BUDGET & FUNDING
How to plan your student budget ?
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Student life is nearly here! You’ll have your own quiet place to geek out (and sometimes study) without you’re your annoying little brother or parents interrupting you. But going away to study also means having to plan your student budget. Even though you might get a little help from your parents or a rich old American uncle, you still need to figure out your monthly budget to avoid being in the red by the 10th of the month. A few tips from Nemea Appart'Etud.
Student budget: your fixed expenses
To figure out your monthly student budget, you need to know what recurring expenses you have each month, like subscriptions. You need to know what your minimum outgoings are each month, so that you can adjust the rest of your budget to fit. If your rent, insurance and Netflix subscription are already making things tight, you can forget the student association trip to Barcelona.
So then, what are your fixed outgoings? Some examples are given below:
- Rent
- Home insurance (which must be taken out with your rent)
- Student mutual insurance
- Bus pass if required
- Internet subscription
- Mobile phone
- Streaming platform subscription (Netflix, Disney+, etc.)
- Food (Uni cafeteria meal €3.30 in 2020)
By making a list of your recurring expenses, you’ll have a better grasp of your budget and you’ll know if you need to tighten your belt or if you can afford to go to the cinema with your classmates.
What other expenses should be included in the budget?
Unfortunately, being a student can be expensive... in addition to rent and shopping, you’ll have to add other expenses, such as university fees or train tickets to visit your parents once in a while.
Check that your budget includes a leisure activity if you want one! A trip to the swimming pool, the ice rink, a movie, a concert... you have to treat yourself once in a while!
How to reduce student expenses?
Luckily, as a student, you can get some great discounts! Public transport passes are often a little cheaper for students, as are certain leisure activities such as the cinema.
To reduce your outgoings, choose your accommodation carefully, as it often represents 50% of your budget. With Nemea Appart'Etud, for example, you can enjoy fully-equipped accommodation (meaning one less expense) with internet access and often a gym included! So that's two more things you don’t need to worry about.
It's always worth contacting the associations at your university or educational establishment as there might be a student food shop with cheaper goods to lighten your budget.
