Uni money to live on

[Kattya]

Just after a few options/advice. DD off to Uni. She's in halls and her maintenance loan doesn't cover all of her rent so we will have to top that up. I'm just wondering how much she will need to live on. She will get a job she's not work shy but I dont want her to be working all the time as she needs to study so was thinking of giving her so much a week for food etc ??

luckysky

£150 A WEEK?!!!

What he fuck do they spend it on -t hey must be the most popular kids at Uni buying all those drinks!

let's say they go wild and spend £50 a week on food each... that means they have £400-£500 a month for just pocket money

let's say they go wild and spend £50 a week on food each... that means they have £400-£500 a month for just pocket money

Dd pays her accommodation and we transfer £50 per week during term time only. I buy a few clothes for her and when she comes home for the weekend I send her back with shopping and stuff for the freezer (I make extra portions of spag bol, chilli etc of family meals and freeze in individual containers for her).

Interesting to see the different ways people do this.

We've got a little Facebook group with about 80 people on who have DCs either going off to uni soon or in second/third year.

Would be fab if any of you wanted to join to pass on any advice you may have

m.facebook.com/groups/488235648182391

(What I wish I knew about Uni)

My older 3 14 - 10 years ago had £100 a week. I have just applied inflation to that figure for the twins and they go in September. They have had the sum since July so they can save it up for initial university costs. I earn quite a bit. That's all. Most children will not have that much. I only mentioned it to show the spread of incomes. My children will buy all their own clothes, pay for phones, transport to and from other than when I drive them there and back etc. I am afraid the twins also share a car too but whether they decide to use it at university is up to them. They pay petrol costs.

What do or will they spend it on? Food in the second year at university (first year they get 2 meals a day although I bet they are in supermarkets buying a good bit of their food anyway in year 1 as one is vegan and the other is quite specific in what he prefers to eat) comes out of it; going out at night; clothes. I just bought their last clothes ever as we are on the new allowance system now which was quite expensive VANS shoes which I have not even heard of but they like; probably some take aways. They were at the cinema last night; tube fares last night; perhaps university books; they both want to join the university gym (they go to our gym every day at least once at the moment); just stuff....

The nice thing about university is you meet people of all kinds, some with more money than others (as indeed they do at school - they have a lot of much richer boys in the class than we are) and everyone mixes and hopefully is aware of other people's budgets. One will take his bike and probably continue Deliveroo work.

What does a night out in London cost? One and his friends seem to get back here around 5am one boy sleeps here. I think last time they got the night bus which is very cheap presumably leaving London 3am back locally 4am but it stops ages away - 20 minut car ride so they then had a 60 minute walk back here which he said was lovely actually! So I don't think they over spend but I bet entry to the night club is expensive and drinks will be ridiculously priced.

Let me have a guess then - food so might well be £70 a week. I don't mind how they spend the £150. In year 2 it will have to go on things like utility unless their rent is all inclusive. I have never looked particularly at what they spend on food. This holiday one buys a £7.60 half duck thing with wraps from Waitrose he cooks once a week which I do think is expensive actually - I was directing him to my potatoes instead as a joke but once they get to university all this will have to be budgeted - I tell them about Sottish students who used to take a sack of oats and eat porridge with water all university term and that once they are there budgeting will have to be considered and emergency costs - you break your phone or lap topk, you didn't insure it, you need a new one - your fault, your allowance. You get a speeding ticket or hurt the car - your cost if not on insurance.

It will be interesting to see if it saves me money as I don't now hand out money for meal deliveries to the house or their last night's cinema trip or tube costs. It all comes out of the allowance.

one person eating doesnt cost that much,
travel, make sure he gets a student pass,
what can you afford also op?

some of the university website have guides as to how much they spend
my dd got a full maintenance grant, worked in the summer, and managed. She became a vegetarian before she went too, and very rarely buys clothes. I pay for her phone.
see how much a maintenance grant is op and see if you can match that?

not grant, loan of course

Kattya - iso much depends on the individual. One of my dcs is quite frugal re clothes and expensive nights out (he does like going out but isn't the sort to splash the cash in expensive clubs). But he probably spends more than most on food (plays rugby - huge appetite and needs lots of protein).

Also remember additional costs. Lots of going out in Freshers week and joining clubs (£250 rugby club membership for example!).

They will also need to pay a deposit for their following year's accommodation (DS2 had to pay a £600 deposit for this year).

Yes, clubs can cost a fair bit. I don't want people on here to think all children will have £150 spending money a week. I am just reasonably well off and that will just keep the children at a similar living standard to now or in fact probably a bit less and it will incentivise them to get a job. My older daughter took a horse to univesrity in her last year although she did get up at 5.30am every day to muck it out in the coutnryside so it was not really a posh livery horse experience but really good for you mucking out horse poo up at crack of dawn experience!

I have no idea what my son spends in clubs. I think they went to that dreadful tiger tiger place for a few trips as each boy turned 18 this year and were in some VIP area but perhaps parents were paying and the other one does not even drink. They are now also paying for anything medical, shampoo, all sorts and I keep going on about what it will cost them to wash their clothes when away if any insist on a separate wash for a precious T shirt that has to be washed alone! (They have never trusted my washing so here is their chance - they will be doing all their own washing in a few weeks).

Lucy - I think we all get that you are well off!

