Student bank accounts!

Whilst on the topic of money and budgeting, a good student bank account is essential. If you stick with your normal bank account you miss out on a 0% overdraft, and potential freebies that may be thrown your way.

Photo: "Blue And Pink Piggy Banks" by Ken Teegardin

Overall you want a bank that your loan will go into and you can access, simple right? Well not so simple - every bank out there wants you. You, as a student, are someone to grab and cling on to from student account, to graduate to finally an 'adult' account. Each bank will offer you some good bits and others will offer you better bits. I've made an easy table that shows the basics of the top five student accounts currently available:

Bank	Overdraft Feature (0%)	Freebie	Fees
Santander	Up to £1,500	16-25 Railcard	£5 if no overdraft in place/ £10 per item that bounces
Natwest	Up to £2000	Tastecard	£6 per item that bounces
Halifax	Up to £3000	Personalised debit  card	£10 per item that bounces
HSBC	Up to £3000	£60 Amazon  voucher	-
Co-op	Up to £2000	-	£15 per item that bounces

Each bank offers different deals for each student, so whichever one is more suited to you, check in branch and see if it is as good as it sounds online. Although the freebies are not the most important part of the account, it may be good to look at them. For example, if you are going to be travelling via train a lot during your time at university - going home etc - I would suggest going to Santander for the free Railcard as it would save you an absolute fortune, especially being a student, money is like gold dust. I stuck with my own bank I'd been with prior to becoming a student, which of course was an easy switchover but if you want to change bank accounts I'm sure it can't be that hard as many students do do it. The final thing I have to say is don't wait around to open up your student account, if you don't do it in your first year it may take longer for things to kick in such as your overdraft, which can be a pain!

To set up a student account with any bank you will need: 

1. One or two forms of photo Identification - Passport/Driving License.
2. Proof that you are a student - UCAS letter or acceptance letter from the uni, failing this you can also get a bank letter from your university.
3. Proof of address - a bill or bank statement - or if you are enrolled on the election register you should have your address on the system.

If you apply online you will still need to send these items in or at least take them to the actual bank itself, so it may be easier and less time consuming to go directly to the branch to set up your account.

What student account did you go for? Would you recommend it?

Budgeting at University

BUDGET - what is this word? I'm pretty sure before everyone came to university, budgeting was the last thing on their mind or they only had to budget for the needs of themselves such as clothing or nails and makeup. Not essentials such as food, toilet roll plus clothing and treats like getting your nails done!

As a second year student, I'm not going to sit here and tell you I am financially stable and have never asked my dad to lend me money because quite frankly I've probably borrowed more money in the past few months than I have ever before. Which, honestly is embarrassing but a lack of student loan due to my dad 'earning too much money' okay..... as a single parent he most definitely isn't earning as much as a combined couple but ok student finance, we'll save that rant for another day. 

By Images Money under CC BY 2.0

First things first, you need to work out how much money you are going to receive at university, including jobs, money from parents and wherever else you are getting money from. 

So say, £2100 from Student finance, £150 from parents a month (150 x 4)

That's £2700 to last you.

Now time to calcuate how much you will be spending per term. This will include rent, bills (if not included), food shops, nights out, social events and also treats (if you can afford it!)

So rent = £1584

food shopping = £20 a week = £80 a month = £80 x 4 = £320

Nights out = £20 a week = £80 a month = £80 x 4 = £320

Nails = £20 x 4 = £80

Study books and printing = £65

Total = £2369

Next take away your expenditure from your income...  

Leftover = 331 = social events & other treats during the term

Basically the rest of the money you can do what you like with, but consider time of the year like christmas, birthdays and other things.

A few tips I've learnt over the year with money are:

1) DON'T buy key textbooks, go to library and literally make notes from the books in the library it will save you so much money and will probably go into your brain a lot more detailed than thinking 'i'll read that when I get home' which will never happen!

2) Try to split taxi fares on nights out with people who live near you, or if  you live close enough walk, obviously not on your own but if there is more than 2 of you, I really recommend walking instead of paying £5 for a taxi which could be free.

3) Try not to buy food after a night out unless you have budgeted for it as you will literally buy food you probably will either sick back up or look at in the morning with regrets.

