“So, I have to pay my rent and bills, buy that book for my course and have money for going home… how am I going to do this?!”

I am sure that at least one time in your university experience this thought will cross your mind, but budgeting is not something to be worried about.

You may think that eating chips and beans for the entire year is the only way you’re going to make sure that you can pay all the things you need to pay and still have money to spend on nights out and enjoying yourself – but you’re wrong!

From experience, I have found that I spend about £20-25 a week on food; that covers me for breakfast, lunch and dinner and still gives me a little spare change to be able to treat myself to a chai or a chocolate bar when I have those long days at uni.

Here are 3 ways to stop budgeting blues:

1. One of the best ways to save money and how much you spend is by cooking with one of your housemates. This way you only have to do half the amount of washing up and it can sometimes lead to you tasting new foods and learning how to cook different things.

2. You could also all chip in (as in you and your housemates) a little bit of money each month to buy household products (sponges, washing up liquid, washing tablets, etc.) because realistically you probably won’t use 100 washing tablets in your first year.

3. Another great technique for saving money is to go home (don’t tell your parents this is the reason you’ve come to see them though). If you say something like “Oh, I really like that dinner mum, any chance you could put some in a Tupperware for me to take back with me…?” she will probably jump at the chance, because you actually like her cooking (mums love to know this). It’ll save you money too, because you’ll have dinner (or maybe several dinners) sorted for another night.

Budgeting, having to be more independent and wanting to have a good time are all part of the uni (learning) experience, so if the first few months you do end up a little scarce for cash, don’t worry, it’s all about training yourself for the real world.

By Alice Fiancet