How much did your bills go down when your teen left for university?

[doistayordoigo]

Reading another thread about what things cost more than you realised, and several people saying teenagers, which I'd have to agree with!

But it got me thinking...I've been trying to work out how much we'll need to supplement DS2 when he goes off to uni in September, but I haven't factored in how much we might save as a result of him going. If you've already had teens go off to uni, did you notice a drop in your bills and if so which bills and how much?

Can’t remember around university departure, but post lock down;
Food bill dropped a bit. Not sure exactly by how much, but we tend to want same sort of quote simple food most of the time. The last to leave wanted different options such as oatmilk, sushi, things to make stir fries and falafel or hummus for lunch whereas we’d happily have a cheese sandwich or just a mug of soup). I did have more people round for coffee and cake etc to fill the void though.

Shopping cost less generally as I wasn’t picking up extra items like special face cleanser, some trainer socks or a birthday present for a friend.

Petrol as less running her around. Laundry as less was being sent most weeks.

Household bills didn’t seem to be much different.

I think university felt more expensive as we were topping up, so it was easy to identify the amount going out. We’d had a break over the summer from school fees and then had to fork out for university. It was definitely more noticeable than household costs.

I couldn't say exactly, but helping out DS wasn't nearly as painful as I'd thought it was going to be. Electricity and water usage went down a bit, but when you're paying in equal instalments that takes a while to filter through. Food and teenage sundries make a big difference, though.

Still got one at home so hard to tell - particularly in current climate with DH WFH all the time when in the past he would have been in the office. The food bill must have gone down.

Our big saving is school fees - topping up uni loan is much less!!

Can't say I've noticed much difference really in terms of home cost reductions. (If anything costs have increased by having to top up basic loan). Less food is eaten but there again food costs have gone up considerably with Brexit and the pandemic so the one is offset by the other. No monthly allowance to pay but again much more being paid for subsistence expenses while at university.

Was a while ago but costs didnt go down they went up funding for food books ect and played rent for the 2and and 3rd year

Thanks for all the responses. Obviously I know our costs are going to go up overall, and I've budgeted for how much I think we'll need to top up his loan by, but was trying to see whether there would be any reduction in our normal costs at home that would offset against the top up amount. I think I'll have to assume not, monitor it once he goes and hope there's a reduction in food and electricity

For us school fees v university without student loans was in effect about the same so that was neutral. For home bills though as twins left leaving only I at home that meant lower electricity and gas bills. I think electricity was lower in particular.

Also I then became a single person for council tax and as my council tax bill is about £4000 !!!!! 25% off is helpful.

Ouch. that's a massive council tax bill!

We don't pay school fees as both DSs went to very good grammar, so no offset there, but I think food will have to go down, as will electricity, although probably not by as much as I'd like. Although he does have a nasty habit of having his curtains shut all the time and having the light on so you never know, it might be more than I think...

Don't forget child benefit stops

Yep, already got that factored on on my spreadsheet ...the 'knowns' I can deal with, it's the 'unknowns' that trouble me

Both mine are at uni at the moment (one year cross over) I save loads on day to day costs - mostly extra food for them and their friends being around all the time. I reckon I save about £300 a month. Sadly (not really) eldest graduates this month and they are both gone for the summer with not much planned. Fingers crossed they get holiday job.

@NaturalBlondeYeahRight

Both mine are at uni at the moment (one year cross over) I save loads on day to day costs - mostly extra food for them and their friends being around all the time. I reckon I save about £300 a month. Sadly (not really) eldest graduates this month and they are both gone for the summer with not much planned. Fingers crossed they get holiday job.

This will be me come September - DS2 will be a third year and DS1 a first year - I am hoping to save lots of money

Bills generally don't go down - or at least not in a way that really impacts.
Yes, you might be able to turn the number on the radiator in their room down a bit (if they have their own room) but you are still heating the rest of the house the same - you don't save 1/4 or 1/5 or whatever on your heating bills, or electricity bills.
I suspect the electricity usage might go down if I compared the bills, but once it is offset by inflation, you don't really notice any gain.

The food / grocery bill goes down a LOT in ds's case

I suppose if you were on a water meter, it would impact, but we aren't, so it doesn't. Same with the other big bills - Council tax (unless that leaves you as a single person in the house ??), and broadband/TV package - again don't go down.

Food bill went way down, but nothing else was really noticeable. Less petrol and I don’t need the AC as cold but I really don’t notice a big difference in outgoings. Two lots of rent and fees is expensive though!

So it seems food is the main one. DH, who usually does the shopping and cooking, has been away this week with work and DS decided to do the cooking all week as practice for when he goes away. Amazingly, our food bill this week was half as a result of us just eating what we'd bought. DH enjoys going to the supermarket and makes little top up trips all the time. I think it might be cheaper to send DH away rather than DS

I definitely spend an awful lot more on food with the DC around than I otherwise would. Combo of buying stuff for DD's school lunches, her being quite fussy about what she will eat (including going over to plant-based milk which is much more expensive), etc.

Not a huge amount to be honest. I still buy the same size of mince, for example. The only difference is, that I may freeze left over meals, and if I buy something in a pack of four, the fourth item May get frozen (leaving me a lot of random one-off items in the freezer!). However, I did find certain items I no longer had to buy.

The main difference I found was the amount of washing that got reduced. That was welcomed!

I have noticed a different also with who is in the house (having had adult children here almost 24/7 since March 2020 when universities went into lockdown.) Last week my student son started a job so is out 12 hours a day and it is just like when they went to school again - so peaceful in the day, so much less loo paper used (!!), so much less cleaning as he is out of the house not that he doesn't do his own washing up etc but definitely less wear and tear. Lots of families will have found this with people working from home and then not.

I also wondered this as both my teens will be gone in two years time (a year (dd next year and ds the year after). They are so so expensive! I am a single Mum and will not be able to contribute much to their costs at Uni (luckily they have trust funds to see them through). I think food and energy bills will a huge drop for me given the amount they eat!!!

Actually, I hadn't considered washing and loo roll

DS uses a vast quantity of loo roll, and puts things in the wash after having worn them for a few hours, meaning large proportion of the wash each week is his. I suspect his laundry habits may change at uni once he has to pay for it himself.

Actually yes - loo roll is probably the one thing that has reduced since DS went to uni 🤣

Is nobody here getting child maintenance, child benefit or tax credits? Depending how many other children you have left at home, there can be a huge drop in household income. Around £500 in total when my first went to uni and not far off that for the second. Far outweighs the savings on food and bills.

@Undertheoldlindentree

Is nobody here getting child maintenance, child benefit or tax credits? Depending how many other children you have left at home, there can be a huge drop in household income. Around £500 in total when my first went to uni and not far off that for the second. Far outweighs the savings on food and bills.

No none of those. I’m sure it’s an issue for many though.

I didn’t find there was any change in bills when our eldest moved out although realistically I suppose it must have affected the shopping bill by a few pounds a week but as I spend different amounts each week and don’t have a set budget I’ve not noticed . We didn’t get any type of money / benefit for ours so no actual money to lose .

@Undertheoldlindentree

Is nobody here getting child maintenance, child benefit or tax credits? Depending how many other children you have left at home, there can be a huge drop in household income. Around £500 in total when my first went to uni and not far off that for the second. Far outweighs the savings on food and bills.

Yes me, I will lose £545 in maintenance and child benefit. I will have to work more hours to make up the loss without a doubt.