I'm having a wobble reading about how much money people are giving their off springs. Feeling really shitty as Im not able to give DD anything as just me and I still have younger child. DD has got full loan and student finance all sorted by herself, she has even done her budgeting list to include laundry as to far away to be coming back home until Xmas.

I wish she didn't need to have all loans and finance but she done all research and paperwork.

But I'm panicking (she doesn't know) but reading this worried if she will manage. She has said about getting job and has already been searching but more likely to find one advertised once there

Ignore me - please don't panic. There will be just as many people like your DD as there are like Lucy's dcs. More I imagine.

The fact that your DD has organised her finance and budgeted shows she is capable and WILL BE FINE.

My ds1's gf was in exactly the same situation as your DD and she managed absolutely fine as well. She's also good at planning and organising which has helped immensely.

Not everyone can afford to pay fees in advance and give a huge weekly amount to live on. My dcs have taken loans for fees and are eligible for minimum maintenance loans.

What will your DD have left when she has paid for her accommodation?

Thank you @stonecircle

I'm not sure (which sounds bad also) all I know is that her accomdation is £114 p/wk and she got full maintaince loan due my low income, the only other expenses is £40 mobile contract (we was very naive about that) she has made budget lists, made planners even made her own recipes cards for cheap meals.

I am proud that she has done all this herself as I didn't take the news of loans etc very well as having debts once myself all the stress & worry that it brings.

Have been able to buy her bedding, towels etc so that sorted, she also raised money for 2 uni event tickets by selling her stuff. I know she won't live beyond her means as cirrumstances have curbed her shopaholic ways.

I just worry she won't be able to keep up with the Jones as such and miss out or struggle to pay for materials etc, I know it's not about the partying etc but this such a big thing as she only leaving me & her sibling and big V sign to all ex bullies from small town.

Maybe she can offer to cook dinners for small fee, who doesn't like a roast dinner followed by chocolate cake omg I'm going to miss her

Ignore me - university brings people together from all sorts of backgrounds. Most people understand and respect this. If they don't, they're absolutely not worth bothering with.

Decades ago I went to a university which attracts an awful lot of posh people. Quite an eye opener for a girl from a solidly working class background. There were plenty like me, but I didn't just gravitate towards them. I also had several lovely well off friends who didn't shove their wealth down my throat and recognised that not everyone could afford the same as them. One of my flat mates at one point was a doctor's daughter. She couldn't afford lunch most days because her dad refused to top her grant up to the going rate.

And don't be drawn into the hype on here about all the stuff they must take with them. I just asked DS2 if he really needed to take a printer with him in first year and he said, 'nah'. It was handy but not necessary as several other people in his flat had them and essays are typed and submitted on line. Some of his stuff came back unused - the iron and the clothes airer for example!

Has your DD checked to see if she is eligible for any bursaries?

I agree with stonec. it is al relative anyway. My children by no means have been the best off at university, not at all but most people of all income levels don't flaunt it and also if I stop work or my income dries up or I stop working 6 days a week full time etc then I won't be carrying on paying what I currently pay. they know it all depends on my health continuing and work continuing (I am self employed so no guarantee income at all).

I gave ds an allowance of £500 per month in term time (and pro rata for the months when it was part term and part holidays). We live in a different country, so I knew he had a buffer there if needed. No loans, and I am cutting it this year as his hall costs as ridiculous, but bills are included, unlike his house last academic year.

My parents gave me £120 a month for food and socialising 23 years ago. It wasn't enough - even then!

I agree with StoneCircle - "How much money" questions on MN, always have such a range of people on them, which is good. It will be the same at University. There will be people who don't have a job, whose parents pay their fees and give them gazillions of £s to live off as well as providing them with a car and a phone contract, and then there will be people who are working 3 jobs, eating beans on toast for 3 years and never putting the heating on.
It is life.
I have no problem with Lucy's dc having £££ a, on her income, she can comfortably provide them with that. We just need to reassure posters (+ lurkers ) that those amounts aren't 'usual' and certainly aren't 'needed' by the vast majority of students.

You can reveal too much information about your dcs, where they are going to uni and how much money you are going to give them that they will be easily identifiable in real life.

Honestly there won't be very many at all being given £150 a week.

There's a vast difference in the amount of spends they all have but that is definitely the higher end.

Mine has about £100 a week and spends about £95 of that on alcohol I think

bevel is right although I doubt the amount they have (which all their friends know and is hardly confidential) is going to make them targets for robbery or anything. It is hard a king's ransom. They won't be booking weekends to Italy on it.

DS has just finished his first year, he got minimum maintenance loan, we topped it up to pay halls fees.

We then subtracted accomodation cost from max loan figure and divided by 8.5 for total months he would be at uni. That came to about £360 a month, which is what his friends in same halls but on a full loan would have to live on each month!

We gave him 300, which he said was more than enough, but obvs less than those on full loan would have. He covered his phone and travel costs from that (but we are only 40mins away on train) and his books were free from the uni.

He did have funds from a 6th form job, plus has worked back in retail in uni city since Easter (but has just handed notice in, as it was long weekend hours, and doing a science, he will have a full 2nd year timetable.)

I have just today done same calcs for 2nd year. Since his shared house is costing less than halls, and max loan has increased, it came out at £500/month we should be giving him to make up to max loan. We may increase it a little, but not that much.

But it is interesting, if he were eligible for a full loan, he would have around £500/mth to spend after paying for his house.