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Higher education

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Original poster

Assisting with living expenses

12 replies

mutley1 · 08/09/2015 20:57

DD is about to go to Uni. Her maintenance loan is going to go towards but not cover her accomodation costs in a self catered residence. We are going to have to cover the balance. I also want to help her with money for day to day living but have really no idea what is a reasonable amount. Anyone any experience with this?

OP posts:
stonecircle · 08/09/2015 21:04

Lots of discussions on lots of threads about this mutley. DS's accommodation is an eye-watering ??6k (self-catered!). We're paying that and leaving him his student loan to live on. Works out at ??100 pw.

Katymac · 08/09/2015 21:07

there's a thread with ideas here

Horsemad · 09/09/2015 09:58

We're topping up his (min) loan too - like stonecircle, his accommodation is almost 6k Shock and then putting ??500 in his a/c every month.

It will work out about ??100/wk for food & entertainment.

If he needs more, he can get a job!

Kez100 · 09/09/2015 11:46

Last year:

We paid DD rent.

DD received about ??3500 from S Loans for maintenance plus a scholarship.

She saved all her scholarship money and about ??1000 of the maintenance money.

So, I would say she spent about ??2500 on food etc - however, she is not a big drinker or clubber.

DontEatAnyFishTodayMaam · 09/09/2015 14:24

I think it depends where she wants to go. Rent prices will vary in different regions, ie Hull is cheaper than Brighton. I'd say she'd need about ??1k a month to live off (inclusive of rent, food, travel, books, entertainment etc etc).

sassymuffin · 09/09/2015 15:58

Same situation with DD, we are going to pay her rent and other fixed fees and she is going to live off her maintenance loan.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 09/09/2015 16:00

We pay ds1's rent (??400 PM). He lives off grant and very small part time job salary.

Millipedewithherfeetup · 09/09/2015 19:10

Planning on topping up her accomodation costs, then giving ??25 per week for food, pay her mobile phone and travel etc, she has a ??1000 bursary to spend, plus hoping she gets a pt job, no doubt we will be funding morethan the above, but i think thats a good enough starting point tbh.

beaucoupdemojo · 12/09/2015 09:43

DS uni asks for a 300 pound deposit which they apparently refund over term 2 and 3. Why not knock it off term 1, which is really expensive? Am paying 800 to top up for his accommodation this term, plus 50 pounds per week to live on. Ds is catered so I know I am lucky in that lots of places are sc and more expensive

MissDemelzaCarne · 12/09/2015 14:42

DS' Maintenance loan won't go anywhere near his just under £6K rent at this ridiculously expensive, private hall, (it was all we could get as he's going to his insurance offer).
We're paying the rent and he can live off the loan, I worried that it was too generous but he has ASD and I don't want to work about money.
He'll have to live somewhere cheaper next year though!

SecretSquirrels · 12/09/2015 18:31

DS started in s/c halls last year. His living costs were much lower than we expected. I gave him £300 a month (after rent) and he spent less most months.
He doesn't have expensive tastes. A lot depends whether they are party animals or spend a lot on clothes/phones etc.

mumeeee · 15/09/2015 18:24

in the first year we paid DD3s rent and she used her student loan. Last year we paid most of her rent and she paid about £500 towards bit for the year. We will do the same this year. She had always managed to have some loan left at the end of each term. We did the same for DD1 and DD2,
I sometimes put money on her Sainsbury meal card that she can use to buy food with. Also sometimes send her a parcel but have never needed to give her extra money.

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