.K. site is retrievable by clicking on the Union Jack in the right hand corner. Savings to be made. 5) Clothes/Accessories 6) Tickets www.aloud.com You weren't too sure about whether you wanted to go to the gig but now it's sold out you definitely want to go ? Get all the latest info and tickets here. www.latestevents.com If you want to really push the boat out and see a band abroad and stay in a hotel, these guys will organise it for you. www.sceneone.com Want to know what's on the telly tonight then look here. Loads of entertainment news. 7) Alcohol www.madaboutwine.com Their most expensive wine retails at £85,000. If the loan won't quite stretch that far then there are cheaper alternatives of your favourite red, rose and white starting at £3.50. www.lastorders.com Just taken their last orders - now defunct. www.whiskyshop.com If whisky is your thing then look no further. If you do nothing else in your three years, you could become a connoisseur of the malted variety. 8) Food These sites come in useful when the take away's shut or you fancy trying your dab hand at baked bean or tuna surprise. Maybe it's your lucky night and you have a date, then its time to impress with the all conquering stir fry surprise. You can also ask them to deliver after 11am -how more student friendly can they be ?. www.asda.co.uk www.sainsburys.co.uk www.tesco.co.uk www.organicdelivery.co.uk If you wish to 'save the planet by eating organic' then this is your cup of herbal tea. Only delivers in the London area though. www.world-foods.co.uk A vast selection of all things organic. Delivers throughout the U.K. 9) Travel Travel in theory is made to measure for the Internet and therefore there are vast numbers of sites. However, in reality it can be a different story. Sometimes it can be far easier to call Julie at your High Street operator, tell her where you want to go, let her tell you that she went there last year and 'it's lovely', let her ring you back and book it.In saying that, there are notable exceptions which are mentioned below. There are plenty of cheap holidays from around the world on the Internet but sometimes you don't know where you're going to stay. So it could be a dump and it probably will be. Please believe me, never gamble on a cheap holiday where you don't know where you're staying. It's not a gamble - you'll lose. Now and again they throw in a nice hotel because the few people who are lucky enough to get one make it their life's work to tell everyone they meet. It's called cheap advertising. If you do risk it, you'll wish you'd spent the extra and not wasted a year's holiday. Obviously I've never done it. www.cheapflights.com Although you can't book any flights through this site, you can see who is offering the best deals and then give them a ring. Certainly worth a look. www.ebookers.co.uk Nicely laid out site which on top of the search facilities gives you useful information about where you want to go. I am still waiting for my search results though. www.travelselect.co.uk This is how a travel web site should be organised. Professional layout, easy to use search system, quick, easy to understand results and no bargains. Typical. www.direct-holidays.co.uk This is where to go if you want to spend this year's hols in Tenerifey or Benidormy. Worth a look. www.expedia.co.uk Similar to travelselect. The old adage comes to mind of 'you pay for what you get'. www.a2btravel.com Excellent easy to use service if you wish to book a ferry. www.lastminute.com The one everyone knows . Plenty of bargains, but you do need to be flexible. You can't want to go to Prague for reading week and expect it to be there for a quarter of the price, unless you don't want to go and then it will be. www.thetrainline.co.uk The only pain with this site is that you have to input your personal details but if you have ever tried booking a ticket over the phone recently, you really won't mind and you get a £1 off for your troubles. www.nationalexpress.co.uk This is where the Internet beats traditional methods hands down. Everything you could possibly want to know about travelling around the country the 'cheap' way. Unless you're a hitcher. www.hotelguide.com A database of 60,000 hotels in 200 countries so if you're thinking of going to Kathmandu, Kabul or Kuta during the summer they've got hotels there. www.1ski.com Packed full of information about everything and anything to do with skiing. Worth a visit. www.board-it.com Billed as 'Your ultimate mountain fix'. I could think of others. Excellent site devoted to all things snow boarding. If this is your thing you'll be addicted to this site. www.thebackpacker.net Everything a budget traveller needs to know - and which student isn't on a budget? 10) Mobile Phones www.buy.co.uk You know mobiles are a waste of money but how else are you going to organise the evening's entertainment. If you want to ensure that you have got the best deal, input your details and it will calculate it for you as well as a lot of your other bills. www.carphonewarehouse.com Touted as an unbiased dealership. When I bought my phone from there last Xmas, the other three customers in the shop all walked away with the same phone. Did we all have the same requirements or did they have loads of them to shift in the back ? www.studentmobiles.com A part of carphonewarehouse. Household 1) Insurance/TV Licence www.carquote.co.uk If you have the luxury of a car and need insurance, this site judges the best prices from a number of different companies. www.endsleigh.co.uk Instead of having to trek all the way to the Union, these student favourites have come to you. www.screentrade.co.uk A useful, easy-to-use site which comes up with the most competitive quote from a number of companies on all types of insurance including house. You probably won't be that interested in this site until you have been burgled. Just remember the words horse and bolted. www.tvlicensing.co.uk TV licence people. Remember, big brother's watching you. 2) Furniture www.fabric.com This site is for those of you who are sick of being the local peep show and want to make your own decent curtains. www.ikea.com The home of the paper lampshade and the rag rug. www.sofabeds.co.uk If your bedroom doubles up as the common room then look no further. 3) Household goods inc. posters/gifts www.gbposters.co.uk These are the people that you see at your Union every other week. If you happen to miss them or want to see their full collection then these are their web pages. www.giftstore.co.uk If your imagination cells are failing with regards to your Aunty Berly's Xmas present and you really don't want to see her then let this site deliver one of its many offerings. www.mathmos.co.uk The home of the lava lamp as well as other hallucinogenic type lighting. www.starregistry.com There is always some one who has got everything. Well this site is for them. They give customers the opportunity to name an actual star after someone. 4) Auctions www.qxl.com If the traditional method of retail of 'offer and accept' doesn't do it for you, visit the thrill of the auction house on-line. www.ebay.co.uk QXL's big US rival. Other 1) Search Engines www.exactseek.com Link your site through to exactseek.com www.looksmart.co.uk Get your site listed on MSN, BTopenworld, Tiscali, NTL and AltaVista, and reach over 60% of UK Internet users. Contacting Us If you would like any further information regarding any part of this site please don't hesitate to contact us on 01482 633326 or e-mail us at info@studentpad.co.uk. |
