Why I Feel Motivated about Finance as a Mature Student

I found myself in a difficult situation. I’m married with two kids and want a career change to stop the looming midlife crisis. Yet, it’s not as easy as it once was. My parents could quit their job today and start doing something completely different the next.

Unfortunately for me, that’s not the case anymore.

The vast majority of positions now require a degree, which I don’t have. So, either I go to university as a mature student in my late 30’s or face the fact that I’m never going to find my dream job.

The Financial Dilemma:

The biggest challenge is finance. After all, £9,000 in tuition fees over three years is a huge amount of debt to get into at any stage of life.

My husband works full-time, the kids are at school, and I now work part time. Everything seemed impossible. I spent hours researching ways to save online and nothing really gave me the motivation. All I wanted was simple, actionable ways to help manage my finance.

That was until I came across this super article on Cash Lady offering tips on saving for University. It’s aimed towards young adults without responsibilities, but most of the tips are applicable to use oldies too. And, they’re so simple I couldn’t believe that I’ve never thought of them before.

Simplicity is Key:

The first tip that really resonated with me was about getting into the habit of saving a little bit each month. We tend to buy things on shopping day that we don’t really need and order takeaways whenever we feel like it. After monitoring and tracking this over a month, we realised that we could probably save up to £100 more by cutting back.

Yet, at the same time, we are a family and we do need to enjoy our lives.

This is where the student discounts come into play. I was aware that showing your student card got you a cheaper ticket for a museum or you could apply for a discount on the trains. But, I didn’t know that just by being a student, I’d get all kind of discounts at restaurants and even for days out with the kids! This means we can save up whilst at the same time enjoying our time together as a family.

This Little Gem Helps Us Save Even More:

I was so shocked when I read this that I almost fell off my chair. Did you know that if you pay for your TV license for a year and you’re away for a few months that you’re eligible to ask for a refund?

I didn’t.

And it turns out students around the country do this all of the time when they return home for the summer.

This is a big benefit for us since we spend the summer holidays abroad with our relatives in the sunny Med. Since we’re away for two months, we now ask for a refund! It’s not much, but it goes straight into the proverbial piggy bank for times when we may need it more.

Concluding Remarks:

So, before I started the journey of becoming a mature student, I was apprehensive about finance. After some wonderful tips from Cash Lady, everything is more in perspective.

I study, cut back on expenditure, and take advantage of student discounts to enjoy life. And when we’re relaxing under the Greek sun this year, we won’t be paying for our TV licence!