How much are parents giving first-year students for weekly food?

[Wheredidtheweekendgo123]

How much are other parents sending to their first year’s at university for food every week? My daughter is at York and accommodation costs have swallowed up her entire student loan (and we are having to top it up). Just wondered what a reasonable weekly figure is for food. We did buy her a load of cleaning stuff to go with so she shouldn’t need to buy that for a while.

I dont know yet. I panicked slightly as we did a food shop together and it came to £80. But in hindsight there was more than a weeks worth of some items and some toiletries and cleaning stuff.

He has savings from his job so we are going to see how it settles in and if he needs help.

I didn't separate out 'food' from other expenses such as social, transport, laundry, toiletries, healthcare etc, but they had one weekly amount and budgeted it themselves. Around £100/week September to end of June. They saved or worked to cover the summer holidays (and lived with us rent free). We covered gym membership/phone contract/car tax & insurance and sport and musical equipment on top.

We give £75 and top up with store cupboard essentials, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent etc. at the beginning of each term. She also has a part time job which helps for social stuff and clothes.

We give £50 a week for food and that is enough.

My colleague sends a big monthly delivery of stuff (cupboard essentials and toiletries etc..) once a month about £200’s worth then she said about 30-40£ a week for fresh stuff

York accommodation is not cheap! Our DC has also just started there and their rent is way more than the loan would cover. They are in a catered college though, so breakfast and dinner is included Monday to Friday. Both meals are pretty generous too.

They have £100 per week on top of accommodation. This is to cover lunches and weekend food, plus travel, laundry, going out, clothes, clubs & societies etc. We've kept paying their phone separately as it's a cheap contract.

They also have a chunk of savings from their job and birthday money etc. They've already used some to buy the year's gym membership as there was a good offer if you signed up in advance.

My son’s accommodation has all bills included. We give him £300 a month for food and socialising which has been enough but he is very frugal and we usually stock him up with cleaning products, toiletries etc when he goes back.

Mine lives on min loan and we pay accommodation. It’s just under £100 a week for everything she has to spend.

Thanks all

We have given DS £150 per week for the first three weeks whilst he settles in. We’ve paid his gym membership and stocked him up on store cupboard staples, cleaning products etc and a small amount of fresh food. We’re not sure how much he’ll need for actual food, maybe £50 max? He’s agreed to slide his savings, birthday money etc across into an easy access savings account and just keep his current account for the weekly payments we give him so we can try to work out what he genuinely needs for day to day living. He was excited to discover that the campus Pret A Manger reduce their food by half price in the final hour before closing and treated himself to a chicken salad, The previous night he’d cooked a tin of tomatoes with herbs, pasta and grated cheese and said it tasted awful. It’s definitely a learning curve for all of us 😂

We gave £500 a month plus we paid for mobile bill and transport - bus pass and coach tickets for home visits.

Wow times has changed since I went!
My mum and dad gave me £50 when they left me in my accommodation and sent the odd cake.
I did have a loan, extra hardship loan and a job though.
I will have to work out how much to save for when DS goes in a few years

We give £50 a week and our DC top that up with money from holiday jobs.

We pay for accommodation and £100 per month. We have paid a first good shop when moving in, and will help buying bits and pieces if she needs unexpected essential items.
She has worked over the summer and is looking for a weekend too.

We haven't decided if we will either pay accomodation and they they can use 5k loan to live on or they take no loans, we pay for accomodation and then we send £100pw for all spends. Works out the same basically.

Check what loan he’ll get there’s an online calculator. If you and DH are working even in fairly low paid jobs they only get minimum loan in England. Parents are expected to pay a significant contribution. Unfortunately lots of parents don’t realise until dc in sixth form.