Kings Student Money Mentors

Do you have any questions about money management during your time at university? Would you like to speak to another student about your budgeting concerns? If so, the Money Mentors are here for you! We are current trained students at King’s with a particular interest in being money savvy, and we hope to support our fellow students with all sorts of money-related matters. If you’re unsure of how to create a realistic budget, would like to explore various ways of saving money, and keep yourself safe from scams throughout the year, our Student Money Mentors would always be happy to support you. We will introduce our wonderful Money Mentor team below, which consists of students from a huge variety of different backgrounds and courses.

Tasniya Aktar 

Hi, I’m Tasniya and I’m a third-year medical student. Being a Money Mentor is great as it means I get to help students manage their money better, which then leads to them having a better student experience! I only joined the team in 2022 but I’m already enjoying the variety of tasks and flexibility that comes with the role. I’m really looking forward to meeting new students, especially in-person, and creating online content through blogs and social media posts in the upcoming year. 

Asmae Ait Abdallah 

Hi, I am Asmae! I am a third-year Neuroscience student and I have recently joined the Money Mentoring team, and I could not be more thrilled. I have a deep interest in financial literacy and its importance in education, which eases me into this role quite nicely. I have met many existing Money Mentors oozing with passion and ambition, and I cannot wait to collaborate with them to create great and useful content to share with our peers. I look forward to meeting students in our future events. 

Aanchal Raina 

Hi, I’m Aanchal and I’m a third-year medical student. I joined the team over a year ago, and I’m really excited for the upcoming year, where I can meet new students and hopefully pass on some money-saving tips and general advice about settling in! In particular, I’m looking forward to seeing some new faces at our campaigns!

Ilinca Olteanu 

Hi guys! I’m Ilinca, a third-year Economics and Management student and I have been a Student Money Mentor since February 2022. I joined the team to increase my financial awareness, as well as to help fellow students looking for guidance. I am the Head of the Social Media Team, and I actively manage our social media platforms and create content. Can’t wait to see what the upcoming year at King’s brings us!

Shivam Chotai 

Hi everyone, I’m Shivam Chotai and I’m a final-year medical student. I initially joined the Money Mentors team so I could help other students with their financial life, and to experience having a job whilst at university. I’ve recently become the head of the blogs team after writing several blog posts for the Money Mentors, and have been involved in the previous campaign and several budgeting-focused events. This year I will be looking forward to continuing the development in my role and participating in more of our fantastic campaigns.

Amber Naeem

Hi my name is Amber and I’m currently a third-year medical student. I joined the Money Mentors team a year ago, and over that time, I’ve been able to interact with new students, help organise in-person campaigns, create fun social media posts and share financial guidance with peers. More recently, I’ve become a permanent member of the social media team and the lead for Blackbullion, which I hope to promote even more throughout the next year!

Ami Jemide

Hello! My name is Ami Jemide. I’m a second-year law student. I’m Nigerian-British and I love meeting new people and exploring different cultures (travelling and I are best friends really). I’m interested in skincare and selfcare as well as sustainability. I became a Money Mentor because I want to help people understand how to cultivate a healthy, sustainable relationship with money. It’s something I’ve just learnt and I think would be great to pass on to other people as well 🙂

Anmoyul Mohon

Hi I’m Anmoyul Mohon , I am currently a fourth-year student in MSci pharmacology so you might see me around ( if I’m not busy studying at the library!) . I’m French but ethnically Bengali and I’m delighted to have joined the Money Mentor team last year. I’ve been involved in various tasks, from workshops to blog-writing and on-campus stall events. I find the team’s work genuinely interesting and helpful, especially when it comes to saving money, particularly as a newcomer to the UK. I’m looking forward to writing more blogs to share my personal experience and tips that I wish I knew when I moved to London.

Where can students speak to or connect with the Money Mentors?  

Students can reach out to Money Mentors on Instagram and ask any money-related questions they may have! You can also take a look at our Money Mentors blog for some tips on managing your money and staying (financially) safe during your time at university. However, if you need specialist advice tailored to any complex financial situation or have serious concerns that require urgent help, please contact the Money & Housing Advice Service where you can speak to a Specialist Money & Housing Adviser.  

Can students apply to become a Money Mentor? 

Yes! We are planning on recruiting more Money Mentors. If you are interested in getting involved, please keep an eye on our Instagram, as we will be advertising our recruitment opportunities there.  

Whether you’re interested in speaking to another Money Mentor or are hoping to become a Money Mentor yourself, we hope this blog post gives you a better idea of who we are and what we do alongside our specialist advisers. Student Servies also has a page on Money Mentors, should you be interested in learning more about us! Finally, if you have any concerns about financial wellbeing or wish to know more about what we do, again, please do not hesitate to contact us on Instagram!  

