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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

How much per month, excluding rent

42 replies

OuiOuiMonAmi · 05/09/2022 16:09

What do your DCs spend per month, WITHOUT rent costs? DD's maintenance loan will cover about 2/3 of her rent so we will need to top that up. But I'm trying to work out how much to give her for food, socialising etc.

I'm also wondering how to do it - I wondered about her sending me the maintenance loan and I then use that to pay all her rent. Then everything left in her account is what she can use to budget for food/socialising etc. Or is that mad?! 😁 I'm just working out how to avoid 'oh, I spent all my maintenance loan on food and now I can't afford the rent payment'

OP posts:
Northernsoullover · 05/09/2022 16:10

I've recently finished uni and a few of the younger students had their finance looked after by parents.

user1487194234 · 06/09/2022 07:37

We give ours £1100 to cover rent and spending money
Rent is just under £600
We don’t get involved in how they spend it

MarchingFrogs · 07/09/2022 00:05

@OuiOuiMonAmi If you are going to be topping up the rent and then giving her money on top, would it work to pay the rent and let your DD use the maintenance loan for everything else? You could always ask her to refund you anything above a total of the maximum loan.

Stormchaser1502 · 07/09/2022 00:10

We paid rent. The maintenance loan then sorted other things. He had to get a job to fund nights out. It taught him alot imo. And his tbh.

Kite22 · 07/09/2022 00:56

A lot say they pay the rent and let the student live off the minimum loan but I felt that if the student gets it wrong early on, and spends wildly for a month or two, what will you do then ? Would any of us let out dc have no food for 6 or 8 weeks?

We chose to give our eldest the money weekly, so if he got it wrong, we knew he only had to figure out how not to starve for a few days before he then had some more money.
I know someone will say that is infantilising them, but I ask how many adults - experienced in budgeting - have their "pay" only 3 times a year and then plan all their spending from that ? Not many I'd wager. We mostly get paid monthly. That is something that many students will manage, but I wouldn't start them off with having all their income for 4 months in one go.
Plus, of course, it is reliant on the parents having up to £2K available in September to pay the accommodation in one go.

MrsEricBana · 07/09/2022 00:57

Yes a lot of people pay the rent and the student lives off the maintenance loan.

Original poster
OuiOuiMonAmi · 07/09/2022 07:57

Thanks everyone. The maintenance loan is different for evreyone though - DD is getting around £4400 a year. That's about £350-400 per month if you exclude holidays. Is that enough for food and socialising? I'm happy to pay whatever I can for her to go out and have fun, but I'm not happy to fund her Vinted habit 😃 I'm trying to figure out how I can pay for food/socialising only...

OP posts:
Xenia · 07/09/2022 08:02

I paid the rent direct (so they could not spend that on something else). Then I paid an allowance each week by standing order so it could not be over spent. I started it in July before university so they could save it up for the more expensive first few weeks when there is a bit more to buy as you are just starting. Tha worked well. Others will say that does not teach them to manage a large lump sum but my older children are independent now and it has not stopped them managing life on a monthly salary. (Mine had no loans of any kind which is not the norm and the amount per week for general spending will differ from family to family. My twins had £150 a week each but that is more than some have so not an indicator of anything - they had friends on all sorts of sums £20 a week upwards.)

The maximum maintenance loan for those from families with not much money is £9706 not including London universitiies but that figure is also to cover rent.

PolkaDotShoes · 07/09/2022 08:17

Most parents seem to pay the rent and the student lives off the maintenance loan.

We do it the other way round: they pay their rent & bills from from their loan and we pay a monthly "salary" for living expenses. That way they get used to the normal working pattern of living paycheque to paycheque, without having a whole term's money to burn through at a time. It works out at just over £10/day, paid year round (even in holidays, so they save a bit in the holidays as I pay for their food).

ShaunaTheSheep · 07/09/2022 08:20

To be fair, so mine have the same basic amount to live on, I give them rent money - transferred just before rent is due, plus £20/week for food, transferred weekly.

Everything else is met from the minimum loan and part-time/holiday pay.

DC3 will be in catered accommodation this year so will adjust accordingly.

maddy68 · 07/09/2022 08:23

We paid the rent and ours had a supermarket delivery every week which we funded. They had to get a job to pay for the fun elements.

Longtimenewsee · 07/09/2022 08:25

I top up dcs minimum maintenance loan to the maximum amount . I give them 1/3 of our contribution at the start of each term and then the maintenance loan comes in a few days later . I leave it them to it.. they sort out budget and paying rent etc. My youngest will have approx £70 per week left this year when rent has been paid. They work in summer for a buffer and I usually pay for a supermarket shop at the beginning of each term at drop off

Longtimenewsee · 07/09/2022 08:27

*each year.. not each term
also pay for phone and insurance

Hastingsontheup · 07/09/2022 08:29

We are giving an amount equal to state maternity allowance (£158 p/w) as that is what has been calculated as the cost of living for someone unable to seek work.

