{"id":21381,"date":"2024-09-20T09:11:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T07:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/aktuellt\/learn-how-to-create-a-student-budget-that-works\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T09:05:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T08:05:05","slug":"learn-how-to-create-a-student-budget-that-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/aktuellt\/learn-how-to-create-a-student-budget-that-works\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn how to create a student budget that works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Student life can be wonderful and exciting, but for most, it&#8217;s also financially challenging. To keep track of your finances during your studies, it might be a good idea to create an effective student budget. Here, we provide you with simple and smart tips along the way!  <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to create a student budget \u2013 3 tips to get started<\/h2>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Review your income<\/h3>\n\n<p>Examine what income you will have during your studies. As a student, this may consist of student aid and income from, for example, part-time jobs. <\/p>\n\n<p>In 2025, fortunately, the state student aid has increased. As a full-time student, you can receive 13,156 SEK from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csn.se\/bidrag-och-lan\/studiemedel.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CSN<\/a><strong>: <\/strong>  <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Loan:<\/strong> 9,408 SEK<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grant:<\/strong> 4,092 SEK<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Under certain conditions, you can also receive additional loans and grants.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Additional loan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>You can apply for an additional loan if you have previously worked. It is a supplement to student aid, and you must meet certain criteria to apply. <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Criteria for additional loan:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You must be at least 25 years old during the year you apply for the additional loan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You have earned at least 244,020 SEK during the calendar year before you start studying.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You have student aid for the same weeks you apply for the additional loan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You study in Sweden, Switzerland, or within the EU\/EEA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p><strong>Additional grant<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>The additional grant is for those with children. For example, you can receive 776 SEK per month if you have one child, study full-time, and receive student aid. <\/p>\n\n<p>To receive the additional grant, you need to meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You have student aid for the same weeks you apply for the additional loan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You are the legal guardian of the child you are applying for the additional grant for<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Remember to plan for any extra income! If you receive full student aid, you cannot earn more than 113,901 SEK per half-year, a so-called free amount. If you earn more than this, you may be required to repay.  <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Keep track of your fixed expenses<\/h3>\n\n<p>Keeping track of your fixed expenses as a student is crucial. There is often a lot of money to be saved each year by cutting down on recurring expenses, both small and large.<\/p>\n\n<p>Perhaps there are some less necessary items you can do without or adjust?<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Examples of fixed expenses:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>rent<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>food<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>exercise<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>hygiene<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>clothing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>phone<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>transport<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>entertainment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>When it comes to rent, we recommend exploring student housing with a favorable monthly fee. <a href=\"https:\/\/studentbostad.sbsstudent.se\/user-registration)\">Register as an applicant <\/a>and find your student accommodation with us!<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Create a budget plan for your student budget<\/h3>\n\n<p>It helps to have your monthly budget written down. Write down your income and monthly expenses in a document on your computer, phone, or in a notebook. Make sure your student budget is updated and adjusted as needed if your income or fixed expenses change.  <\/p>\n\n<p>In such a document, it becomes easy to weigh your expenses against your income. Naturally, you don&#8217;t want to be in the red here. <\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to keep your expenses down \u2013 6 useful tips!<\/h2>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Plan your meals for the week<\/h3>\n\n<p>Try to keep your food budget down as a student. Buying takeout or eating out at restaurants quickly drains your account. Instead, make a meal plan for the week and stick to it. Cook in bulk over the weekend, and you&#8217;ll have meals for several days. It&#8217;s not only cheaper to cook at home but also healthier!    <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Shop cheaply<\/h3>\n\n<p>Become a member of one of the grocery chains. As a student, you can get favorable and personalized offers. Some chains give you cashback in the form of bonus checks to shop with. Use coupons, compare different brands&#8217; prices per kilo, and shop seasonally.   <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Avoid credits and installments<\/h3>\n\n<p>Avoid shopping with credit cards or long installments. Only buy with the money you actually have and can spare. If you can&#8217;t afford it \u2013 save up or skip the purchase!  <\/p>\n\n<p>Make sure to save up a buffer to have a margin for unexpected expenses, so you don&#8217;t have to take these on credit.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Compare and negotiate your contracts and subscriptions<\/h3>\n\n<p>Whether it&#8217;s mobile, electricity, or broadband, it usually pays off to compare different providers. For some services, there are convenient comparison sites. There can be a lot of money to save here! Also, don&#8217;t be afraid to negotiate. Competition is high, and companies want you as a customer, so try to negotiate the best deal possible.    <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Buy second-hand instead of new<\/h3>\n\n<p>Recycle more! Course literature, clothes, furniture \u2013 most things can be found second-hand. And much of what&#8217;s sold is often barely used. Keep an eye on buy-and-sell sites, Facebook groups, and second-hand stores. There are great opportunities to save money here!    <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Sell what you don&#8217;t need<\/h3>\n\n<p>Just as you can buy second-hand, there are many others who want to buy second-hand. Sell things you don&#8217;t use! Make it a habit to regularly clear out clothes and items you no longer need. Then sell them easily through sites like Tradera, Blocket, or various buy-and-sell groups on Facebook.   <\/p>\n\n<p>Selling things can provide a welcome boost to your wallet!<\/p>\n\n<p>Managing your finances as a student requires discipline and planning. By following these tips, you can learn to create a student budget that works and make your money last each month. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To keep track of your finances during your studies, it might be a good idea to create an effective student budget. Here, we provide you with simple and smart tips along the way! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21381"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21383,"href":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21381\/revisions\/21383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbsstudent.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}