From Surviving to Thriving: National Student Money Week Tips
This week is National Student Money Week, with this year’s theme being Survive and Thrive: Building financial resilience. This year’s theme has so much that could be unpacked - money, budgeting, savings and more. Since many of us do have limited funds as students, Serve Legal offers a great way to boost your income and make the most of your money, allowing you to thrive.
2024’s National Student Money Survey revealed that 81% of students were worried about making ends meet. Given that the average maintenance loan was about £600 per month and the average spend is £1,104 per month, it’s clear to see why the rate is so high.
Many students seem to be surviving, rather than thriving.
Building Financial Resilience
With rising living costs and maintenance loans not keeping up, being financially resilient is more important than ever. But how do you measure it? It varies – some students aim to get through the month with a little left over, while others would prefer building up an emergency fund (which I highly recommend). There’s no right or wrong approach but having savings for unexpected expenses – like replacing a laptop – can reduce the burden. There are loads of ways to build your financial resilience, so that you end up thriving, rather than just surviving. These could include:
- Creating a budget – empowering yourself to spend what you can afford.
- Financial planning apps – letting you gain deeper insights into your spending habits.
- Building up an emergency fund – £10-20 every month can really make a massive difference over time.
If you're finding money to be tight, I would highly recommend taking up a flexible – yet reliable – side hustle, to keep some additional income coming in. My go-to, is Serve Legal.
How Serve Legal can help you to thrive
Here at Serve Legal, we offer part-time, flexible roles that fit around your study and other commitments. Traditional part-time roles (such as in retail or hospitality) tend to offer fixed hours, or have very limited flexibility (with mandated minimum hours at set times).
At Serve Legal though, this isn’t the case. You pick as much or as little work as you’d like. Compared to friends that work with employers that aren’t as flexible, meaning that they’ve had to miss lectures to reach their minimum shift hours, I have control over my working pattern. Whilst there is no obligation to accept any offer of work as a mystery shopper, any offer of work would have clear deadlines communicated ahead of time. The expectation is that the work is completed by this deadline, but – in most cases – there can be flexibility.
It’s also one of the few flexible roles I know of that has work available nationwide (even the Isle of Man!) Going home over the Easter break? It’s likely that there’s work available to complete there.
If you’re up for exploring new areas whilst working, then you really do have the potential to succeed in the role. Travel expenses are reimbursed, so you really don’t have much to lose. Pay is competitive, and you are paid every two weeks – predictable and perfect for keeping your budget in check! HMRC have started to crack down on the tax affairs of people who take on side hustles, but Serve Legal takes all of the hassle of managing taxes anyway!
It may not always be easy to build up financial resilience, but with opportunities like those offered by Serve Legal, there has never been a more flexible way to build up your financial resilience and thrive as a student.
