I'm probably going to end up with something in the region of £80 - £95 per week, how high it is within this range will depend on whether I can negotiate a small contribution each month from my parents
But loan alone, if all goes to plan then I will have about £80-£85 depending on how well I budget freshers week. I don't want to spend too much and I'm not planning to get absolutely hammered so I shouldn't spend too much.............. he says.
I've done a lot of research about what people spend per week and on what, with food being the most important thing, this usually comes in at £20-£40 depending on the student and what they like to eat with the rest probably varying
Here is a chart showing what the average student spent their money on (monthly basis) in 2016, as reported by the Student Money Survey 2016 from STS. This means that a student will spend £356 excluding bills and rent which are thrown in with accomm costs in the first year.
In another study by NatWest, it was said that the average weekly spending pattern of a student is as follows:
- £9.80 on alcohol
- £11.90 on eating out
- £24.60 on groceries
- £6.50 on travel
Implying that after accommodation, a student will spend very roughly, £211.20 per month or maybe if we throw in like a phone contract, clothing and study materials etc then it will come up to £270 per month.
The STS study claims (excluding rent ) that a student will spend £356 (£90 odd/week) excluding bills and rent which are thrown in with accomm costs in the first year.
The NatWest study, after a little buffing, will lead us to believe that £270 (£70 odd /week) or so will be spent with the same conditions as the STS study assigned.
The STS study had a sample of some 2000 students, of whom may or may not have been representative of the student body as a whole. Clearly there are some differences as shown though, so its probably going to very much depend on your capacity to make a budget and stick to it.
Here are links to the studies, they are quite interesting and provide a greater level of detail than what I have discussed here.
STS Study:
http://www.savethestudent.org/money/student-money-survey-2016.htmlNatWest Study:
https://www.whatuni.com/advice/money/how-much-does-the-average-student-spend-each-week/43865/It can probably be concluded that (at least outside London anyway) the safe range after deducting accommodation is £65 - £95 per week. I'm sure that some people manage on less than the given range so its probably very circumstantial and will depend on you as a person in a big way.
Good luck.