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

Id imagine not (I havent read for a reply yet)

BUT

Relatively, I imagine it would compare

What kind of degree is she doing? Unless it’s really high in terms of contact
time then she could get a part time job.
i worked in a restaurant a few nights a week and one lunch. It reduced nights out, gave me a bit more money and actually was surprisingly sociable. We used to clock off at midnight and still go clubbing!

Personally I think £60 p/w is doable amount if other bills have been covered, and especially with a part time job.

To put it in context, I believe (happy to be corrected) the average under 25 year old gets a flat rate of £72 approx on UC per week. And that would then also need to include phone bill/electricity/Internet/heating costs etc as well as everything else you've listed if living independently, taking rent and possibly a top up out of the equation.

She will need to budget her money obviously and plan in advance for the things she needs but it's doable if she's organised with it. I think you need to sit her down, go through a budget and then do a mock meal plan etc. And she needs to set aside a small amount each week/ month she can use for birthdays or special occasions so she's not stuck when those come round. Make sure she can cook those and that she knows she needs to be using the cheapest products rather than the branded stuff.

I used to resent it a bit when I was at uni because my friends parents paid for absolutely everything from their cars to sending up food for the week every week so they literally only used their allowance for socialising. Meanwhile I was working part time, unable to travel home and counting the pennies, but honestly I'm glad of it now because I know how to make ends meet on a shoe string if I had to. And those other friends ended up in debt when they left uni, started working and parents stopped paying their way.

Why move into halls?
Open University - many local colleges are partnered with uni`s now - can study at a local college instead of the hassle of moving into halls

I agree with this. As well as location making a difference, I think it depends on whether she wants to really enjoy life or just survive.

I couldn’t even live on £25 per week back in the 90s/ 00s when I was a student

It will be very tight, can she get a job during the summer before she starts then maybe she will have a few hundred which will help her in the first few months of Uni until she gets a job……students tend to do a lot of socialising in the first year ( my experience) and it would be a pity if she missed out on that as it was really helpful in making friends

I sent my daughter to uni in 2014 with a budget for food and "extraneous" expenses of 75 pounds a week, as she was coming in from abroad and we were not sure precisely how much she would need. (Adjusting for inflation, that would be about 105 pounds in today's money.) She went there with suitable clothing, so no additional purchases were needed - although she did find a few items at the Heart Foundation Charity Shop that she bought. Any school-related expenses (supplies, special outings, etc.) I bought for her, but I don't remember there being many at all. She did not need a bus pass as her hall was only a mile from campus. Her hall did not have a meal plan, but she did have access to a kitchen with pots and pans, etc., supplied. She was frugal and said she spent about half of that amount each month on food and was not wanting for anything. (Thank goodness Iceland and Tesco delivered.) She doesn't drink alcohol so pub nights with her friends were cheap. I would think sixty pounds might be quite tight today if she's not in a hall that has a meal plan, but would be a learning experience - which isn't a bad thing if she's never had to go without or budget herself. (You can always order groceries online to be sent to her in an emergency.) I hope this helps you, and best of luck to your daughter with her studies.

How many years ago though and if it was recently did you socialise (drinks) on that

I think they have factored in the loan.

A lot of students get half a shelf in fridge and half a shelf in a small freezer. Laundry is extortionate.

You are talking about a time before COVID and Brexit! The price of everything has sky rocketed since then! A 500g pack of mince beef in Aldi is over £5! Unless she wants the cheaper high fat stuff at £3.50 and that's two or three days tops! My partner and I do scratch cooking and it's not cheap! She needs other ingredients like puree, herbs, onions, chopped tomatoes, pasta etc to make spag bol and that will be £15 gone! Shopping for food, toiletries and household stuff will soon eat that £60! A cleaning product can be £5! You did it in a much cheaper world, she won't have money left for anything else especially not a social life, you weren't paying £5 to £7 for a pint or £7 to £9 for a glass of wine.

My son has £50 a week term time, in the Midlands and he has been fine. We start him off with a big shop at the beginning of each term so probably £60 a week equivalent. He had a holiday job between 1st and 2nd year so has a bit more this year but has saved some. He and his friends all know how to cook from scratch and cook together and save money by shopping at Lidl. No ready meals or takeaway makes a big difference to the budget. They even share the big washing machine wash sometimes if someone can't fill the machine. They have plenty of fun nights in together, board games, making interesting food together, playing music and just go out less.

DS was in halls (self catering, so he had to buy his own food). He lived, ate (and drank) with £60 a week. He even managed to buy himself clothing! She'll be fine.

I worked at M&S on every weekend when a student. I got half price foods about to loose their see by date at the end of the working day.
At holiday times I had extra hours especially at Christmas.

But the way the student loan system is set up, in England at least, parents are expected to pay towards costs.

I don’t think it’s fair, either. But the amount students can borrow for maintenance depends on their parents’ household income - a student with a household income of under £25k can borrow more than double the amount of a student with a household income of over £70k.

If all students could borrow the same amount, I’d agree with you it’s about them learning to budget, parents shouldn’t be expected to contribute etc. But that’s just not how it works currently.

It’s not just “food and fun” but transport and course costs as well.

Depending on the subject course costs may not be that much (I managed my most recent degree without incurring any) but transport may take up a sizeable part of that £60. In my local city a student bus pass is £15/week, leaving £45 for everything else.

My kids had jobs while they were at uni.They got full loans, but worked to top it up. Most of their friends were the same.

You,, me and thousands of others. I have to pay a carer too, as do thousands of disabled people who live alone, even those on PIP.

I think the OP should not worry so much about DD's expenditure on food. They have to learn about managing money sometime, and leaving home is as good a time as any.

Someone said parents have a duty to pay for their student dc. If that is true, I don't agree with it. One of the things kids have to learn about growing up is how to manage their income.

To tell the OP - in effect - that parents should flog themselves to death to cover all their dc's expenses cannot be fair, and I doubt if it is true.

No. Food prices have gone thru the roof and even tho I’m being extremely careful, my monthly food bill is £180. Next year prices will be higher still so I would reckon £300 for her for the month for everything.

I think which uni it is will make a huge difference and if she will need travel money… if she can walk everywhere and is central that will save her a fortune, our local uni Lancaster has lots of work opportunities around it and isn’t a massively expensive town centre

I live alone and £60 is my food budget - to cover cleaning stuff, bin bags, foil etc things and food (I take lunch to work so includes every meal)

doesn’t include washing powder or toilet rolls as I buy those in bulk from Amazon

Did you read the bit where the OP says she is struggling and would have to take another job?

Students are not the only ones living alone. Perhaps more input from others who live alone? How many have as much as £60 for food and fun?

It can't be. Come on.