King’s Student Money Mentors
Part of Money & Housing Advice

The King’s Student Money Mentors blog shares our students’ personal experiences and thoughts on money-related topics. Any reference, opinions or recommendations on a particular company/brand are only the views of the student(s) who wrote the blog post. King’s College London, the Money & Housing Advice service and the Money Mentor project do not share the views in the blogs nor endorse any of the companies mentioned. Readers should conduct their own research before using any companies mention

Throughout this week, our Money Mentor team thoroughly enjoyed interacting with our fellow peers on and off campus! We hope you found our various tips on money helpful. As we wrap up our campaign, a current and a former Money Mentor decided to write a reflection on our week. 

Our ‘umbrella’ theme, ‘Navigating the numbers: cost of living’, sought to support students through the current cost of living crisis. We understand how stressful money management can be when the cost of household bills, food, and everything else continues to rise. By exchanging our personal experience and tips on money, we hoped to help students feel more confident about making their money stretch longer.  

Monday 6^th March – Sustainability 

On day 1, we focused on living sustainably and making student money last longer.  

‘Monday was all about the concept of helping students save their money, but in a sustainable way, and so this involved giving students tips and tricks on how they could be greener with their purchases and actions, for example upcycling old clothes instead of throwing them away or using apps like Olio or Too Good to Go to save waste food from being thrown away. The stall went extremely well with lots of students interested in taking part in the spin the wheel to test their knowledge, add their own tip to the ‘Tree’ or complete the prize draw survey. The recipe jars and mugs proved to be a big hit at the end!’ 

– Amber, Student Money Mentor.  

Tuesday 7^th March – Look after yourself 

Day 2 involved our Money Mentors speaking with various students about mental wellbeing and money. We know financial concerns can have a profound impact on people’s mental health – we hope our conversations and plant pots helped to relieve some of your stress. 

‘I have had the pleasure to be part of the stall running on the second day during national student money week, and let me tell you it was delightful, interesting, and fun! We got the chance to talk to hundreds of students about taking care of yourself when university, social life and cost of living crisis all come to knock at your door, and the wisdom and empathy that was exchanged between Money Mentors and students was mesmerising. In conclusion I believe it was an unforgettable experience that I will carry with me and remember as a highlight of my university career.’ 

– Asmae, Student Money Mentor.  

Wednesday 8^th March – Reducing costs and save 

Day 3 was all about reducing expenses and saving money. We shared our personal experience and tips on using various strategies to cut down on some of the day-to-day expenses. 

‘I had a great experience working as the team lead for theme 3. It was wonderful to see so many students interacting with us, as I know reducing costs and saving is a topic that we could all use some help with. I’m really happy that Money Mentors are available to give or signpost this help to students during the cost of living crisis, and it’s great that so many people came to see us on Guys Campus and our Mentors braved the weather to host a great stall!’ 

– Shivam, Student Money Mentor.  

Thursday 9^th March – Extra support from King’s 

On Day 4, we shared information on the financial support King’s can offer and other funding opportunities that students may be eligible for. We gave out goodie bags in King’s App tote bags with informative leaflets for our students.  

‘It was great fun meeting students and talking to them about NSMW at our stall in the Strand Building. Spin the wheel was the main attraction, even security and reception got involved and grabbed themselves a goodie bag with lots of free treats! Even with the poor weather our Money Mentor Team went out and about and met students all across Strand. All in all, it was a successful penultimate day of our campaign.’ 

– Yogi, Student Money Mentor.  

Friday 10^th March – Making cents of it all 

Our Money Mentors handed out flyers on various campuses and spoke with students about money management and budgeting to make every pound count!  

We also shared various information related to our themes throughout the week on Instagram.  

‘While working on Day 5 of the NSMW, I really enjoyed speaking to various students at Waterloo, Strand, and Bush House. Something I found quite fascinating was the different perceptions of money held by each individual. Some third years were tired of London because of how expensive it was while other found a way to make it work and they are loving it. I also learnt new things! Speaking to students at the Vault, I found out all about the amazing lunch prices. I will definitely be taking advantage of those more often.’ 

– Ami, Student Money Mentor.  

Missed us?  

If you wished to speak with us but could not visit our on-campus stalls or attend our online session, you can still do so by contacting us via Instagram! We also organise other campaigns throughout the year, so we hope to see you in some of our future events.  

Keep an eye on our Website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Blog for more tips on money!  

King’s Student Money Mentor Team
Part of Money & Housing Advice

The King’s Student Money Mentors blog shares our students’ personal experiences and thoughts on money-related topics. Any reference, opinions or recommendations on a particular company/brand are only the views of the student(s) who wrote the blog post. King’s College London, the Money & Housing Advice service and the Money Mentor project do not share the views in the blogs nor endorse any of the companies mentioned. Readers should conduct their own research before using any companies mentioned in our blog posts.

