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How much of your student finance goes into board?

I've just gotten my student finance acceptance letter, I'm getting £6354 in total from a grant and loan, which I couldn't be happier about.
However at an open evening a member of college staff said that student finance would include £70 per week board and now my mam is set on £70 per week 😖.
I haven't been given this money yet and now I already know I'm giving away over £3k of it this year, that's over 60%, that's equivalent to almost the entire grant, leaving me with the loan for study purposes, however I'm getting a new car this year due to my current car almost falling apart, which is going to be a minimum of £20 per week in payments for four years, and on top of that I'm paying for fuel.

I have a part time job, which will pay £70 per week when I turn 18 in July.
This is leaving me paying around £100 per week when I'm earning £70 😣which is totally unsustainable and leaves me with no way of making savings for when I move out.
My mam thinks that the money I get is due to her wages, which means that she's entitled to part of it, is this true? I've heard everywhere that it's my money for my future, and there's a good chance this is going to cause a divide in the family if not sorted soon, how much do you guys pay? Does this seem like a fair amount?
Sorry for the massive block of text but there was a lot to explain. 😕

Reply 1

claireestelle

So you live at home and your mum wants rent when you start uni?
If you were living on campus you could expect between 60 and 100+ so I would say that since that doesn't always include food or bills then IF what your mum is asking for ddoes include food and bills then its not so bad.

Reply 2

claireestelle

I would however say the average student wouldn't spend almost a grand a year on a new car and being that a new car is a luxury its something you could go without really

Reply 3

Khraine

The money is for you, unless you're living with your parents who expect board.

Reply 4

Physicsineering

Original post by claireestelle

I understand what you mean, don't people who are moving into student accommodation get more from student finance though? I figured that if you're living away from home more money would be given as rent, I don't even have a ballpark idea of how much that would be though, the main reason I stayed at home was to save money, I wasn't expecting to be paying out that much, I'm new to the game though, I have no real idea of what's reasonable.

Reply 5

claireestelle

Original post by Physicsineering

Oh when they say more for not living at home they mean maybe a few hundred pounds to a grand extra,not the 3.5 to 4 k that student rents are

Reply 6

Physicsineering

Original post by claireestelle

I would however say the average student wouldn't spend almost a grand a year on a new car and being that a new car is a luxury its something you could go without really

Yeah it seems a lot, the car is an investment too though, the course I'm attending is quite a hike from home so I'm going to need transport, the car will take me to a metro station to get me to my course, and the plan was to get this now so that I'm not paying for it by the time I need money for a house if that makes sense? I do understand where you're coming from

Reply 7

Physicsineering

Original post by claireestelle

Oh when they say more for not living at home they mean maybe a few hundred pounds to a grand extra,not the 3.5 to 4 k that student rents are

That makes sense, I just wasn't sure because anyone I've asked has said that they only pay up to £30 per week board or that's what they charge their kids, nobody seems to really exceed that much, even on a full time wage

Reply 8

username1862217

Student rent varies massively. Where I am now £500 a month (bills included) is sort of the baseline for a student, but I know there are cheaper places in the country where it may only be £300 a month, and much more expensive places (such as London) where the rent can be several hundred pounds more a month.

I don't quite get the argument about your mum thinking some of that money is hers. The student loan is given to you to allow you to study. None of it is directly for anyone else.

Reply 9

claireestelle

Original post by Physicsineering

to me you don't need a brand new car,you could get a good second hand one and save a tonne of money.
One thing you should consider ,is your mum losing any money say child tax credits when you start uni? If so I think its reasonable that if she's feeding you and paying the bills whilst you live there then asking for rent in terms of what she doesn't get for you anymore I would think that's okay?

Reply 10

claireestelle

I think the fairest thing you could do is ask how much your share of any bills are and then negotiate with your mum from there

Reply 11

Physicsineering

Original post by claireestelle

Nooooonononono the car isn't brand new, it's between 06-14, I haven't found an exact model yet, it's looking to be the second youngest corsa model, I could never afford a brand new car at this stage, and yeah that's my moral issue.
She's losing more in child benefits than she's asking for and I respect her for that, everyone I've asked though just said that parents have to adapt to these things, it's just a part of the cycle.
That's the main reason I started the thread though, just to get an idea of other people's stories on this

Reply 12

claireestelle

Original post by Physicsineering

If she's asking for less than she's losing now you ll be in uni then that's more than fair to me. Had I stayed at home I d be giving my mum what she d be losing out on really since it would have been cheaper than moving out.

Reply 13

claireestelle

As for adapting to having less,if she's on benefits now there might not be much that your mum is able to cut down except food and bills which won't be good for you :tongue:

Reply 14

Physicsineering

Original post by claireestelle

As for adapting to having less,if she's on benefits now there might not be much that your mum is able to cut down except food and bills which won't be good for you :tongue:

I appreciate that, we get by pretty nicely as things are, I'm relied on pretty heavily for child care for her but I have no problem with that because I know how much it helps her out, and you're right, there isn't a lot for her to cut back on, I figured most parents were in that boat too but I guess not, thanks for your input 😊

Reply 15

Physicsineering

Original post by Keyhofi

I think her reasoning is that if she had a higher income (ie didn't need this money as much) then I wouldn't have as much money as I do, which is pretty logical I guess.