It’s the student stereotype to be a ‘poor student’, living off of baked beans and cereal, but with a bit of budgeting and planning you can make your money stretch. I’ve always thought budgeting and making sure I forward plan is important to avoid feeling stressed about money, so I can focus on other things like assignments.

My main budgeting tip, and what I have done for the last 3 years, is to make an incoming and outgoing list of money that I know about for the year. I make a list of every time I have student loan or bursary going into my account, and how much, and when my rent and bills are going out. This way I get a rough idea of my income for the year once rent has been deducted.

Budgeting helps you avoid having to scrimp and save those pennies!

When I first started university and I was getting used to budgeting, I would withdraw £40 a week and use that for my shopping and for going out. I found it really useful actually, and that I was able to stick to it without overspending all the time.

Another way that I have been able to budget is through using online banking and having the app on my phone. This way I can see the amount I have in my account and work out from there if I can afford something. It’s really handy being able to log on and see my balance straight away! Mainly budgeting relies on common sense.

Withdrawing cash helps me stick to my budget by physically seeing how much I have left a week.

As a student you won’t be able to afford to go out shopping for new clothes and shoes all the time, but it’s also nice to treat yourself! Through being sensible I have been able to have treats throughout my time as a student, I haven’t missed out greatly on a lot of things, and that’s because I’ve tried to be sensible with my budget!