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Graduated

BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing

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.

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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.

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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!

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