Make the most of halls without letting everyday spending run away

Living in student halls can be a great introduction to university life. Many costs may already be included in your accommodation fee, which can make budgeting simpler than renting privately.

Start by checking exactly what your halls payment covers. Heating, electricity, water and internet may be included, but laundry, food, parking and other services often are not.

The first few weeks can be particularly expensive. You may be buying kitchen equipment, bedding, course materials and other items at the same time as meeting new people and attending social events.

Avoid feeling that you need to join every paid activity during freshers’ week. Choose the events you genuinely want to attend and remember that there will be plenty of opportunities to socialise throughout the year.

Living close to other students also makes shared shopping and cooking possible. Coordinating basic household items or occasional meals can reduce both cost and waste.

Do This Now

• Check what your halls fee already includes.
• Set aside money for laundry and other additional costs.
• Agree which shared kitchen items everyone actually needs.
• Give yourself a realistic freshers’ week budget.

Common Mistake

Buying a complete set of kitchen equipment before discovering that several flatmates have brought exactly the same things.