How to start University off right financially

A fresh start at university – the next big step in building your life and potential career. Amidst all the excitement of meeting new friends, and learning new things, a great place to start is getting your finances in order, setting some good habits right from day one. 

Just like your efforts at university, putting some energy into your financial health can have positive impacts on the rest of your life, including reduced stress and more freedom.
If you're wondering how to start this new chapter off right financially, begin with these 2 easy steps. 

1. Make sure you have the right financial products

Everybody’s financial situation and needs are different which means it's important to have your banking set up in the way that works for you. 

Now is a great time to do a stock take of all of your financial products to find out if there are opportunities for you to be saving money.

If you haven’t thought too much about your finances before, here are some questions you could consider asking yourself:

1. Are you using your account for the correct purpose - transacting or saving?
2. Do you have any accounts you aren't using?
3. What other new products may be available on the market that may be better suited to your needs?

You can learn more about choosing the right saving account for you with our article how to choose the best savings account. We understand this can be an overwhelming process doing it on your own, so if you’d like help with a Financial Health Check, simply drop into one of our branches or call us 24/7 on 13 14 22.

2. Budget

There's one thing many good savers have when starting off a new chapter, and that's an effective and sensible budget. Starting at University can be a challenging time – especially if you’re living away from home for the first time. 

A good start is to take a look at our Budget Planner Calculator. The online planner will help to get you thinking about all the possible places your money could be going. It will also take into account where your money comes from, for example, pay from a part-time job, student loans or perhaps you’re lucky enough to have parents helping you out a bit.  You'll get a calculation of your surplus income, so you can work out how much money you have leftover after all your expenses. Use the calculator now.

Other useful tools to take a look at include our article How to create a weekly budget and our Savings Calculator.  If you'd like to open a new savings account to start saving straight away, have a look at our Heritage Finance Holdings Corporation savings accounts.