4) DON'T TAKE YOUR BANK CARD OUT WITH YOU

5) Make lunch instead of buying it, Greggs may seem nice with their £3.00 meal deal but it adds up and you honestly can't afford it.

6) Be selfish with your money, don't offer to pay for someone's taxi or entry into a club. When you have no money they most likely won't do the same back and you end up out of pocket.

If you have any other tips that might be useful, please feel free to leave a comment.

Winter Wishlist!

     After nearly 2 months in to my 2nd year at university, so much has changed compared to last year. Life is so easy as a fresher, you can go out and go into lectures drunk or even miss them, it doesn't matter whereas in second year attendance counts, your lectures actually are important. Plus this year accomodation isn't as great as it was last year. This year I live in basically 'second year halls' which is run by a private company and it's basically a 30 bedroom house, compared to a 5 bedroom house with people I actually got on with, I don't think I was prepared for the massive change that would happen. The house is so so so bitchy, worse than being at an all girls private school (trust me), arguments constantly, things being taken from kitchens, it's such a joke. It's not a nice place to live, it's so lonely too, everyone's just getting on with work whereas last year we worked together or chilled together but there is a definite divide between people who lived here prior to this year and the new people. So I put together this blog post of my winter wants to a) post something and b) keep myself occupied and kill some time before my 4-6 lecture!

I think the image itself is quite self-explanatory, but I'm really loving tartan at the moment. Winter is one of my favourite seasons but I just get so cold that I end up not loving it so much. My university accommodation never seems to be warm or warm enough for my liking so I end up going to uni and just getting back into bed fully clothed after lectures. Ridiculous! 

Tartan scarf - £15 - River Island

After seeing these EVERYWHERE at uni, I've literally fell in love with them and found this absolute bargain of a scarf in River Island. Although I have been told by a few pals that Ebay is your best friend for this kind of thing, because you can get some good deals on there. Plus it will keep me warm and also looks nice too. 

Chloe Eau de parfum - £70 - Boots

Due to being a poor student I haven't restocked my Chloe when it ran out in the summer! I miss the gentle flowery smell and literally as soon as I get money that will be the first thing I purchase. The elegant smell can make anything look nice and look as though you've made an effort even though you have bed hair and a slouchy jumper on! 

Nars Charlotte Oxblood Lipstick - Debenhams - £17

I haven't found a red lipstick that I truly love since Diva by MAC but it seems whenever I wear that lipstick I literally become a diva. This red is the kind that will make white teeth basically glow and look divine, it's also a perfect colour for Christmas day and the whole holiday period. Whack it on lack of eye makeup and you'll still look great.

Faux fur jacket - £70 - Net-a-porter

I absolutely adore net-a-porter, and at £70 this coat is an absolute STEAL. I've always wanted a fur coat but could never justify the prices, I once visited this place near my brother who sell old fur jackets at literally a fraction of the price, but I was so indecisive as to whether the coat would look good or if I'd look like I was just trying too hard. I've come to the conclusion that a little fur never hurt nobody.

Selina boot - £35 - Monki

I've literally wanted Chelsea boots for ages but everyone seems to get ones that break or ones that don't look that great, but the Selina looks stylish and comfortable. I think they're also made of real leather or atleast something sturdy so paying £35 is literally nothing for what you're going to receive. I've also heard so much good things about Monki but have never really looked into purchasing anything until now.

Dressing gown - £24 - Dorothy Perkins

As I said earlier about being cold all the time, a dressing gown could potentially keep me a little bit warmer than I am at the moment which would be absolutely amazing. Plus I can just slob around, it's part of a student uniform right? A good pair of pyjamas, a dressing gown glued to Netflix. 

Pyjama bottoms - £12 - Dorothy Perkins

As I mentioned earlier, a good pair of pyjamas is essential for student life. New pyjamas is like fresh bedding, an absolute dream to sleep in. I currently own one pair of pyjamas due to a massive clear out before I came back to uni, so I need to up my pyjama game and start grabbing the good winter ones before they all run out.

That's all I've been wanting at the moment. 

What do you want? Let me know in the comments.