Student Survival Guide To...

Everyone knows the exact date of the arrival of their student loan. Many weeks before that you yearn for it.

You dream about how many outfits it can buy, the laptop you've always wanted or the concerts you meant to go to.


However, a month down the line you start questioning - 'how did I get this broke?'

Here's some advice on how you can stretch it out:

As soon as the loan and/or grant arrives make sure you check your statement and see how much you're working with.

Don't spend without delegating money to rent, overdrafts, bills and books.

If you do abuse your loan, the least you can do is make sure you buy most of your books ASAP. This way when it comes to researching and writing essays, you don't feel too tight spending up to £200 on books.

Because let's not fool ourselves; that IS the main reason why we even have a loan.

If you're renting accommodation pay rent in advance. It will set you back for a bit but if you're working, at the end of the month you know you got some money to look forward to.

Avoid shopping online, as all it takes is a click and it's purchased. Four pounds here, seven pounds there; it soon adds up.

When you're going out with friends, set yourself a limit in cash and leave your card to your student loan at home.

This limits you to spending excessively without realising.

Finally, don't fear checking your balance/statement every week. It's much better than risking your card getting declined and saves you the embarrassment and extra stress.

Make sure you're on track with every £££ you spend.