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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Financial support at university

238 replies

Tevion28 · 19/09/2021 13:38

Im already fretting about ds and how he will cope at university financially as after accomdation is paid he only has £540 left for next 3 months. He will probably get a job butvibwas wondering how much do you give your dc each week if anything

OP posts:
Cookerhood · 19/09/2021 13:40

You are supposed to make it up to the full maintenance loan value(!).ours got minimum loan so we paid the accomodation & they lived off the loan. They also had jobs (many students do).

Original poster
Tevion28 · 19/09/2021 13:41

He has to buy food and any course material and laundry, gym membership, and gadget insurance his travel has already been taken care of his dad bought him a years pass.

OP posts:
Original poster
Tevion28 · 19/09/2021 13:42

He gets the full loan

OP posts:
Viviennemary · 19/09/2021 13:42

Just make up his money to what he needs to live on.

Original poster
Tevion28 · 19/09/2021 13:42

Not a high earning household unfortunately

OP posts:
Original poster
Tevion28 · 19/09/2021 13:44

Vivienne not sure how much he will need

OP posts:
DietrichandDiMaggio · 19/09/2021 13:44

Where is he? That is very expensive accommodation, but presumably it's catered at least.

Annoyedanddissapointed · 19/09/2021 13:45

Most people i went to uni had part time jobs. Uni usually has lots right there as well in their own facilities.

Blueskythinking123 · 19/09/2021 13:45

You need to make it up. Did your DC work and sane over the holidays?

My DC both worked and saved £'s this summer. It was a long break with exams cancelled. They are definitely financially comfortable for this first term and probably the whole year white their loan and what I top up.

Original poster
Tevion28 · 19/09/2021 13:45

Me and his dad are at loggerheads on this subject

OP posts:
Blueskythinking123 · 19/09/2021 13:46

*save

fourminutestosavetheworld · 19/09/2021 13:46

If he already gets the full loan but doesn't have enough to live on is he in a very expensive part of the country, or in very luxurious accommodation, or maybe catered halls?

I am wondering why, if he has a loan of over £9k he hasn't got more than £500 to live on this term.

Did you ask for accommodation to be arranged in three equal instalments? Sometimes the amount due per term varies but you can ask for it to be evened out to avoid a lean period.

If none of that applies, I guess he needs a part time job.

Original poster
Tevion28 · 19/09/2021 13:47

He didn't work over the summer as he said he was off to uni and would have to leave anyway and will until he gets to uni and get one

OP posts:
MimiSunshine · 19/09/2021 13:48

Well the gym isn’t essential so he could stop those payments. £180 per month could be doable if he was careful with his food shop, made meals he can freeze multiple portions of etc and still have money left for course essentials (depending on what they are he could probably find older students selling 2nd hand items).

It’s easy to say ‘you should make up the difference’ but if a) he already gets the full loan and b) you can’t afford to give him much then he either finds a job or he scrimps but this year with the intention of working like crazy next summer and saving

Blueskythinking123 · 19/09/2021 13:48

If that's £500 for three months with no travel, that should be ok. If not he needs to find a pastime job.

RedHelenB · 19/09/2021 13:49

@Tevion28

He gets the full loan
He'll get a bursary too I'd he's on maximum loan. Mine chose unis with cheaper accommodation costs though so their money stretched further and got zero hour contract jobs.
SuperLoudPoppingAction · 19/09/2021 13:49

Could he make a plan to use as little as possible for food? I used to go to the 10p fridge reductions and eat whatever was left that I fancied. I know things don't get reduced quite that much these days but 30p for a ready meal is still possible.
I had a toddler to support so I was worried about things like fresh fruit.
BootstrapJack has lots of cheap recipes. You can get a bag of rice for about 45p in morrisons which will do 8 meals or so. Red lentils, some veg - you can eat fairly cheaply.

If he spends more than £20 a week on food he will be way over his budget.

If he needs a gym membership for his mental health you could consider paying for that.
He could possibly exercise by walking/jogging outdoors for free though.

A cheapish smartphone on payg means about £10 per month for calls and data.

If he looks on moneysavingexpert there will be suggestions for how he can survive on a low budget. It might be better if he does it, so he can say what his priorities are.

fourminutestosavetheworld · 19/09/2021 13:50

DD received the full loan. She took the cheapest Uni accommodation, shared bathroom and so on, and has about £3000 left for the year to cover food, travel, all extras. If it doesn't look like it's going to be enough, and she's dipping into her savings (summer job in a pub) too regularly, she'll look for a part time job.

Original poster
Tevion28 · 19/09/2021 13:50

He gets £3.331 tomorrow £2592 is due in rent on the 8th October. He doesn't get another payment until 10th January of 2022 of £3.331

OP posts:
Hankunamatata · 19/09/2021 13:50

Can you afford to send him a grocery card each week. Say £30 a week?

As a parent I would pay the contence and gadget insurance for the year. I'd also pay mobile bill.

That leaves his £500 to buy course materials/spending.

steppemum · 19/09/2021 13:51

@Tevion28

He didn't work over the summer as he said he was off to uni and would have to leave anyway and will until he gets to uni and get one
sorry, I know there is nothing you can do about this now, but that is a crappy attitude.

My ds has just left for uni, he has worked all summer, and has savings. He also has already lined up some jobs/interviews for part time jobs in the town he is going to.
he also gets the full loan.
He has chosen to pay for catered as food is a priority for him Grin
so he doesn't have much left. Which is why he is getting a job

Blueskythinking123 · 19/09/2021 13:51

I'm sorry but to sit around from May until Sept and not work while you are a low income household in m opinion is not acceptable.

I'm low income so my DC get nearly the full loan. I help with bits and pieces. Both had teleport jobs over the summer and have saved a few thousand each.

I would not be willing to support anyone who doesn't at least try to help themselves financially.

Howshouldibehave · 19/09/2021 13:51

A student really doesn’t need a gym membership!

He needs to make choices and prioritise. Food, bills and course material are priorities.

Hont1986 · 19/09/2021 13:52

My mum sent me a few hundred pounds as and when I needed it, which was about three times a year. Maybe £1000-1500 total. I was very grateful for it, it meant I could survive comfortably without needing a job.

ForPingsSake · 19/09/2021 13:52

We are paying for accommodation and dc will use the (minimum) loan to live off. That does mean we will pay a fair amount more than just topping up to the maximum loan value because of the cost of the allocated accommodation. We are lucky to be in a position to be able to do that.

The whole student finance system is rubbish though and leaves a lot of students short of what they really need. That does mean they have to get jobs to top themselves up which is not always easy for a variety of reasons.