Finances got you down? Read how first year student, Lana, is tackling the rising cost of living through budgeting.

The cost-of-living crisis is something that's affecting everyone right now, but as a student it can be hard to find ways to cope. If you're living in halls, you can be new to navigating budgeting and managing your own expenses and can be feeling the squeeze of the rise in energy bills and inflation especially in these colder months. It's a basic, but worthwhile method to get help you control your money, budget.

The first step to figuring out a monthly or weekly budget is to figure out how much money you need to spend on rent and bills. University accommodation and some houses will have bills included up to certain thresholds which can be helpful, but it's important that at the start of the month or whenever your student loan comes in that you set aside that amount. This isn't something you want to be caught short on. After you've figured out how much money needs to go on rent and bills It's time to figure out what to do with the rest of it.

Food wastage is a massive drain on your bank account, so when it comes to the big shop it's important that you plan. When making a shopping list, think realistically about what meals you want to make rather than just buying ingredients and then not being able to pull a dinner out of them. At the beginning of the week try think up three or four meals that you'd want to eat and before you start adding to the list, do an inventory of your cupboards, fridge, and freezer to see if you can save money on some ingredients, you already have. Now I only say three or four meal ideas because you can meal prep! A lot of students struggle with cooking one person portions after living at home and making meals for family members or just not being as conscious about meal prices when they're not paying for the food shop, instead of stressing yourself out after accidentally making three portions of pasta, invest in some Tupperware containers and plan your dinners to stretch over two or three days. This is a great way to save time especially if you find cooking for yourself to be a drag, make it so you're only in the kitchen three days max.

If you find that the cost of the food shop is still stressing you out, try setting yourself a budget and then adding things up as you go around the shop, some bigger shops like Tesco and Sainsbury's offer self-scanners which show your total as you add a new item, but in more cost friendly shops like Lidl there's nothing wrong with using your phone's calculator as a check in to try and keep on top of a rising food bill.

Even when trying to be cost aware it can be nice to have one thing to treat yourself to. This may be a name brand snack or a sweet treat that you don't necessarily need, but it's important to have something to look forward to when times get tough. This includes money for going out! When creating your weekly or monthly budget, you might find that with careful planning you don't have to miss out and can still make memories with your friends or whatever it is you like to do.

Living on tough budgets and savings can be hard on your mental health and it's important to know that you have support around you when things get tough, and you may be feeling like you can't cope. The Students’ Union offers access to an independent advice centre which is there to listen to all your financial, academic, and housing concerns.

Now I need to take my own advice and figure out what I'm getting in the big shop this week, I've got my budget now I just need to write the list!