How do i survive on £10 a week?!

I have never asked for anything to be handed to me on a silver plate. All i want is to get myself out of the situation i am in and hopefully get a degree and a good job and the end of it. I don't think thats exactly asking for much. I'm just trying to reach the goals i have set myself. That is all. Also, please tell me exactly what i have 'made excuses for' ?

Like i've said before it's too late now to find cheaper accommodation and to be honest i don't think the uni accommodation comes much cheaper... i did have a job over the summer (which i was forced to leave about a week ago as they new i would be going to uni in sept) also but pretty much all of the money has gone from that (buying stuff for uni, clothes, makeup, going out, ect) and that also leaves another month that the money has to last... i also just had two emails telling me i haven't got the jobs LOL what even is life

So it's my own fault for wanting to make something of my life and go to uni? With all due respect, how on earth was i meant to know that i would be getting such a low income in order for me to 'prepare' and 'budget properly' ? Yep. Clearly it's all my fault for having no money.

You should contact your uni asap and see if you can transfer your accommodation or give it to someone on a waiting list. It might be there's someone who didn't get into your accommodation who wants to swap or it might be that they have a waiting list and someone will take your room and you can look for a cheaper spare room in a shared flat/house.

You've made some really poor choices - not checking your estimated student finance (easily done online months before you go to uni), not saving money from your summer job, you're still not thinking about saving the rest of your money, not doing a budget to check you could afford accommodation, taking a really expensive room etc. You are still responding to every suggestion with LOL can't do that which is why people are getting annoyed with you. Getting a job is not guaranteed which is why you need to have an alternative plan before starting uni and deferring should be something you consider - better to defer a year than drop out because you're starving and miserable.

Personally I was offered accommodation which was quite expensive for my uni (about the same cost as yours) and worked out my approximate income with student finance + bursary and then decided that it wasn't a sensible financial decision so I turned it down and lived in cheaper private halls so it's quite possible to have avoided this mess.

Another option is to have another chat with your parents about whether you'd have a back up plan from them if you don't get a job. I know your parents may not have a lot of spare income but as someone else has worked out they must be on a reasonable wage - is there no way they can contribute anything?

Of course they can raising a family of 6 on 9k last year that is hard

Earning £40k doesn't mean they have the same outgoings as you and loads of spare cash, if they have an expensive mortgage, a few expensive contracts they're tied into (e.g. internet, TV, phone etc), a bit of debt and a couple of other kids it's quite possible they don't have enough spare disposable income that they wouldn't be putting themselves into a poor state to give OP enough money for her to live properly, especially if their earnings have just gone down a bit. And there's no reason for OPs parents to have to give up everything they enjoy, not get to go on holiday, not get to go out places etc because OP didn't budget properly.

I agree but if they could find £3500 a year OP's problem would be fixed, also we all have to make sacrifices.

But realistically let's say they spen £20 a week on food for OP that's a saving of £1040 a year instantl.

But I agree at the moment OP says they have spent their summer income on uni stuff (important) and also going out that was their choice.

Also what stuff did they buy?

I have 4.5k in saving which I earns, I knew I would need money for uni so I didn't go out on weekends and waste money.

A guy on my A-level college course was so poor all he ate was microwave Yorkshire puddings with brown sauce

They're also likely to lose child benefits when OP leaves which will probably more than account for the expenses OP costs them (I know my mum lost money overall when I moved out). OP's parents are likely to be losing 10k or more of that income already on tax, pension, student loans etc. 'finding' over 10% of their income to give to their child is not going to be easy. Why should they sacrifice? OP thought it more worthwhile to spend the summer going out and buying clothes and make up than saving any money so why should her parents go without as a result.

They're also likely to lose child benefits when OP leaves which will probably more than account for the expenses OP costs them (I know my mum lost money overall when I moved out). OP's parents are likely to be losing 10k or more of that income already on tax, pension, student loans etc. 'finding' over 10% of their income to give to their child is not going to be easy. Why should they sacrifice? OP thought it more worthwhile to spend the summer going out and buying clothes and make up than saving any money so why should her parents go without as a result.

I've just realised i actually haven't thanked you all for your advice, it it much appreciated and it's been very helpful. But it's getting a bit over the top now and people are getting mad. I feel as though we are going slightly off topic (The thread is titled 'How do i survive on £10 a week' it was meant to be light hearted) I understand that i've probably made a few mistakes (i'm completely new to all of this uni and student finance stuff, like many people) i admit that. I will give student finance a call to check to see if everything is correct and i will make some enquiries about my accommodation.

Hope it works out

I've just realised i actually haven't thanked you all for your advice, it it much appreciated and it's been very helpful. But it's getting a bit over the top now and people are getting mad. I feel as though we are going slightly off topic (The thread is titled 'How do i survive on £10 a week' it was meant to be light hearted) I understand that i've probably made a few mistakes (i'm completely new to all of this uni and student finance stuff, like many people) i admit that. I will give student finance a call to check to see if everything is correct and i will make some enquiries about my accommodation.

Do let us know how it goes

Like i said before it's not just food that i will be spending money on, i'm beginning to think this whole thing is going to be impossible.

PS. I'm not a fan of tuna not gonna lie

Not arguing with the good points you made. Just wondering where you got the 10k figure from? Like a breakdown? Child benefit is £20.70 a week, so £1076.40 annually. Student loan won't have anything to do with their income decreasing? Not sure how their pensions change? Tax I am also not sure on. But seems a bit of a overshot estimate?

Just looked up child tax credit (If OPs family are even eligible, which looking at her student finance amount it doens't look like they are) (Which I'd forgot existed as I thought it was being scrapped) that's 2780, so still quite far from 10k unless I'm missing something?

sorry I wasn't very clear - I meant if OPs parent's earned 10k they wouldn't take home 10k if that makes sense - so could lose 10k between tax/pensions/student loan payments etc, nothing to do with OP affecting their pay - just another reason that if they earn 40k they don't have 4x the income of someone on 10k

LOL at living on £10 a week.. Paying £9k a year+ to go to uni whilst living on £10 a week is like buying an Audi R8 and making it run on sunflower oil and pepsi

I mean seriously, if your option is Uni on £10 a week or not Uni.. you surely have to go with the latter unless you can find the money from elsewhere