Could YOU live off £53 a week

has anyone here ever heard of aldi? I can do my entire shop for the week for about 10 quid, penne 30p, pasta sauce 30p, garlic bread 30p, mozzarella 45p bam about 3 dinners sorted for less than £1.50, get yourself a chocolate bar 30p and youll have no complaints. I don't understand students that shop in M&S while their parents work 9-5 trying to foot their bills

Well it is difficult and even more difficult if you have to pay electric, gas, water, etc. I currently live in a bedsit and don't have to pay any bills except add £8 per week to the rent. It is difficult and you have to really watch your money. Sometimes you will run out of money and you may have to dip into the rent money, but claw it back later. Sometimes you won't have to. Remember that politician who went on that programme to see if he could live on JSA for a week or so. He lasted a couple of days.

The issue is that IDS doesn't have to live off £53 per week. He doesn't have to. I can easily say in comparison with IDS's statement, that I could sow seeds in a field in the middle of the Sahara and try to live off that if my life depended upon it. I don't have to though. The reality of me finding myself in that position is extremely slim. The reality of IDS finding himself in that position now is extremely slim.

Martyn, are you unemployed?

Mmmmmm, healthy.

I took leave of my full-time job in February just gone.

I see.

I don't know, for students I'd think anyone living on that much a week was living a bit excessively to be honest.






This is exactly how I see it, asking on a student website £53 pw is alot, whereas when you have to worry about filling a house, putting money aside, eating etc etc all on your own it's not that much and you'd be knocked off your feet at the first bit of bad luck.

I could not handle the daily pyschological warfare and the constant and needless monitoring any longer, and so I asked them to put me down as being no longer suitable for the job. Even though it was a housekeeping job, I could not handle being blamed for managereal incompetency. That and other things besides.

Easily. If you've already got rent covered then £53 shouldn't be too hard to live off. My personal food bill comes to £20 a week and i could probably cut that down if i snacked a little less :P Have a pay as you go phone on ee and i only have to top up £10 every 3 months. If you're careful to keep your utility bills down and walk instead of driving it should be fine

Students live off much less that £53 a week all the time!

I don't know where people are getting this stereotype from.

Most of the students I know are able to easily afford to go out once a week(on average) plus food, phone and what not.

We're in halls at the moment so no bills.

I do my weekly shop on £14.

Spend a tenner on Monday's in the pub.

Then maybe a couple of nights out at £25 each.

Phone costs me £2 a week

I don't really buy clothes. I've stopped growing so my clothes last a while. If I want some extra smart things for going out I spend gift money on that(christmas and my birthday are very close so I always have quite a bit to spend in the Jan sales)

So that's £76 a week expenditure, and that in itself is about half of my budget, so minus what I spend on impulse coffees and chocolate bars and any random expenses like birthday presents for people, and whatever I have left(Almost always > £60) goes into savings for paying my own rent next year to reduce the burden on my parents.

You know that practically everyone gets one of the two at least?(I get both)



I honestly know one person who lives solely from his student loan.

I'm a student and I do it. I don't need to but i like to save up and then splash out once every few months

There is really no need to spend that much on a night out I find. I have a couple of drinks with friends before going out, If you buy a bottle of vodka and a litre of diet coke from tesco £10 can last me a whole months drinking (I'm a lightweight) Then only have 1 of the cheapest drink while I'm out, so the whole night costs me about £7, and I do that once a week.

If you're in the position where you have to live off of £53 a week then you really shouldn't be wasting it on nights out drinking. Not saying they shouldnt be allowed a social life, just learn to do it on a budget

Really? Where do you go to university? Admittedly I get the maximum maintenance loan, but I've always found it's enough to keep me without having to take on part time work or ask my mum for money ^^