With uni on the horizon I knew I had to be careful with my money, it wasn't 100% certain when the student finance would come through. I didn't realise how hard it would be, all the temptations to buy all the useless crap that you would probably never use again, buying something just because you liked it and buying food that you didn't really need but you just fancied at the time. This first term at uni has been a real eye opener for me and how to manage my money. I had worked out a budget in order for me to be able to get by every week, but as I'm sure you can imagine, that budget soon went out the window. Nearing the end of my first term I have less than £5 to my name and owing my dad £25 for my phone bill this month, I will have to dip into the dreaded over draft that I have as a back up. I never wanted to go into my over draft whilst I was at uni at all. But sometimes that little bit of extra help can go a long way.
Now that I have learnt my lesson, I know what I need to do in order to make sure I have some money left over at the end of next term to go into my savings account. I will also be even more careful when it comes to purchasing items that I don't desperately need and nights out. I'm not one to go out for a heavy alcohol session but I will have the odd glass of wine at my flat with a few mates every few weeks. This doesn't include all of the flat parties as well.
My parents aren't able to help me at all whilst I am at uni. Some people I know have the privilege of their parents helping them out whilst at uni such as giving them an allowance each month, paying for all of their accommodation or sending them money across when they ask for it. I am not as fortunate as this will have to learn the hard way of money management. At least this way it will prepare me for the future when I am living by myself with a job and no student finance to help me along the way.
