A 21-year-old Coventry student has shared her top money-saving tips after successfully buying her first home all on her own.
Sujaana Jeyaratanam, 20, from Coventry, a second-year biomedical science student at Coventry University purchased a three-bedroom home in Nuneaton in August this year.
The second-year student managed to save up the deposit for her £180,000 home with no help.
And now, Sujaana has shared her top tips to students who wish to follow her lead.
Sujaana works as a part-time tutor teaching science and maths to young students, helping her pocket extra money.
Sujaana also started her online skincare business on Etsy selling herbal face masks and toners.
The budding entrepreneur makes the products at home using all-natural ingredients, including turmeric, which is widely known for its health benefits.
The 21-year-old worked up to 30 hours five days a week, using the extra income towards her house deposit.
She said: “My parents were a big support for my business and always motivated me since I was a child.
“They never said my dreams were too big when others said it was unrealistic.”
However, Sujaana said students do not need to work part-time to save up money for a house.
Sujaana, who lives at home with her parents, used the bulk of her student maintenance loan towards her deposit.
Stayed at home and saved up
She said: “I stayed at home and saved up the maintenance money I got.
“If you save up two years of your maintenance money, you would have enough for a whole house deposit.
“You can buy a house with just maintenance money and you don’t have to work full-time.
“I also saved my tuition money and my side Etsy business.
“There are a lot of things you can do from home to make money, and tutoring is a really easy thing to do as a student.
“It doesn’t cost a lot to set up and there is a demand for private tutors.
“Sometimes people get scared of starting their own business and they think they need a lot of money to do it, but that isn’t the case.”
Sujaana always had a passion for real estate and set a goal of buying her first house by the age of 21.
Sujaana was inspired by her late uncle, Alexander Lawrence, a successful businessman in Sri Lanka, who taught her the ropes when it came to investing.
She said: “I always wanted to get into real estate since I was young, I was inspired by my uncle.
“He started businesses in Sri Lanka at a young age with just a bicycle to get around.
“He became really big in the region, and I always wanted to become like him.
“I had the goal to buy a house at the age of 21 no matter what.
“I did whatever I could and thought of different ways to achieve it, and I did.”
Taking advantage of discounts
Sujaana advised students to take full advantage of discounts available to them, such as Uni Days and Student Beans.
She also stays away from buying groceries at major supermarkets and instead, shops at local mini-marts for a fraction of the cost.
“University students think it’s impossible to buy your home.
“But this is the time in your life where it is possible to gain income and buy a home early.
“There are so many student discounts that students don’t use such as Student Beans and Uni Days.
“People don’t tend to use them because they can’t be bothered to look for the discount codes, you save so much on clothes and shoes – and get freebies sometimes.
“Try and cook yourself rather than buying takeouts.
“Also, I tend to shop in markets for groceries because they are so much cheaper than big supermarkets like Asda.”
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