No tuition, no fees — just a stipend that lands every month. It still needs a plan, and that plan looks different depending on your situation. Here's one method flexible enough to fit all of them.
Give every dirham a job
Split your stipend into categories — rent, food, transport, savings — before the month starts. Once a category's budget is spent, spending there stops. Money without a job tends to disappear quietly, a little at a time.
Know your starting point
On campus? Housing's likely covered — give the extra room a job too (savings, transport), so it doesn't just drift.
Renting? Cover rent and utilities first, with some buffer for bills that fluctuate.
International? Airfare, visa, and insurance are covered — so most of what's left in your stipend is genuinely yours to spend or save. Worth giving it a job on purpose rather than letting it drift.
Local? If some core costs are lighter or shared with family, that often means more room for savings.
A rough split
50% needs · 30% wants · 20% savings — a starting point, not a rule. Adjust based on what's already covered for you.
Habits that help
Pay future-you first — move savings the day the stipend lands.
Name your leaks — see the small recurring spends, give them a number.
Round up on purpose — guess high when unsure.
