[joeclarke3]

Can anybody provide an example of their/a friends weekly budget?

I'm starting tentative preparation for budgeting my first year and whilst, obviously, I can't be certain of my own income or expenditure now; having examples of how others spent theirs will provide a useful 'general' model for me.

[M4LLY]

(Original post by joeclarke3)
Can anybody provide an example of their/a friends weekly budget?

I'm starting tentative preparation for budgeting my first year and whilst, obviously, I can't be certain of my own income or expenditure now; having examples of how others spent theirs will provide a useful 'general' model for me.

Is this uni budgeting by chance?

[joeclarke3]

Indeed, sorry I didn't make that one clear enough.

[PinkyPurply]

I was just thinking about making a thread on this

[M4LLY]

Ah sorry pal i'm not your man for this kind of info, if its any other form of budgeting i'd be happy to help.

[jaadau121]

give more info eg your student loan/grant amounts, staying away or home, which uni, part time job or not etc

[joeclarke3]

Well, like I said, it's not guaranteed whether I'll get a job when I go (I am planning to, but the job market can be a bitch) and where I'll be attending isn't confirmed yet. First choice is Reading, insurance is Bath Spa.

Loan is £3,891 and I don't know about grants yet. My accommodation alone is going to cost (hopefully) £3,897, but I get £2,000 a year from a savings account that my grandparents set up a long time ago for me. So, essentially, without a part-time job, I'll have £1,994. Hopefully I'll get some part-time employment, but it's not guaranteed.

[jaadau121]

(Original post by joeclarke3)
Well, like I said, it's not guaranteed whether I'll get a job when I go (I am planning to, but the job market can be a bitch) and where I'll be attending isn't confirmed yet. First choice is Reading, insurance is Bath Spa.

Loan is £3,891 and I don't know about grants yet. My accommodation alone is going to cost (hopefully) £3,897, but I get £2,000 a year from a savings account that my grandparents set up a long time ago for me. So, essentially, without a part-time job, I'll have £1,994. Hopefully I'll get some part-time employment, but it's not guaranteed.

So you have 2000 to last 12 months meaing, monthly expenditure has to be around £160. menaing weekly expenditure will be about £40

If you do around 15 hours a week part time at around £6 per hour, you will have an extra £90 a week meaning in total you will have £130 a week. If you get your shopping a tesco for meals and stuff, then food shouldn;t cost you too much, i live with my parents, a family of 5 and we spend about £80-90 on weekly shopping, so by that standard you prob shouldnt spend more than 30 on food.

that leaves you with a hundred quid, you should prob put £20 towards saving for clothes and stuff leaving you with 80.

Then you have leisure and stuff so depending on how outgoing you are maybe put another 20-30 towards leisure.

leaving you with 50, put 20 in saving for emergencies lol

and im sure I have prob left some essential stuff out which you might think off.

I'm staying with my parents and I am going to uni of Manchester so costs uphere are less and I am not too far from Uni so transport is ok as the monthly pass is £50 meaning if i got from September to may ie 9 months it will be around £450. Also its tough in these economic times so me and my mates just chill out at our houses as we simply cannot afford to go out too often, but with good planning we have our nights out though

I suppose in general the biggest advice I can give you is form friendships with people who are on a similar financial position as you, that way you won't feel the pressure to spend when you can't afford to just to save face in front of these so called friends who may be from wealthy backgrounds and can afford it.

At the end ofthe day what matters most is the people who you spend time with not what you do or what you eat, and I'm sure you will realise that since you won;t be living at home. Thats why cutting on leisure is prob the easiest thing to do as it is where most people do away with tehir budget before realsiing they have cocked up.

Another point, plan your nights out, set a sensible limit on what you will spend, never take your card but take cash, that way you can't be forced to overspend under peer pressure.

[joeclarke3]

Aces. Sound advice all round man, I'd got an idea about most of that stuff but it's nice to see it put in another way by someone else. Without wanting to sound ignorant to the real world etc. etc., none of that should be too big a problem for me. I'm not an outlandish spender on anything and I'm fine with budget shopping. So yeah, hopefully I can get a job and I'll be fine! Cheers for your help and enjoy Manchester

[jaadau121]

(Original post by joeclarke3)
Aces. Sound advice all round man, I'd got an idea about most of that stuff but it's nice to see it put in another way by someone else. Without wanting to sound ignorant to the real world etc. etc., none of that should be too big a problem for me. I'm not an outlandish spender on anything and I'm fine with budget shopping. So yeah, hopefully I can get a job and I'll be fine! Cheers for your help and enjoy Manchester

No problem mate, hope you get your firm and good luck with finding a job, i'm finding one myself