To think £60 a week to live on will be a struggle for DD at uni?

i would also suggest a part time job if possible but @Lex345 has stated that her DD struggled with the juggle and this is a crucial year to get her revision / studies right so she gets the grades to even go to uni in the first place. Not sure where you live @Lex345 but is there any scope for seasonal work - places that might hire a lot of people just for the holidays. If I remember correctly the school term ends after the exams April- June time then off until September so could maybe try thinking ahead to get a job in that period that could tide her over ? I lived close to an airport before I went to uni so I worked in the summers for first 2 years plus worked as a carer whilst at uni and that was 2008-2014. Could she babysit or offer some childcare to parents who need it over the summer ?

I’m not sure how much I had left after my loan but things have drastically gone up in price - accomodation, food etc so you have my sympathies. Lots of good suggestions on how to keep prices down whilst she’s there, megabus was a lifesaver and I was going from Sheffield to south east! There be a lot of people in the same boat as her - she will unfortunately have to cut her cloth like many people do at Uni - it’s part of the fun and the novelty to begin with. If you can’t fit in another job, I can’t see a way around it. Hopefully in her consecutive years she will get rental student accomodation which is cheaper than the halls ?

No.

almost certainly not.

if she’s in halls there will be space in one in the communal kitchen. How big it is you won’t know until you get there.

You are a bit limited in halls. There's room to store some frozen food but the freezer space can be quite tight.

Well, in terms of keeping her costs down:

how far is it from halls to campus? My DS got a second hand bike which meant he wasn’t spending in bus fares. Saved him a lot of money.

as others have said batch cook - even without a freezer you can make veggie chilli and it will keep in the fridge for a few days. Sure it’s boring eating but it’s cheap.

egg fried rice with vegetables is also cheap and healthy.

OP, a lot of people are chatting a lot of rubbish and you can tell they went to uni 50 years ago!

No - she likely won't be allowed a freezer in her room, but check with her accommodation provider.

She will likely have one freezer drawer - not huge, but enough. Her food won't be used.

Flatmates do not all share the cooking between themselves. They may sometimes do a roast where they each buy one thing for the dinner, but they won't all be cooking for each other!

Whenever I'm in Home Bargains in Liverpool, the go-to for students, seems to be Koka noodles (box of 30 £12), cereal and multi packs of chocolate/crisps. Add in cheap bread and butter and you can live on £20 a week. I'd step back for a few weeks, then see how things are going. Then I'd do top up payments, if needed. Then money at Christmas/Birthday/Easter, enough to cover decent footwear and basic wardrobe.

Can I just point out that a single parent with 2 small children living on UC may well have to feed themselves on £50 a week!

I remember having to.put my name on food🙄

Most students will club together and share the cooking so in a flat of 6 students each one makes a meal once a week for everyone.

I have shown how she can make meals for under £5, for a £60 budget.

£130 a week is a lot of money!

It's tight, but it does teach them how to budget. My son now prefers to walk half an hour to the local Lidl to get his weekly shop rather than the Nisa near the campus which according to him is too expensive ...and he has a part time job and can afford it! But he'd rather have the beer money 😆

Food prices in 2017-2020 aren’t comparable with now. £25 would be no way near enough now.

OP I am giving my Dd £80 a week and she has a job which brings her £50 a week. She will have plenty with this so id suggest you dd either gets a job now to save up or tries to get one once she’s there (which may not be easy, depends where she goes) It’s very expensive. We’ve also just spent £1500 on other stuff (new laptop, bedding, memberships etc) so be warned that could cost you a bit too so start saving now!

I lived on 10 pound for food in the late 80s but would not expect that today. 25- pound , that would be difficult today. I don't think it's unreasonable to struggle a bit. Struggling financially as a student is a rite of passage but she doesn't want to have to struggle re course materials etc. If it's a practical subject these could rack up. She may not be able to go to every paying social event. My mom.was unable to help me financially but if anyone came to visit set me up with a hamper.

Yes, as I said, I hear you.
Students also get loads of discounts that other folk don't. She could even get a few hours in a supermarket - that would give her a % discount on food too.
When I was a student, part of it was scrimping and adapting and learning to budget.

OP, are you in a position to fill her freezer when she first goes? I would be mindful that she only gets a small freezer space, but if you could send her with some portions of her favourite frozen homemade meals, that would be a great comfort when the going gets tough!

My DD had £200 a month off is, but that was 10 years ago. She got the lowest student loan due to our income. She also worked every holiday and saved plenty. She had nice holidays every summer which she self funded and never asked for any more money off us. We paid her phone contract.

Dd3 is at uni currently and survives on £50.00 a week for food and socialising.

She is in uni in Wales so less expensive than other areas. I do send her a bit extra whwn we can as she has not managed.to get a job.

Ds has been in Essex in uni he has been lucky and had a job throughout. Been able to socialise more. He is doing his last 3 months of his Masters remotely so to not get caught in student gigs for the sake of 3 months.

Dd2 is returning to uni this.week to do her Masters Part time she is working part time to afford it.

We’re budgeting £100 a week for DS next year for everything over hall fees. DS managed on a fair bit less but that was 8 years ago.

Have you seen the freezer? It is unlikely she will have enough freezer space for bulk cooking- and it risks being used.

I've given her several tips and examples, thank you.

I'm aware, but she's also living on more than double I was - and it's totally possible (I'm looking at Aldi prices right now, and actually helping OP by giving her some recipe ideas). She can get a cheap bottle of vodka for £12.49 and some fizzy drink for £0.49 and that's 2 or 3 pre drinks sorted.

DD managed on £75 pw. She went with all the store cupboard essentials, toiletries, cleaning supplies etc and we topped this up on return trips home. She could get a decent shop for £40 pw in Lidl and the balance was for travel and other expenses but it was tight especially as costs keep increasing. She also had a summer job which helped. It also depends on the uni location and how much she will need for travel.

How is this remotely helpful? No tips, no examples.

My advice posted was to work over the summer. She could put several thousand into her savings after A levels.

The other alternative is what a lot of people I know do and that is to take a year out. To earn as much as possible to fund the following years university.