This student budgeting guide will save your bank account - Debut

This student budgeting guide will save your bank account - Debut This post is written by a member of the Debut Student Publisher Network. Read on for  Chars  reflections on how her work in retail shaped her: There are few things that test your self-control more extremely than receiving an installment of your student loan. There you were, living in near poverty for what felt like eons. Then behold! The SLC gods deign to bless you with a saving grace. A  hefty sum of cash lands in your pocket, and threatens to  wipe your memory of the humbling experience of living off Supernoodles for two weeks. Im here to bring you back to reality and remind you that sometimes you need money for important things. You know, like rent? Groceries? Living? Luckily, Ive whipped up some steps to help you budget and ensure you dont perpetuate the cycle of exorbitant spending that rapidly descends into self-loathing destitution. Step one:  Put your rent aside first For some inexplicable reason, landlords and accommodation services dont like it when you dont pay them your rent. Its a harsh world we live in, having to offer financial services simply to avoid perishing in a field somewhere, but what can you do. Having a savings account with a direct debit to immediately transfer your rent upon your installment saves you a lot of hassle, and its out of the way so fast it wont even devastate you that much. Then you just pretend that your savings are guarded by a ravenous dragon, and if you touch them, all of your friends will perish. Like in The Hobbit. Step two:  Put away emergency funds as well THATS RIGHT, MORE SQUIRRELING AWAY! God, isnt this so fun? Bills are different from rent in that they loom over you more ominously; you know youll be slapped with one at some point, but you dont know when or for exactly how much, and every time you hear the post come in youre consumed by fear of the bomb waiting for you inside an envelope from Scottish Power. Its best to be prepared for the worst, so think rationally about how much youre realistically going to be charged, safely place it away, and guard the heating with totalitarian dedication. Step three: Calculate how this can last you This step requires a bit of math, something we all vowed wed never need upon leaving secondary school. Unless, like, youre doing a Maths degree or something, in which case go you. I know the excitement of one installment is almost too much to bear, but find out when your next one will be, and calculate how much you can spend per week with the remaining amount you have. No matter how abysmally tiny this amount may seem, I promise that you will manage, which leads me nicely onto the fourth step Step four: Set yourself a food budget Its so easy to just follow all your hedonistic impulses when food shopping and sweep everything that looks vaguely delicious into your basket. But honestly, following a food budget is just as satisfying, if not more so. Dedicate a reasonable amount of your weekly allowance to food, and dont go overboard when youre in the store. Plan meals beforehand. Go for basic instead of name-brand. Eat more fresh food. Its surprisingly rewarding following some sort of structure. Your blood sugar will thank you alongside your wallet. Step five: Write things down Okay, Im an obsessively organised person, so I dont know if this is a weird habit or not, but I write down everything I spend. Its easier to adhere to my weekly allowance if I do so, and I can loosen or restrict my spending habits per day depending on how Im doing. Too many of us fall into the habit of thinking that debit payments dont really count, that the moneys only gone in an abstract sense, so this is a way to cut down on excessive splurges since you can physically see the effect of your actions. Step six: Treat yo self (to an extent) Even if you only have £3 left of your weekly budget, you should always try and do something nice for yourself. It could just be getting something from Starbucks, or maybe even a pair of shoes. As long as you have enough leftover at the end of the week, you should totally treat yourself. Budgeting doesnt have to mean sacrificing all material pleasure and living the life of a monk. Being conscientious with your money is hard work, so you deserve a reward every now and then. Prepare for the moment, and dont think about the crushing debt youll be saddled with one you graduate. Download the Debut app and get Talent-Spotted by amazing graduate employers! Follow Char  on Twitter  @charlubby Connect with Debut on  Facebook  and  Twitter