Surviving on your own

 

Studying at a tertiary level usually brings big changes to your financial situation. Suddenly you have to pay school fees and buy text books and manage transport costs. On top of that, you may be living away from home for the first time. Even if you’re still living with Mum and Dad, you’re probably discovering that you need to find ways to make your dollars stretch further so you can make the most of student life.

 

Fortunately, there are loads of ways you can budget better and still save, even as a student. Living on a shoestring doesn’t have to mean you can’t have fun or you have to eat poorly. But it does mean being a bit more creative with your cash, such as taking advantage of free or cheap forms of exercise and entertainment.

 

Budgeting & saving

When you’re pinching pennies just to have enough money for beers at the pub on Friday night, saving up for bigger things becomes even more of a challenge. That doesn’t mean you should give up on reaching bigger financial goals, like buying a new car, saving for a trip overseas or moving out of home. Whatever your goals are, we’ve got lots of useful information on student banking, budgeting and saving that can help you get there.