How much per month to help daughter?

johnswife

Yes i have been told the course is quite hard so IF she can manage without a job then she can concentrate on her course. She is quite sensible and has always worked hard on her GCSE and A levels but likes to go out and make friends.

ystalyfera

johnswife wrote: »

Yes i have been told the course is quite hard so IF she can manage without a job then she can concentrate on her course. She is quite sensible and has always worked hard on her GCSE and A levels but likes to go out and make friends.

this is a part of Uni too mind.Bit like work really no one works and works without having some me time could she get some of these books from Amazon?my sons going to Aberystwyth in a fortnight to do German and French.He's been told he could be lucky and get some off there.Some students have had good deals on the used ones he wants.

johnswife

Yes she has been searching on eBay etc but think she will leave it until she gets there as apparently the uni has a second hand book sale from previous students.
I did buy her the freshers wrist band so she can go the events and meet the others.

ystalyfera

johnswife wrote: »

Yes she has been searching on eBay etc but think she will leave it until she gets there as apparently the uni has a second hand book sale from previous students.
I did buy her the freshers wrist band so she can go the events and meet the others.

wonder if they have this where my son will be going.Makes since really.

pennypusher

One of the most helpful things we did before my son went to Uni was look on line to see what previous students suggested he would need and find useful for Stationery, Self Catering, Bedding, Books etc. We made a list of things which we bought so he was stocked up before he went so he then only needed food, accommodation and entertainment and didn't have unexpected expenses so was able to budget. It did cost quite a lot but I had peace of mind and I knew he could then control what he spent his money on.

HangTime

I'd have been over the moon with £200/month off my dad when I was at uni - fair enough this was over 10 years ago when fees were much lower but even so, if her loan has covered her accommodation and bills then it sounds as though she will be quids in!

I remember one of my friends had all his bills paid by his parents and then got given some cash by his parents to 'tide him over for the first month' of each term, but he normally still had some left after a couple of months!

Don't take this the wrong way, it's great that you are able to support your child and every family has to make their own decisions in this regard. But personally I think a lot of the talk about the horrors of student debt are exaggerated. Having graduated 10 years ago I am still repaying my student loan, I don't begrudge the money going out each month, I borrowed it and now I have to pay it back. The days of student life being about going out on the lash every night, leaving uni with no debt and walking straight into a well paid job are thankfully over. Nowadays a degree is a long-term investment not a short-term one and from a financial perspective there is always the safety net in that debt repayments are linked to earnings - either you repay all your debt, in which case you must be earning a good wage, or if for some reason you don't earn enough, then your debt gets written off after 25(?) years.

Sorry gone a bit off topic here - short answer is yes £200 sounds reasonable to me, let her ask for more if she needs it.

maggiesoop

Son is away from home for first time. I send him £250 a month and he's just texted me to say that he's struggling. His accomm & fees are paid for, and I'm still paying his mobile til the contract runs out later in the year so this is just for food, drink, going out and clothes/books/bus fares/gym.

He says he's looking for a part time job and hopefully wont need extra for long. I dont want to be mean but I also dont want to be taken a loan of. Is there any way of getting him to breakdown his expenses without looking like a real skin flint or am I being too paranoid?

jennifernil

£250 per month is pretty generous. He needs to learn to budget, and understand that it is not up to you to fund his social life!

He surely cannot need many clothes already? And gym? Many Unis offer free or very low cost sports facilities.

kayr_2

My son is also away from home for the first time. He is spending (at the moment) the equivalent of about £170-180 a month - limited self catering facilities so mostly eats in canteen in hall. Cycles so no bus fares. He's also had to buy more clothes after a washing machine mishap with a black biro! He does a spreadsheet of his spending which helps him be aware; we want him to have a good time, which he is doing, and are pleased he's not overspending - very tempting if you've not had much money in the past. I think £250 a month is more than ample.

Katiepillow

maggiesoop wrote: »

Son is away from home for first time. I send him £250 a month and he's just texted me to say that he's struggling. His accomm & fees are paid for, and I'm still paying his mobile til the contract runs out later in the year so this is just for food, drink, going out and clothes/books/bus fares/gym.

He says he's looking for a part time job and hopefully wont need extra for long. I dont want to be mean but I also dont want to be taken a loan of. Is there any way of getting him to breakdown his expenses without looking like a real skin flint or am I being too paranoid?

I think it depends on where he is going to university, I'm in the midlands which is considerably cheaper than where I came from (surrey), due to a mishap with my parent's tax income I am financing my first semester out of my savings, and 250 a month would pay my food, electricity, gas bills, bus pass, internet (I have an annual pass but if broken down into a month) and still have leftovers.. admittedly I don't go out an awful lot (and I don't drink or smoke), but I eat healthily and I think it's ample. Obviously you don't want him going without but it could be that he's eating out more than necessary - I found lunches very expensive (I've seen people in the canteen at the university spend £5 on a meal) but with a bit of preparation it's simple to bring that cost down - and now lunch only costs about 60-80 pence a day.

Just giving a students perspective - if the fact that he's struggling is due to a large amount of one off costs, such as books or bus pass..then the struggle is justified, but if not I'd just check up on where it's going I'd ask for a break down, you wouldn't sound paranoid - a bank does checks before you're allowed a loan, plus my parents were a lot more free with money for my brothers, and they don't understand the value of money very well..whereas with me they made me work for it and I'm a skinflint