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

[Lex345]

Just that, essentially. DD is looking at moving into halls next September and when we looked at the cost of halls, based on her budget, this is how much she will have left to cover course materials, food, clothes, travel, socialising etc.

All bills would be covered, but I think this will be a very, very tight budget even just on food. She is planning on moving away from our home area and will be looking for a job as well, but I know that isn't a guarantee, especially not immediately in a new city.

AIBU to think this will be really hard to live on, or am I being completely ridiculous and DD will be absolutely fine, £60/week is plenty?

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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!

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

BUT

Relatively, I imagine it would compare

It is tight, but doable.

It’s plenty for food and essentials.

She will need ‘fun’ money though, and she could work a Saturday for that. She wouldn’t need to do many hours really. Minimum wage is £10 an hour for 18-20 year olds. If she can work 2 evenings a week, or one day a weekend, she’ll have plenty of pocket money. And if she needs to quit that job at exam time, she’ll still be able to feed herself.

My son gets the minimum amount, which means that we have to top his money up. His student loan doesn’t quite cover his rent in Swansea, so we pay him £400 a month towards bills and food and he has a part time job to cover going out and other non essentials. I know many parents like to top
up to avoid their children having to work, but in my experience of having two older children being through university, graduates who have never worked are massively disadvantaged when it comes to applying for jobs when they graduate.

My daughter has just started at a London uni so this might skew things slightly but there is no way that she can survive on £60. She’s got the maximum loan and I am giving her £400 on top of that per month. Again, London, so travel and accommodation might be more expensive than where you are but books, going out, clothes, decorating her room, it all adds up. I would really encourage you to make a budget with her. TV Licence was one thing we forgot to factor in. Luckily you have a year in hand to try and get on top of this. But I strongly urge you to take action now.

If the student halls fee covers all the bills, she'll mainly need to feed herself and any transport to and from lectures.

I agree it is tight, but as long as she gets a part-time job to top up, it's doable.

Food is really cheap now compared to the 80s and 90s, and budget options are boring but fine. Oats for porridge, lentils/chickpeas for protein. My daughter does this anyway, so she can put her earnings towards some cheap student travel experiences with her friends.

I'm not sure you working another job is fair, really. Unless she is a massive nerd and bookworm, she'll probably benefit from having a job as it gives you a bit more diversity of activity. Being a student 100% of the time is a bit gruelling.

Well it’s £240 a month so I’m sure she’ll be fine.
Freshers week will be more expensive so she might need a little boost of cash for those first few weeks and once she’s settled in she’ll find student nights out and food etc will all be doable

She won’t be able to afford to join any societies or participate in any sports. This could kill her chance at a summer work placement or graduate internship.

Good luck finding some scholarships. Even if it is just free membership to a professional society, it will be worth it when she is graduated and looking to start her career.

For 1st year students Halls are a good introduction to living away from home and becoming acquainted with the academic requirements and how to study at degree level. If you're a bit 'canny' then you find a Uni with a self-contained campus with the Halls, Lecture Buildings, Student Services, etc, etc all on the same Campus. No travel costs.

For the poorer students on full loans it means living on £60 pw during term time. This is a completely doable amount to live on for a few weeks at a time. Eating cheap is key - ds can make a meal for less than a £1 (bearing in mind in Halls there are no cooking costs) - pasta, passata, toast, marmite, etc with an inbuilt instruction to take a multivitamin a day.

A bonus is that my own food and bills have substantially reduced over the last two weeks and in simpatico I am reducing my current food bills even further by clearing my cupboards and freezer of all the just in case food that's been there awhile. Because it's only me that needs feeding. And gives me a further chance to help ds out if he needs it.

Poorer people should never feel excluded from accessing Higher Education as they already have a wealth of knowledge and experience that more financially well off students can only emptily theorise on.

Living off £60pw is easy-peasy for the 'poorer' students...and is actually an advantage for those that go to Uni to actually study their chosen subject, rather than those that go because Mumsy and Daddo expect it and you go for the party.

I can’t believe people think it’s too little.
It’s a fairly normal amount going by the posts on university parents groups on Facebook.
I know that my offspring have so far managed 6 cumulative years on £50 a week and number three recently started and also has that budget.
They don’t really drink so that probably helps but number two regularly travels across country to visit his gf. They all manage to socialise.

Same.

I should add I do them one shop at the beginning of term each.

Not really relevant as it is a responsibility for parents to ensure their DC can attend university if they wish to do so.

£60 a week is plenty, especially if all her bills are paid.

My son is in his second year and survives on £200 a month.

Food is about £15 per week, he walks as much as he can, he's joined loads of clubs and societies for fun, they gets discounts and lots of free sessions.

Lots of independent places offer student discount in a uni area. Make sure she joins things like student beans for discount in major retailers.

SU and refectory on site are cheap and he'll have a occassional take away.

We do him a big shop once a term for his items he can buy in bulk and store, toilet rolls, juice, tins, pasta, wash powder etc, then he just needs the renewable bits.

Teach her to batch cook and shop in the reduced section and she'll be fine.

My child has real life experience in the last couple of years where it was actually impossible. Most employers did not want students and when we checked the indeed stats, there were eg 700 people going for job as a retail assistant in superdry. They wanted people who could commit for more hours and for a longer period than students. It was very disheartening.

This. And having a part time job at this point in life also helps graduate employment prospects.

I've been involved in grad employment in the businesses I've worked in and I can't imagine offering a role to someone who'd never held down a job.

Well of course a job at Superdry is going to be highly sought after. Less attractive jobs will be easier to get.

I think it’s ok personally (could be worse) and normal for a student to be on a tight budget.

As long as she’s not burying expletive coffees and food out routinely. she’ll be fine.

I don’t think she should take a term time job, especially based on what you’ve said, holiday times would be helpful if she can.