Are you a student and have suddenly received a higher sum in your account? By then, the large grant from Lånekassen has probably been paid out.
– The second the large grant ticks into the account, it can be easy to get carried away and spend the money here and there, or enjoy yourself a little extra. It is easy to succumb to temptation, says consumer economist Thea Olsen at Danske Bank.
In January and August, the big grant is NOK 23,434, and it is often easy to be a little extra generous with yourself when the money is ticking into your account.
The consumer economist nevertheless has clear advice.
– Divide the money over the semester. Put the money in a savings account and give yourself a “salary” for the next six months. All students should set up a budget that gives them a full overview of income and expenses for the coming semester, Olsen recommends.
Olsen points out that the vast majority of students are very conscious and make good choices when the scholarship arrives.
– But a trap is simply that you use up all the money at once. Another trap can be that you put the money in a share fund, this despite the fact that the money will be used in the near future, she tells DinSide.
Olsen points out that if you are going to save in mutual funds, you should have a long-term savings plan, 7 years or more.
In the latest living conditions survey for students from SSB 55 per cent of the full-time students with jobs answer that they work to afford the necessary expenses for food and housing.
– Unfortunately, many students will probably feel the increased prices even more strongly in the future, says consumer economist at SpareBank 1, Magne Gundersen.
The survey also reveals that almost half of the students believe that Lånekassen is not enough and therefore also have a job.
– Student aid increased by two per cent last autumn, but when food prices have, for example, increased by 11.5 in the past year, there is clearly an imbalance. I fear that many students will be in for an unpleasant wake-up call when the next spring payments arrive, which are far lower than the big one in January. Therefore, students must hold back and not use up the entire large grant now, explains Gundersen.
