With the uncertainty of the government’s financial support towards tertiary students, it is always a good idea to budget when the money eventually comes in.
This is what one university student TikToker (whose handle is @mercilinajohnson) has done for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) money she is to soon receive.
Funded by the Department of Higher Education and Training, NSFAS provides financial aid to undergraduate students to help pay for the cost of their tertiary education after finishing high school.
@mercilinajohnson shared on TikTok how she would budget her incoming R7000 NSFAS allowance on certain expenses.
Writing it down on paper, @mercilinajohnson noted the following costs for the month:
- Laptop – R5000
- Clothes – R1000
- Groceries: R750
- Bank charges: R50
- Bolt (e-hailing service) and McDonald’s – R200
@mercilinajohnson #fypシ #nsfas #varsity ♬ original sound – leche coex
@mercilinajohnson’s video received over 800,000 views on the popular app, with thousands of comments flooding in.
Some provided tips and inexpensive alternatives:
“If you want peace, buy a laptop from the brand HP.”
“My advice would be to save up that 5k to buy a better laptop, trust me on that. You will buy a laptop every year if you are not careful.”
“Increase your clothes and grocery budget.”
While others expressed their curiosity over the amount to be spent on groceries:
“R750 groceries? Does it include toiletries and washing stuff? I’m pretty sure it doesn’t.”
“I can’t buy groceries for R750, never.”
“How I wish my groceries were also R750.”
Also see: 25 Types of jobs in SA offering R30,000 and above per month
