Money is often a concern for students. This Guardian article features second years discussing how they spent their money during their first year – most agree that taking steps to manage your finances is key!
By not leaving your finances to chance, you then can spend more time enjoying your studies and your life at university without worrying about your bank balance.
Here are our top 10 ways to manage your money to get you started:
It’s the summer term and with this comes your final instalment of funding for this academic year. You now need to stretch your money for this term and possibly also the summer too. It’s not as scary as it sounds – see below for our guide to keeping on top of your finances for the final term and beyond.
National Student Money Week starts today at the University of Northampton!
This year, our campaign ‘Where I live’ is focussing on housing, including the typical costs of renting and what to think about when looking for a new house for next year.
If you’re in your first year and currently living in Halls, you’ll probably need to move out at the end of the academic year. Similarly, some landlords like to change their student tenants each year, so even if you love your house share now, check with your landlord sooner rather than later so you know if you need to start looking.
Assuming you need or want to move, here are some helpful pointers and tips to consider before diving in to your next commitment.Read More »NSMW – What are the true costs of renting?
As a student, you might be offered opportunities to borrow money – this is known as credit. Access to credit can be both positive and negative. Although it’s advisable to try to live within your means whenever possible, sometimes emergencies happen and in these circumstances, credit will be very helpful. Applying for credit can also help improve your credit rating in the future. However, you must remember that credit is not ‘free money’ – it always needs to be paid back – and if you splurge on credit, it can end up costing you a huge amount in interest and charges.
Here are some common credit options – some are okay (providing you don’t go overboard with your spending), and some are best avoided.
Welcome to the University of Northampton. Whether you are a new or a returning student, we hope you have a fantastic experience studying with us. Money is often a cause of concern for students so here are some tips to get into good habits early when managing your money:
Our How to spend a student loan- part 1 post looked at typical costs of rent and utility bills; in ‘part 2’ we’ll now consider course costs, mobile phones/ broadband, and travel.
After you’ve applied for your funding, you can now think about how you’ll spend your money when you get to university. Whether it’s the first time you’ve had to manage your finances or you’re swapping a salary for a student loan, if you start to look at and prepare for potential costs early, it will be easier to create a budget – allowing more time and energy to enjoy your new life at university.
Summer is finally here! The days are getting warmer and longer, and it’s not long now until the end of the academic year. You might have sorted out your summer plans already, but just in case you’ve been too distracted by assignments, revising, and sunny afternoons, here are some points you should consider:
If you’re thinking of starting a university course in September, now’s the time to start looking into and applying for your funding: as well as tuition fees, you will also need money for your general living and course costs e.g. food, travel, books, socialising, etc.
Paying using a contactless card is so easy: as no PIN is needed, you just waive or tap your card or your phone when you get to the check-out and you’re done. If you regularly pay this way, you are not alone – it is reported that one-in-five card payments are now contactless. Shops, pubs and cafes love this as it speeds up the queues. So why can this be considered as a ‘money danger’?Read More »Money dangers – The lure of contactless