to think that £500 a month is enough for a child at uni

Yes, it's funny how people assume students just need money for food as if there are no other costs involved with studying and living.

The £500 a month, isn't just for food though so I don't think thats a fair comparison!
DD budgets £100 a week - there's travel to and from Uni (£20 a week) Gym / sports clubs pass(£5), society memberships,(£1) phone bill (£20), consumables like paper, pens, socks, replacing a missing phone charger! (£5). Then food (£30) and 2 modest evenings out (£20) - thats it gone.

We haven't mentioned clothes, travel home, room insurance, tech so if OP is including that too, I can see how £500 a month is soon used up.

That's more than enough. I shop in Waitrose and spend about this a month on food and petrol for my entire family. Is he studying in Geneva!

I think it would be difficult for many, but it is what parents were expected to do in the past back in the day of grants. The income cut off back then was something like £35k or £40k.

@TeenLifeMum everyone is entitled to the minimum maintenance Loan of around £4.5k it just can be as much as £9k of you are a lower earner
very few people would be able to pay their kids accommodation and spending money

We do the similar the student loan for uni fees we pay accommodation and they get the maintenance loan to live on which is £4500 per year or £1500 a term basically £500 per month when they’re there.

They work in the holidays to top of up and to spend in the hols without the work they would run out of £
we pay phone contract and their train fare back home but they pay daily travel

So our oldest was at uni for 4 years from 2018 and we gave her £200 a month and her maintenance loan covered her accomodation. Child 3 has started uni and we give him £300 a month . Both went to uni with a huge food shop and noth had a savings policy that paid out at 18 worth approx 2k. We sometimes pay for extras like laptop etc but both children also either did tutoring or got a job.
Child no.2 did an accountancy apprenticeship but lived at home rent free.
Child no.4 when / if he goes to uni will have the same type of support although he will also get additional support due to neurodiversity support.

We pay my DD rent which includes all bills, heating, wi fi and unlimited use of the laundry. We also pay her phone and contact lens subscription. From her student loan and savings she has just under £100 a week for food and going out.

He will still need to budget! He isn't going to be rolling in money.

Apparently retired people need to have £40,000 a year to spend, so I guess students would be the same if not more because retired people often don't have rent or a mortgage 😂

Yep. But plenty do

Some don’t drink at all.

Because it’s a one line quip without any context?

£500 is a lot considering accommodation and tuition are paid for.
Rather than view it as making him comfortable (and obviously no one wants their child struggling), I’d be more concerned that it’s not going to encourage him to budget well. Quite the opposite.

Why would you say what someone said is lazy and dumb on a post where people are openly talking about their different experiences and budgets?

@Jarstastic thank you 😊 I'm moving into a better job in a few months so hoping I'll be able to send him a bit of spending money every now and again.

That's really impressive. Well done to your son.

That’s plenty imo , in fact I would say it’s to much .

@Jarstastic he gets a maintenance loan that pays for accomodation with about £100 a year left over. He pays for all of his food / alcohol / clothes / toiletries by working 20 hours a week in a care home, and from savings from working a lot over the summer when he finished A levels.

He did want to go to a Uni down South but the loan wouldn't have covered accomodation costs.

Is your son entitled to/does he have any student loans? Or is he literally paying for all his living expenses from this £100 and earnings?

@DungareesAndTrombones we're doing something right then! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Same here!! His Dad gives him £100 a month but he earns the rest and I'm so proud of him 🥰

I think your being generous enough but can see how they may struggle with £500 depending on where they go to uni and what the expenses are but I think that's on them to get a job and pay.

Things do add up e.g phone contract, travel, books etc for school, food, nights out with friends, subs for societies, clothes, any streaming services and you say you pay for accommodation but does that include everything? All bills, Internet etc? TV licsense.

I think it's important for students to have the balance of being able to enjoy their uni experience and Take part in the social side and also learn how to budget and earn their own money.

£10 going out budget for a week is just so ridiculous. Alcohol aside, look at the price of a McDonalds meal, a cinema ticket, a bus or train fare etc etc.

There's no honour in being a 'skint student'. Maybe in the 70s or 80s, but it was already different in the 90s when I went.

Actually the mention of McDonalds reminded me of the Economist's Big Mac index. So UK in 2004 a Big Mac was $3.37, in 2022 $4.82 - a change of 43%.

Presumably you mean food only. There’s laundry, travel, toiletries, gym, going out on top. Not to mention that catering for 4 is way cheaper per person than catering for one. And that’s a savvy shopper who is used to supermarkets and cooking.

It’s a lazy, dumb comparison.