Living Expenses

[LadyLazarus40]

I would really appreciate some advice.

DC1 will be going to Manchester Uni in the autumn (has a confirmed place is currently on a gap year).

I would really appreciate any advice on how much to allow for living expenses (I know this varies dramatically from student to student but would appreciate some help).

Obviously tuition is £9250 pa and whilst he won’t have a hall allocated for a while (Manc very vague as to whether those with unconditional offers will get this allocated before those holding conditional offers) but the most expensive hall he’s applied to will be £7169 pa.

We will pay for his phone and bus pass / rail card so that just leaves living expenses. What sort of figure are we looking at? We are not rich but are in a fortunate position to have money saved for the dc at Uni.

I’m also in a quandary as to whether to apply for a maintenance loan for him (he will get the minimum).

Any help / guidance gratefully appreciated

Ds spends £30 per week at the supermarket, £7 per week on laundry which is 2 loads in the washing machine as tumble drying is free. One load is clothing, the other is bedding and towels. He then has Netflix £10pm about to be £11, Amazon Prime 6 months free then £4pm thereafter. Spotify £6pm and we pay for his phone as it is part of a family package.

Then any socialising. He doesn't need any course materials but others will have. He tends to head to cheaper places as you get more for your money and some students aren't as flush as others. The minimum maintenance loan would be £4422 so either £85 a week for 52 weeks if you plan to keep paying it over holidays or £147 for a typical 30 week, term weeks only. That is a lot which ever way you look at it. Most students use their overdraft or have jobs.

I know you said you didn't want advice over the tuition fees but consider using the money as a house deposit instead. I believe this is also advised by Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.

@SerendipitySunshine

I'd suggest maybe looking at some catered halls too. The modern en-suite ones, organised in fits, are more fashionable now, but the student satisfaction for the old style corridors are often much higher. They offer a wider pool of students to help find your tribe, and eating together is great to help socialise. Plus they don't drink away their loans and run out of food towards the end of term!

DD (flat of 5 - two sociable lads, with whom she shared in second year, one girl sociable mainly with established friendship group from home in other halls, one Kitchen Monitor) probably would have preferred a larger group and DS2 is having a ball in a flat of 10, but DS1 didn't have issues in a flat of 4, including one young woman who was so self-contained - not actively unfriendly - the rest of them weren't sure whether she stayed the year.

I'm not sure how being in catered accommodation per se affects one's consumption of alcohol, though? Supermarkets / off-licences / bars still exist, whatever catering facilities the students at their local university choose.

Mine was on the minimum loan.
We paid their accommodation and phone, she lived off the loan and got a job.

As a student I received the minimum maintenance loan and I could have lived off it but I got a part time job to earn a bit extra. Can't your son do that? Because honestly, I did criminology and had 5 hours of lectures a week. A part time job certainly didn't take me away from my studies/I wasn't too busy to have a job as well. Let your son take some responsibility here, handing him everything on a plate will not help him on the end.