The sum total of third-level education

The cost of food and socialising can eat heavily into a student's budget, with drinking often outweighing the food budget, reports…

The cost of food and socialising can eat heavily into a student's budget, with drinking often outweighing the food budget, reports Louise Holden

Colleges, unions and banks publish yearly 'cost of college' estimates in the hope of illuminating the road ahead for freshers. For many students, the advice is all but meaningless, as a recent Department of Health and Children lifestyle survey has revealed.

The department and the 21 third-level colleges carried out the National Lifestyle Survey (CLAN) among students to find out how their money is really spent. It paints a different picture to the usual 'cost of college' breakdown.

Last year, Dublin City University estimates put the monthly cost of food at €200. Adjusted for inflation, this comes to roughly €205 for 2006. The cost of socialising was set at €117 last year. By that reckoning, the average student can expect to spend €120 a month on social activities in 2006/2007.

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However, the CLAN survey reveals that the average CLAN student spends €110 on alcohol. That's the entire estimated socialising budget before a single ticket, meal out or entry fee is bought. Where's the extra money coming from? According to this survey, the student food budget is hit. Irish students in the CLAN survey spend only €109 on food a month - less than their drinking budget.

"Twenty five euro a week on food is just not realistic," says UCD student adviser Aisling O'Grady. "How can a student have a balanced diet on less than four euro a day? And yet, according to the CLAN survey, this is what many students are feeding themselves on."

The cost of surviving on campus is going up too. Gone are the days of heavily subsidised students cafés where you could buy lunch for a fraction of commercial costs. As colleges across the country introduce sandwich and coffee chains to campus, the cost of eating in college is now the same as eating on Grafton Street.

UCD students protested against the cost of commercial food and beverages on campus this year, but to no avail.

Some of the extra money for branded lattes and litres of booze is coming from part-time work. The CLAN survey reveals that the average hours spent on study by full-time students has decreased, while the average hours in paid employment has doubled.

It's hardly surprising that students are taking on more and more hours in paid employment: one in four male students and one in five female students surveyed experienced money problems as a result of their drinking.

Another favourite avenue for the cash-strapped student is the credit card. Kelly Mackey, student Welfare Officer for the Union of Students in Ireland, warns students to avoid credit cards in college, even if the banks appear to be offering good deals for students.

"This is the worst way to borrow," says Mackey, who sees countless students running into problems with mounting credit card debt. "If you have to get a loan, so be it, but shop around for the best loan available from all the banks, building societies and credit unions. Don't just let debt mount on a credit card. Special credit card deals marketed to students can be very appetising, but they are not advisable."

If you run into financial problems a loan may not be the answer. Nor is it incumbent on you to take on more part-time work and erode your study and leisure time.

Aisling O'Grady of UCD says that many students' financial headaches are cured by a bit of clever budgeting.

"Students are not trained in the art of preparing weekly budgets and sticking to them, but it's a vital survival skill in college, especially if you're living on a grant," says Aisling. "It's very important to work out a weekly budget based on your incomings and outgoings before you start college. That way you won't lose control of the money in the first couple of months and find yourself strapped by Christmas, as many students do."

O'Grady advises a trip to the Student Services office on campus, where student advisers can help you draw up a realistic weekly plan that you can stick to. It should include the following average monthly costs, adjusted for your own circumstances, covering the eight months of the academic year.

Rent: €10

Utilities: €56

Food: €200 - €250

Travel: €76

Books: €46

Photocopying and printing: €5

Clothes, laundry and medical* bills: €48

Student Service Charge: €788 (annual)

Many colleges also charge a fee for student support - check in your college handbook on contact the student support office.

*Healthcare on campus is usually free, but you will have to pay for prescriptions and dental fees.

Even with the most meticulous budget and the most temperate lifestyle, a wisdom tooth or a stolen bicycle can shatter your tenuous security. If you run into this kind of trouble, or something more serious, help is at hand. For a full run-down of the grants and emergency supports available, see the panel.

If you live in the family home, you might think that none of this applies to you, but a budget for the homebird is just as useful. Living at home saves rent, utilities and grocery bills, but many other costs of college still apply, along with a few extras.

Students living on campus or in rented accommodation nearby can slip home for lunch or coffee. Students living in the family home may be quite a distance from campus and reliant on over-priced coffee shops and student bars. Try to avoid blowing your budget on high priced food and drink on campus. If necessary, ruthlessly recruit friends with flats who will let you drink instant coffee and supermarket lager at their place. Sponging is what being a student is all about.