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Inside University of Bristol
University of Bristol
Bristol

I only have £25 a week for uni, Help?

I will be starting uni in 4 weeks, found out that i will only be getting £25 per week for Food, Social, Entertainment, Travel and equipment. I was wondering if this will really drastically effect my uni life where im left sitting in my dorm room alone while everyone goes out and has fun drinking or going out for meals i can't afford.
I know a part time job here is necessary but im just scared that i wont be able to get one with the thousands of students wanting one aswell.
What are the cheap food options i can go for?
Cheap food = supermarket own budget brands, raiding reduced to clear stuff and freezing, making meals in bulk to portion and reheat later... It's just about possible on £25 depending on how many nights a week you eat beans on toast :/
Inside University of Bristol
University of Bristol
Bristol
Original post by JaySmith97
I will be starting uni in 4 weeks, found out that i will only be getting £25 per week for Food, Social, Entertainment, Travel and equipment. I was wondering if this will really drastically effect my uni life where im left sitting in my dorm room alone while everyone goes out and has fun drinking or going out for meals i can't afford.
I know a part time job here is necessary but im just scared that i wont be able to get one with the thousands of students wanting one aswell.
What are the cheap food options i can go for?


shopping at places like lidl and aldi are probably your best bet, and a bottle of dodgy vodka is also really cheap there, so you dont have to stay in your room the whole time. The only real way to sort the problem out is to get a PT job. and yeah there are a lot of people going for one, but theres also a lot of jobs avaliable, especially at pubs, clubs, SU, etc. get working on your CV in the next few weeks, make sure you put all your past experience etc, even send it to your past college tutor(s) if you have one/them so they can check it and improve. as soon as all the uni students move in every place with an avaliable post is going to get flooded with CV's, so try to move in to your uni flats a day or two early so you can beat everyone to the mark, get yourself noticed, and give yourself the best possible chance at grabbing a job... dont work too may hours though
Reply 3
Original post by Danno190
Cheap food = supermarket own budget brands, raiding reduced to clear stuff and freezing, making meals in bulk to portion and reheat later... It's just about possible on £25 depending on how many nights a week you eat beans on toast :/


Thanks for the quick reply! So basically i am ****ed, iv always imagined uni life to be some of the best years of your life and yet im starting to become depressed and thinking that it will just be a living hell hole for me.
Reply 4
Original post by georgec123
shopping at places like lidl and aldi are probably your best bet, and a bottle of dodgy vodka is also really cheap there, so you dont have to stay in your room the whole time. The only real way to sort the problem out is to get a PT job. and yeah there are a lot of people going for one, but theres also a lot of jobs avaliable, especially at pubs, clubs, SU, etc. get working on your CV in the next few weeks, make sure you put all your past experience etc, even send it to your past college tutor(s) if you have one/them so they can check it and improve. as soon as all the uni students move in every place with an avaliable post is going to get flooded with CV's, so try to move in to your uni flats a day or two early so you can beat everyone to the mark, get yourself noticed, and give yourself the best possible chance at grabbing a job... dont work too may hours though


Thanks for the reply! im planning on getting some work experience in bar work just before i go, what would you say are the best well payed PT jobs i could go for? I really want to have a good time in uni and not be depressed on how much i will be scavenging just to live. is there any options i can put on my CV that gives me a greater chance at getting a job than others? How would i go about apply for these jobs? Online the day i get there? or going to see the jobs office in univeristy? How many hours would you say i worked a week?
Original post by JaySmith97
Thanks for the reply! im planning on getting some work experience in bar work just before i go, what would you say are the best well payed PT jobs i could go for? I really want to have a good time in uni and not be depressed on how much i will be scavenging just to live. is there any options i can put on my CV that gives me a greater chance at getting a job than others? How would i go about apply for these jobs? Online the day i get there? or going to see the jobs office in univeristy? How many hours would you say i worked a week?


good plan with the WE. it really depends with regards to pay, like you can get one place that pays minimum wage and then the exact same job for a different company being on £7+. try to print out a load of CV's before you go down,but have a few different types of CV's: one set tailored to bar work, one tailored towards supermarkets/convenience stores... you get the idea. i know it sounds like a massive ballache but if you bag a good job, it will pay off in so many ways. go around hunting when you get there, look online on job sites, ive got the 'indeed' app on my phone which is really good for just browsing jobs on the go. search for something like 'part time' and then wherever your uni location is. i'd say 8-12 hours per week would be fine and a good amount of money.
Reply 6
You're going to have to try and get a job as soon as possible. If you genuinely only have £25 per week, might be worth contacting the University to see if there are any means tested loans or such that might be applicable to you.
The struggle is real. Can't your parents help you out a bit, maybe you can pay them back later (work next summer)?
Reply 8
Get a part-time job
1. Get a job.
2. Go to student nights/do free stuff
3. Plan meals for the week
4. Apply for student grants and hardship loans
Depending on your families financial status, you may receive a bursary from the university that will give you significantly more money. If your parents earn less than £42,620 a year, then you will be automatically receive between £500-£2000, depending on the actual value they earn. More information on it can be found here.

If your family earns more than that, your only real options are to either get a part time job or to ask your parents for money/a loan.

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