Budgeting at uni - Tips and Tricks

If you are at university or have been to uni you will understand that being a student, although with its many many upsides can be pretty darn expensive and it is really easy to feel overwhelmed by overdrafts, student finances and the reality of how much everything actually costs. Therefore, I have been trying to keep to a bit of a budget since moving away from home and I am finding that being organised and knowing how much you have allocated yourself for the week makes it all seem a lot less daunting.

I know this might seem really extreme for some of you but what I find keeps me on track is when I make a note of all of the outgoings so I can work out how much I am roughly spending on weekly food shops, nights out and treat yo self moments. I then total it up at the end of the week and compare to what my weekly budget was. I personally work out my weekly budget by seeing how much I can allow myself spending for the term ahead and then dividing that by the weeks in that term. I then see whether this is a feasible amount and then try and stick to this throughout the term. 

Obviously, there have been times where I have gone over the weekly budget and I don't beat myself up about it, but as long as I am aware of my spending I find it is so much easier to keep track and by the end of the month I am not trying to massively scrimp and live off of baked beans.

I thought it might be useful to also add a few of my little savings tips that I try and use:

• I try and meal plan every week to work out what I have in the cupboards and what I need to buy, I then try and stick to 1 shop a week at my true love Aldi which I find stops me from constantly popping to the shops to grab bits and inevitably coming out with more than anticipated.
• I tend to cook for myself 98% of the time rather than ordering takeaways as not only is it much healthier to cook fresh for yourself but the cost of buying fresh food and making it yourself is a million times cheaper than ordering in.
• Before I buy anything online I check to see if there are any deals or student offers on sites like Unidays (A free service for students with amazing discounts). 
• If you don't actually need it don't buy it. The simple one, but tricky to stick to!

But I think it is also really important to not stress yourself out too much, if you want that Chinese takeaway, glass of wine out with friends or a new top to wear out go for it! It's just about getting the right balance and seeing what works best for you and your spending habits.

I hope you have enjoyed this slightly different post for me and I hope it might give you a few ideas to try and start budgeting or saving, even if you aren't at university.

Let me know if you have any tips as well, I'm always game to find new ways of saving.