Hi there KCL! With all that’s currently going on in the world and the economy nowadays, I know it can be challenging at the moment for us students to afford the cost-of-living. Lots of us feel like our loans, grants and savings aren’t going as far as they once might’ve in the past, and are looking for ways to ease these financial burdens.

Having faced these difficulties a number of times as a student before, and knowing how much it affects not just my university experience but also my overall well-being, I wanted to write this blog to show how we can survive in the cost-of-living crisis today.

Although financial life isn’t the easiest here in London, applying some basic tips has definitely helped me a lot, and here I am sharing with you some crucial information I wish I knew when I moved to London for you to enjoy the city and not have an empty wallet!

• Be smart about food!

 Food will be one of my biggest expenses. Thankfully, there’s a lot you can do to spend less in the supermarket.

To reduce these costs, consider cooking with your housemates, being mindful of your food expenses and utilizing budget-friendly recipes found online.

One strategy is to do a weekly bulk shop and to be mindful of what you buy. This will encourage you to think more about what you’re eating and will help you buy less than you budgeted for. Shopping at the end of the day, when supermarkets often reduce items they can’t sell as fresh tomorrow, can also help save money.

Consider purchasing supermarket-own brands and trying the value option, and buying in bulk. This can help save money as everything is cheaper in larger quantities, as long as you’ll actually use it. Additionally, by teaching myself how to cook, I can save money and spend quality time with my housemates, while also improving my cooking skills.

• Don’t jump straight to buying textbooks

We all know the feeling of considering whether those expensive textbooks are really necessary purchases for us. When it comes to buying textbooks, the cost can be overwhelming. It’s important to remember that not all books on your reading list are essential, and buying them brand new can sometimes be a waste of money. A smart move would be to wait and determine which core texts are truly necessary, and even then consider buying them second-hand from older students.

Additionally, borrowing from the library is always an option. While it might be difficult to find enough copies of key texts in the library, you can always try to request them!

Also, it’s worth noting that there is usually a second-hand market for textbooks, where students who no longer need them can sell them at a lower cost. I’ve often asked our university bookshop (which can guide you in the right direction) or checked online forums to see if any students are selling their textbooks! (Just make sure to check the edition before buying as textbooks do go out of date.)

• Cut your utility costs

This is probably the most obvious sign of the cost-of-living crisis – the bills! Reducing your electricity, heating, and other utility bills could definitely make a HUGE difference at the end of your month.

One tip I have, especially now in the middle of winter, is to limit hot water usage by taking shorter showers. This conserves hot water and definitely lowers your heating bill. Additionally, something I recently started to incorporate would be to start washing your clothes at a lower temperature preventing shrinking AND to reduce the cost of your bills.

In the UK proper insulation is crucial in reducing heating costs. Don’t forget that you can ask your landlord to start investing in draft stoppers or weather stripping to cut down heat loss through drafty windows and doors. This will help lower your heating bill and keep you comfortable without overspending. Lastly (and something I have to remind myself of all the time) remember to also try not to keep the heating on all the time, especially when everyone is out of the house, or sleeping.

Another great way to save on utility bills is to make sure you’re using appliances efficiently. We all love washing machines and dishwashers, but it’s best to only run them when they’re full (and choose the energy-saving option if available!). My last tip about utilities is that you should absolutely unplug electronics when they are not needed, as they can still use electricity even when turned off or in so-called ‘standby mode’.

• Last but not least – where you live!

Many university students face the decision of whether to move out of their family home and into student housing, whether it be on or off campus or to live at home while commuting to university. Both options have their benefits and drawbacks, living on campus can provide a sense of independence and the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the college experience, but can also be expensive. On the other hand, living at home while commuting to the university can save money on rent, but it may limit opportunities for social interaction and involvement on campus. Ultimately, we can give you advice on the costs as Money Mentors, but it’s important for each student to weigh the pros and cons and decide what’s best for you.

I hope this has helped ease your difficulties in the cost-of-living crisis, and the Money Mentors are always here if you need further advice! See you soon!

Anmoyul Mohon
King’s Student Money Mentor
Part of Money & Housing Advice

The King’s Student Money Mentors blog shares our students’ personal experiences and thoughts on money-related topics. Any reference, opinions or recommendations on a particular company/brand are only the views of the student(s) who wrote the blog post. King’s College London, the Money & Housing Advice service and the Money Mentor project do not share the views in the blogs nor endorse any of the companies mentioned. Readers should conduct their own research before using any companies mentioned in our blog posts.