Posts tagged budget

So, your exams are finished, a number of respected or even not-so respected Universities have offered you places if you achieve the appropriate exam results and your parents have bought you a unique personalised gift to congratulate you. All you need to do now is sit back and wait for the results to arrive, right? Wrong. Now is the time to get on and organise your student finances. Believe me. It needs to be done now.

Differing sorts of financial assistance are available for both full time and part time students. Every student that is eligible receives a minimum level of support, but how much can vary, depending on factors such as household income and where you live whilst studying.

Don’t delay in getting your application submitted as soon as you can, whether you have been offered a place or not. With over 11,500 in potential grants and student loans on offer, you would be foolish not to apply. You can even get the complete cost of your tuition fees covered each year.

According to the government being a student costs on average 11,000 a year! If you’re a student, right now you might be thinking ‘ka-ching’! But take away all the tuition fees and rent you’ll be shelling out and your bank balance won’t look as rosy! However with prudent planning you can make your budget stretch, so that you can achieve a workable balance of study and a social life.

Most importantly, don’t secret your money away under your bed, put it into a bank. The thing is: which bank to choose? All the banks are competing to get their hands on this year’s new student loans, grants and support from generous parents. But which promotions will be most attractive to students – the most the largest interest-free overdrafts or the free gifts like railcards, discounts on mobile phones, laptops and travel insurance?

OK, so the next big step is to figure out how much money you’ve actually got to live off. All you need to do is calculate your income and expenses, subtract expenses from income and there you are – that’s how much you will have to spend on books and study materials. You are going to spend it on books and study materials, right?

Rent on your halls or shared house is going to be the major ongoing expenses, so it is very wise to put money that will cover this into a separate account. This way you’ll know what you have left over each month. After you’ve taken into consideration travel costs, food, utility bills, of course.

Students should take advantage of student discounts and special student offers in cinemas, pubs and shops to save some money. Also cooking is cheaper than eating out or getting a takeaway, so that too is a good way to keep on top of the finances. It can be a bore to budget and be sensible about your finances, but if you are a bit savvy, being a student needn’t mean being impoverished.

Matt Greene can just about remember his student days, but does remember he didn’t get any cool personalised gifts like this personalised beer glass when he graduated.