5 advices to help you manage your student budget
#1 : Take a notebook and calculator
Nothing more easy, take a notebook (or an excel sheet for the laziest) and make a table with two columns. Note on one side the total amount of your money for the month, and on the other side you just have to note what you will have to spend (rent, cell phone plan, health insurance, ect).
Regarding the difference between both sides, you will clearly see what you will have for the rest of the month and It will help you avoid a bank overdraft !
#2 : Download your bank’s app
Your bank offers many services on Its own app, you can check your bank accounts at any time, look at your mailbox and set up meetings with your bank advisor if you have any problem, if you need to wire money, etc.
#3 : Saving!
It’s a challenge to save money when you are a student, we know it… But it’s important to set some money aside every month to save you from bank overdraft or to be broke for a month for an emergency (your smartphone isn’t eternal, your laptop too and a good old breech gasket that is loose can happen so fast…). So even if you can only put aside 30 or 40 euros each month, do it.
PS: You can also calculate your savings over the year to give yourself some courage
#4 : Checklists are your best friends
Don’t do groceries everyday when you are hungry, it will cost you more. It’s better to make a grocery list and anticipate what you would like to eat, you will be able to buy more and in larger quantities, and make more savings!
#5 : You are a student, show it!
Pull out your student card as soon as you can, you will enjoy discounts! Cinema, fast food, ice rink, etc.
