Am I overspending at University?

[bcjames]

For what dude? I dont get what you mean

Weekly loan ammount* - rent and bills = 20pence

*even though its not paid like that.

 

[daz]

I set aside £100 a week for living expenses.

 

[Hamish]

you lot seem to spend a lot compared to me unless you are including rent in your calculations. I spend £80 a week and that is easily enough to go out a couple of times a week and treat yourself to a t-shirt or something every couple of weeks.

My outgoings are:
Lunch - £2.40 a day
Food / Bills/ House stuff - £40 a month
Travel - £0 (Walk into Uni)
Going out - £25 a couple of times a week

tbh I don't know how I spend £80 a week.

 

[bcjames]

£40 a month on food?

 

[Hamish]

£40 a month on food?

yep theres 6 of use each paying £40 a month and we all cook for each other. A nice meal is about £5 for all of us. e.g.

Spag bol:
Mince ~ £3
Onion ~ 20p?
Big thing of Dolmio ~ £1.20
Spaghetti ~ 25p

the £40 also covers the electricity, gas, cable TV, internet, TV licence, water etc. although we may have to start putting an extra tenner a month in.

 

[bcjames]

Damn. We all cook for eachother like that, but im still going through at least £30+ a week at tesco

Edit: Thats with 4 of us.

 

[hendrix]

This semester, my average weekly spending has to be £50 per week so that I don't go into my overdraft. First few weeks I managed to spend £35ish, and then last week I spent £35 on the saturday night.

Just got myself a girlfriend now aswell so I have a feeling i'll be spending more money than normal

 

[Carzy]

12

 

[[TW]Fox]

Can people afford to eat out and drink etc just off the student loan? Surely the student loan should be just enough to provide a basic functional living, and if you want to eat out or drink then you should get a job as well.

The student loan is so pittiful I can only really afford a car with a 2 litre engine at the moment, its such a hard existence

 

[Jez]

Can people afford to eat out and drink etc just off the student loan? Surely the student loan should be just enough to provide a basic functional living, and if you want to eat out or drink then you should get a job as well.

What i found best was to have a separate money making enterprise, and spend the £3k loan + a bit on an MR2 GTS Turbo. Made sound financial sense

 

[megakid]

Im hoping my student loan will provide me with enough insurance money for a 2 litre turbo Celica GT4 next term.

For the record, I work almost 20 hours a week part-time on top of a very demanding course. In addition, I have got myself a 12 week fulltime summer placement at a very nice (& rich by the looks of things) investment bank in the city of london which will sort me out totally for my 3rd year and more.

I do think over £2000 a term is excessive - I was living at Warwick University (on campus) for £840 a term rent. Lived off £40 a fortnight tesco shopping (£200 a term then) and went out a couple of nights a week at about £15 a night. Didnt work either.
Worked out at about £1400 a term which I thought was a hell of a lot - About £300 on top of my student loan.

I now live off campus paying £660 rent per term (plus £20pm bills), same £40 a fortnight tesco shopping but dont go out half as much - probably once a fortnight @ £30-40 a night.
Anyone can get through uni (if you pick the right uni) by just living on their student loan - it's just a matter of what you're prepared to give up to do so. Whether that be freetime (as in - get a job) or not going out much (or give up drink - works out infinately cheaper!).
I know some people who took 2 years out to work full time before coming to the university of their choice so they could afford it (that's with a student loan). It's hard, but most definately possible.

 

[Matt]

I spend a lot Though doing my placement year was a really good idea, not just for the experience, but it paid for a lot of stuff too

 

[NiCkNaMe]

Will hopefully have a job by the time my next student loan comes in ... so i'l have the whole 1700 quid to spend on a nice holiday... clothes and general stuff

**** worrying about money now, i'l do that when I hit the real world

 

[MagSafe]

Around £550, but £400 of that was on an iBook

 

[alexakasloth]

Seems natural, my brother has spent £800 on a laptop, then again he's using his loans etc.

 

[Clarkey]

very little this term, only bought some parts for my bike, but i sold some stuff which more than covered the cost on that, so I guess under £100 on food and booze. I don't spend a lot, because I don't have a lot, I do not need an LCD TV, or a laptop, or expensive designer clothes.

 

[Nitefly]

ffs get a job, lazy student dossers.

If I had a job at uni, I would fail my course period, its hard enough as it is. Don't think every studant studies 'history of art' (3/4 lectures a week).

I worked hard over the summer for my spending money, but I would say that £600 a term is a reasonable budget per term not including studant fees and accomadation (£60 a week). Basically that covers the excessive money spent in the last week as someone has already mentioned

 

[dirtydog]

If I had a job at uni, I would fail my course period, its hard enough as it is. Don't think every studant studies 'history of art' (3/4 lectures a week).

I worked hard over the summer for my spending money, but I would say that £600 a term is a reasonable budget per term not including studant fees and accomadation (£60 a week). Basically that covers the excessive money spent in the last week as someone has already mentioned

Excessive use of the letter 'a' in that post I feel

 

[ironman]

Half way through second term and I have spent about £1200

edit: thats not including rent/tuition

 

[Saberu]

Don't touch your student loan it's not like you need it or anything

Yeah i'd say you've overspent, although I spent 1500 last term and already spend 1000 this term (mostly on accomodation) so i can't talk.