Seemed reasonable to us and DS.

Stormchaser1502 · 07/09/2022 09:00

I’d deffo recommend sending a food shop instead of money.

The amount of times ds had nothing to live on/feed himself but had been out the night before for an ‘epic night out’!

UnnecessaryFennel · 07/09/2022 09:12

I pay ds's rent and utility bills (private rent in London). He will use his maintenance loan for spending money, plus anything he earns from part-time work.

Plus I spent an unholy amount of money on a Tesco trawl before I dropped him off, so he should be set for loo roll, supernoodles and hot sauce for the foreseeable.

Of course he knows that he can come to me for extra money in an emergency but also that, given his rent is extortionate, I do expect him to be sensible and budget!

Hastingsontheup · 07/09/2022 10:07

Stormchaser1502 · 07/09/2022 09:00

I’d deffo recommend sending a food shop instead of money.

The amount of times ds had nothing to live on/feed himself but had been out the night before for an ‘epic night out’!

Isn't the point that they learn to budget ?

Seeline · 07/09/2022 10:14

We pay rent. DS lives off min. Maintenance loan (as will DD in 2 weeks).

We also pay phone, Netflix, Spotify etc.

DS has a job to supplement and I'm guessing we will probably have to help out with bills this year as they aren't included in his rent. DD will be in halls so bills included this year.

DS has his loan paid into his student account and then transfers a weekly allowance into his current account to help with budgeting.

mast0650 · 07/09/2022 10:23

I made my daughter's money for the year up to the maximum loan (she gets the minimum). That seemed like a good starting point and looked reasonable. She does a bit of part time work in the holidays only and I think she has a pretty comfortable lifestyle! Unfortunately I've now realised that costs at Oxford Uni are unsually low (mainly due to short terms, but also generous subsidies by colleges) and I will be giving her brother a bit more to make it fair.

KittyMcKitty · 07/09/2022 15:19

My dc isn’t getting a maintenance loan. We are giving him at the start of each term (well just before) that terms accommodation money plus £150 pw x the number of weeks in that term + 1. We also pay his phone and will pay for an annual bus pass.

he will need to work in the holidays if he wants money for any extras.

OhAmBackAgain · 07/09/2022 15:28

No way could we afford to pay his rent it 9k+ a year! the first year we topped his rent up roughly by 1K then as he's in London we give him £75 a week to cover food and travel whatever, he has a small part time job, which is for big nights out and saves some for cheap weekends away and holidays.

we don't have to top his rent up thus year TF

OhAmBackAgain · 07/09/2022 15:32

just to add the maintenance loan goes to him and he sorts paying his rent.

goldengrove · 07/09/2022 19:07

My DC will start uni very soon, will be getting the maximum maintenance loan (£9706) which we hope will cover all the costs of living in college/student halls, catered food etc - Does anyone know if this is likely to be enough? (NB: will not be in London).

We are completely new to all this, so would value those who have the experience, to suggest a reasonable/low weekly budget to assume will be needed for personal spending/expenses during uni terms (DC is frugal, quite sensible and unlikely to overspend).

Also, if DC finds themselves in credit at the end of each term, but will then be living at home with me for most of every holiday - Do you think it would be reasonable to expect them to contribute a little to the household, towards their holiday food and living costs? (Single parent here, so money is tight). NB. For additional info: DC has a disability, so will find it harder than most to work/earn independently in the holidays). Thanks in advance for your input!

Seeline · 07/09/2022 19:10

@goldengrove really depends on whether they are living at home or renting during term time. If in halls, how much will be left of their loan once rent is paid?

Kite22 · 07/09/2022 19:12

DD is getting around £4400 a year. That's about £350-400 per month if you exclude holidays

Please remember though, that is their income for the year.
It isn't all for food and socialising.
It is for paying their rent for July Aug and Sept when they start the contract for their 2nd yr housing.

It is for one off payments - like subs for a team or society.

It might be for a (hopefully) one off thing like a driving test.

It is for travel home if the want / need to.

It is for buying a sandwich toaster when they realise they "need" one.

It is for replacing shoes when they get a hole in them.
On some courses it is for a field trip, or for resources they need.
etc
etc
etc

Try to help students understand it is not the amount they have for food and fun week after week.

Is that enough for food and socialising? It is 2 x what my dc has