You REALLY need to budget

The day your student loan drops in your account is easily one of your happiest at university...

But you really need to budget and not go too crazy with the spending!

We've all been there - checking your account to find a very pleasant figure and suddenly, your mind goes into overdrive thinking about all the things you could buy.

Have you ever found yourself splashing the cash on these?

• Cheese: Because none of us realised how much it actually cost until we started doing your own food shopping at university, right? A new loan means a block of Cathedral City because you can!
• Branded items: Remember at the end of last term when you spent your last two weeks' meals consisted of Aldi's own brands? Say hello to Heinz, Dolmio and Kelloggs (for now, anyway).

• Decent food: Luckily, you can now afford to get some of the pricier ingredients. Don't go too mad, pace it out so that you can still afford the same meals towards the end of the term instead of being stuck with freezer food.
• Takeaways: Sometimes you've just earned it after a long day at uni, right? These are the best treats and you can't beat a pizza or a curry but don't let this become a regular thing.
• Clothes/trainers: It's always the things you don't need that appeal to you the most. Surely you asked for everything you needed for Christmas? There are ALWAYS increased student discounts/offers when your loan drops but don't give in!
• Subscriptions: There is nothing wrong with a treat every now and then (we encourage it), but signing up to a service like Hello Fresh or Netflix may seem like a good idea at the start of term but maybe not towards the end of term when you haven't got a lot of money left.

The best way to utilise your loan is to spread it evenly across the term, that way you can still afford to treat yourself now and again! 

So what will it be - spending the rest of the term in your room because you can't afford to go out, or getting out and enjoying everything student life has to offer?

Spend responsibly, guys!