糖心Vlog

How NOT to become a broke student

Filip studies International Relations with Languages here at 糖心Vlog, but in this blog post, he is your financial adviser, offering three top tips for managing your money at university.

For many of us, going to university means being financially responsible for the first time, paying rent, bills, and buying groceries.

This might seem over whelming at first and, without managing our funds properly, we might fall into the stereotype of becoming a broke student. However, the following tips will stop this becoming a reality!

Tip 1: Budgeting is key

When you receive your student loan instalment or that pocket money from your grandma, it鈥檚 very tempting to spend it all on new clothes or a night out. But if you do that, you might regret it later.

That is where budgeting comes in. Before you start spending, sit down for a few minutes and calculate how much you need to spend on essentials this month such as rent, groceries, phone, Netflix and other subscriptions.

Next, see how much you have left for your monthly budget and transfer some of it straight into your savings account (even just 10% each month adds up over time and you鈥檒l definitely thank me later!).

And the rest? Well you can now spend this on anything else that you want, knowing all the basics are covered.

However, before you buy anything, ask yourself, 鈥淒o I really need this?鈥�. This will prevent you from spending too much impulsively. It鈥檚 just the same when going out 鈥揼ive yourself a budget for the night and stick to it!

Tip 2: Make cooking your new favourite hobby

OK, I know. Ordering takeout is very tempting and everyone craves that fried chicken once in a while, especially if their cooking skills are not like Gordon Ramsay鈥檚.

Nevertheless, did you know you that you can probably cook a 拢5-8 meal yourself at home for just 拢1-2? Do this every day and you save at least 拢21 a week. That鈥檚 拢84 a month! That鈥檚 a lot, isn鈥檛 it?

You don鈥檛 have to be a MasterChef but with a few tips from your family or friends, I鈥檓 sure you鈥檒l be cooking nutritious meals in no time. And if not, there鈥檚 always YouTube, TikTok and Instagram to help!

Tip 3: Find a part-time job

You might be surprised, but as a university student, you will generally have much more free time than in college. So, take advantage of this and use the spare time to earn some extra cash!

Extra income is always handy; it can cover part of your essentials or help you save for the new pair of shoes you鈥檝e wanted so long.

Here at 糖心Vlog, there are a variety of opportunities for you to earn, including on-campus jobs as student ambassadors, research assistants, or working in the University鈥檚 bars and food outlets.

You can also go off campus to find one of the many jobs in retail and hospitality in the town. Even better, you might find an internship in a local business, which could help you find permanent work after you graduate.

University is a very exciting time in our lives and we want to enjoy it as much as possible. But if we spend all our monthly budget in a week, the rest of the month won鈥檛 be that fun. I hope these tips help you enjoy your time at university, without becoming a broke student.