Back-To-Uni Budgeting Tips From The Experts

“Treat savings like a non-negotiable expense. Before spending money on new term essentials or even nights out during Freshers, set aside a small amount for your future self – even £5 a week adds up. Automate it if you can, so it becomes a habit you don’t have to think about.” – Duygu Yenidogan-Schmidt, general manager, Core Banking at Monzo

“The best thing any student can do is set a rough weekly budget. Look at how much your student loan gives you each term, then divide that by how many weeks you’ll need it to last. Keeping that amount in a separate account or using a budgeting app means you can see what’s left at a glance and avoid that dreaded feeling of being overdrawn by mid-November.” – Fiona Peake, personal finance expert at Ocean Finance

“I’m also a big supporter of turning a bigger budget into a weekly plan you can actually stick to. If rent, food shopping, transport costs and your phone service add up to £600 a month, for example, divide what’s left by four and you can see what’s left for fun spending every week. Use a free budgeting app – or even the notes app on your phone –to log every coffee, bus ticket and textbook as you spend. When you see numbers in real time, impulse spending loses its power.” – Kevin Marshall, financial expert

“Another way to stay disciplined at university is to ring-fence spending into clear categories. Use cash envelopes or pre-loaded cards and divide your weekly budget into three pots for food, socialising and transport. Top them up on the same day each week and stop when the balance for food, socialising or transport runs out.” – Raja Ravel, Owner, Bridge Loan Direct

“Students should pay attention to the yellow sticker reduction schedules at their local supermarkets – whether it means visiting Tesco in the evenings or Waitrose at 2pm on Sundays, discounted items are perfectly good products nearing their sell-by dates, allowing you to stock up on food at a fraction of the original price.” – Gauthier Van Malderen, founder & CEO of Perlego

“Apps like Too Good To Go allow students to purchase bags of perfectly good food from restaurants, cafés, and supermarkets at heavily discounted prices – think leftover sushi, fresh pastries or gourmet sandwiches that would otherwise be thrown away. This approach helps students do something good for the planet, while also getting to enjoy high-quality food at budget prices.” – Gauthier

“Many local newspapers, student publications and lifestyle websites actively seek reviewers for restaurants, theatres and gigs, and they often provide free meals or tickets in exchange for honest reviews. It’s an excellent way to enjoy cultural experiences you couldn’t normally afford and it also allows you to develop your writing and creative skills.” – Gauthier

“Rather than purchasing individual textbooks that can easily cost hundreds of pounds per year, students should consider subscription-based services that offer access to extensive academic libraries. This approach can significantly reduce costs whilst providing access to far more resources and education content than they could afford to buy outright.” – Gauthier

“Sign up for legitimate survey platforms like Verian, which conduct official research and often reward participants with shopping vouchers for sharing views on a variety of topics. It’s an easy way to earn gift cards during study breaks whilst contributing to meaningful research.” – Gauthier 

Visit PERLEGO.COM, OCEANFINANCE.CO.UK, LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEVIN-MARSHALL-CPA & BRIDGELOANDIRECT.CO.UK

Inspiration credits: @AMAKA.HAMELIJNCK | @LUNAKLESTRUP | @MANONDEVELDER | @LUNAISABELLAA