My spending pattern has changed considerably during corona. I don’t know how other students are faring (discussing money is still a taboo, unfortunately), but I, for one, have started buying more expensive shampoo. Huh? Why, you may wonder? I will explain. But first:
I keep track of my monthly income, expenses and investments in a detailed spreadsheet. This may sound nerdy and time-consuming, but in reality, it is not. However, I will not bore you with the details. On to the juicy details!
These are my monthly expenses per category in the period March 2020 through April 2021:
Rent: €396
Education: €188
Insurance: €178*
Grocery shopping: €95
Health and skincare: €57
Housekeeping and electronics: €52**
Business: €46***
Clothing and accessories: €31
Gifts: €30
Food and beverages outdoors: €26
Travel: €24
Hobbies and activities: €11
Charities: €7
Taxes: €6
Banking fees: €3
Total: €1.150
* In December 2020, I paid ahead for my health insurance, making this figure appear higher than it is.
** In April, I was forced to buy a new fridge/freezer as my old freezer stopped working. Without this expense, this category would be less than half what it now is.
*** In principle, I keep my business and private finances strictly separated, but sometimes there are things that require the use of a credit card. Since I do not have a business credit card, I use private funds in such cases.
(PS: Here you can see what an average student spent in 2017 (in Dutch) according to Nibud. As this data is four years old, you must add approximately 2 per cent inflation per year.)
Anyway, a few expenses have changed considerably during corona. I spent hardly any money on leisure activities and much less on going out for drinks or dinner. (This has mostly been replaced by coffee-to-go and food deliveries, haha).
At the same time, my expenses in the travel and personal hygiene categories have risen by 381 and 104 per cent, respectively. My increased travel expenses are related to the fact that I was less tied to Wageningen than would normally be the case. Suddenly, I was able to travel to my boyfriend, friends and parents on week days as well, rather than just the weekends.
This last category is particularly interesting, as it is an excellent example of the lipstick effect: in times of scarcity or crisis, people are tempted to spend more on relatively cheap luxury products such as a Chanel lipstick -or in my case: Rituals products and shampoo and conditioner by Kérastase – because they can’t afford the more expensive luxury products such as a car or vacation.
How have your expenses changed since corona? Bought more lipstick? Let me know in your reaction to this article. I’d love to know!
Emma Mouthaan (25) is a master’s student of Molecular Nutrition and Toxicology and is also taking a master in Writing at the VU. Emma blogs on studying and finances on the website The Stingy Student. Previously, she wrote about fashion and food.