By the tiswa editorial team, from the official sources listed at the end of this guide. How we write our guides
It is the night before Eid, one in the morning, and you are hunting for your size in the last shop still open. A fragrance, a gift and eidiya are in your hands, and you counted none of them. Many students live this twice a year, at Fitr and at Adha, then come back to an empty account with weeks left before the stipend. This guide plans Eid before it arrives: how much to spend, on what, when to buy, and how to come out of it whole.
The number comes before the store
Open a note on your phone and write the full Eid amount before you enter any shopping app. Then split it into four lines: clothes, fragrance and care, gifts and eidiya, and outings or travel. Start saving it a month or two ahead, because taking it all from one month's stipend is the classic mistake. Stipends themselves differ between universities, as King Saud University's stipend page2 shows, so build the number on what reaches you, not on what a friend spends. Examples are in Eid on a student budget and the student budget.
Clothes and fragrance: where the big share goes
Clothes are usually the biggest line, and a student discount shows most there. Compare the price after the discount at two or three stores before you pay. Codes are in fashion and beauty discount codes and sneaker discount codes, and fragrance is in perfumes for university. On a tight budget, pick one fragrance you love over three average ones. And skip the last-two-days trap: sizes run out and deliveries slip, so buy before the final week.
Gifts and eidiya with a count
Write down who you are giving to and an amount for each, then choose the gift. A small useful one pleases more than an expensive one nobody needed. Prepare eidiya in set amounts, say a ten or twenty riyal note per child, in cash or by bank transfer the day before. Anyone who pulls it from a pocket moment by moment spends more than planned. Gift ideas by budget are in Eid on a student budget.
The road home
If you study in a different city from your family, travel takes a big share at Eid. Book early and compare flights, the train and buses; a flexible trip on a day before the peak saves more than any code. Details are in student flight discounts. If you work part time, the Labour Law1 gives workers paid leave on the Eids and occasions set by its implementing regulations, so ask your employer about your schedule before you book.
The week after
The first week after Eid is the weakest in your budget. If you went over, do not cover it with instalments or borrowing; cut variable spending until the next stipend, with the methods in save money as a student. If you have savings and wonder about zakat, read zakat on savings or ask a trusted authority, and keep that money out of the shopping budget from day one.
Eid checklist for students
- Write the Eid amount
A month before Eid, split across clothes, fragrance, gifts and outings.
- Buy outfits early
Before the last week, with a student code where there is one.
- Name the gift recipients
An amount per person, with no last-minute extras.
- Prepare eidiya a day ahead
Set amounts, in cash or by transfer.
- Book the trip home
Compare flights, the train and buses before prices rise.
- Check your account after Eid
Stop variable spending until the next stipend.
