Budgeting!

I've been trying to work out a weekly allowance with my Dad which I think is inclusive of everything and we seem to have settled on £300 a month. Is this reasonable? I am living in a single study room on UP by the way.

Reply 1

CE49

I'm living on just over £100/month (not including accommodation costs) and I'm living self catered.

University of Nottingham

Nottingham

Visit website

Reply 2

jessiainscough

CE49

I'm living on just over £100/month (not including accommodation costs) and I'm living self catered.

Is that just living costs, and does it include academic costs (e.g. books) and socialising costs?

Reply 3

etudiant

I take it your £300 does not include your accomm fees, in which case it seems to be like an awful lot! That leaves you with £75 to spend a week and not much of which will be spent on food as you're catered. I spent around £45 a week and I was in catered halls on Jubilee, so..

Reply 4

Brotherhood

Actually I'll bet she'll spend quite a bit on food, being catered. It's not the best - plus factor in all those takeaways e.t.c.

Depends on how much you go out but £75's quite generous across the average and should see you by fine as long as you're sensible.

Without going out on nights out (which was rare in a week) I could spend as little as £30-40 while still socialising through the day, but that quickly went up to £100+ during particularly epic weeks.

Basically it depends on you. Nobody can answer for you. You'll get budgets from £20 a week right up to £250+.

Reply 5

jessiainscough

etudiant

The figure has factored in having to buy books and maybe other things for my course, so does that make it seem more reasonable??

Reply 6

etudiant

Still not. As you'll only be really buying books in the first few weeks of term and therefore will not need to have £300 in say November when you should be buying very few books. At £75 a week, you still have £120 extra to meet your £300 budget, with which you can buy quite a few books if you buy them wisely, i.e. second-hand.

However, I think that if you can afford to budget for £300, then do so. Then save any extra that you have left? I only say this as you'll only know exactly how much you spend when you get there, so..

Reply 7

kates:)

What do people reckon is the average spend on food shopping a week? I'm going self-catered and was reckoning on about £30 a week plus maybe a bit more if I have lunch out sometimes or get a takeaway.

I've got quite a large budget to be honest (so grateful to my parents) but don't plan on living a lavish, plush life. I want to be realistic and am going to save some of it.