Olivia Atwood spills money budgeting tips every student needs to hear for the new term

Olivia Atwoodand Joe Baggs travelled the UK in a new NationFried truck which saw some of TV and entertainment’s biggest stars dishing out food and tips to students.

For many students, they’ve watched Olivia Atwood climb the entertainment ladder from Love Island to now presenting multiple shows. Before this, she was in the same boat as students today, experiencing budgeting problems and making unnecessary purchaseswhile also adjusting to living alone.

But with all her lived experiences and mistakes along the way - Olivia spoke to the Mirror to tell all the tricks she’s learnt along the way and advice every student needs.

“For students, it is incredibly difficult to budget and there’s a lot of pressure on them already - they’re thinking about their exams, to budgeting to live,” she explained

READ MORE: Olivia Atwood and Joe Baggs serve hungry students as half struggle to budget food

READ MORE: 'I ate McDonald's every day for 700 days and this is what happened'

These issues can combine to become pressures for students, especially as the cost of living skyrockets. However, there’s one thing Olivia's family implemented which helped her along the way.

“We had a very open dialogue in our house about money and savings,” she explained, “that was something that was kind of drilled into us from a young age.”

Olivia recognises that despite budgeting skills being implemented from childhood, students can still make mistakes with their finances.

“When you’re young you obviously make mistakes and spend money on the wrong things - but I think that’s a part of growing up, you’re maturing," she said.

Olivia has always loved having her independence, from working at 16 years old and then moving out at 18. So the former reality TV star knows just how it feels to adjust.

For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror's Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox.

“I had to learn on my feet. I kind of threw myself into the deep end at the time I felt like I was this big adult but looking back I was really young.” but that is exactly what helped her - realising it is a learning experience.

“It’s okay to not have everything all figured out,” she explained. “It’s a learning curve, learn from your mistakes and don't beat yourself up over them.”

All these tips are coming from Olivia’s lived experience as well as struggling with being an impulsive person - which is why writing items she wants in her notes helps her gain distance and clarity on how to spend her money. “If you sleep on [purchases] a little bit, you let the dust settle, then you realise ‘I don’t actually need that thing," she said.

“It lets the adrenaline wear off, you might not feel the same about it in a few days’ time,” she explained.

What is the NationFried Truck?

It’s a Nationwide pop-up travelling across the UK dishing out breakfast along with advice - but beyond that, it was used to drive attention to it’s new FlexStudent account - which offers £100 free cash, as well as £120 worth of Just Eat vouchers, and interest-free overdraft of up to £1,000 in the first year.

Why is Nationwide introducing a new student account?

A study was conducted by Nationwide which found that nearly one in five students splurge over £200 on apps such as Uber Eats. Almost a quarter (24%) blame their dependence on ordering food on being too lazy to cook, while over a half (51%) admit to only having five meals in their homemade repertoire - which is exactly why Nationwide stepped in to help students.

Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you!