Could you live off £14 a week?

I've been pretty chill about finances up until today, until I realise I've got my household income pretty wrong and using the student finance calculator, I'll be getting about a grand less than I thought I would.

Leaving me with like £24.33 a week, I took out £40 for a monthly shop and this is over 42 weeks, and this leaves me £14 a week. I have friends who seem to be balling it out in Uni, where as I'll be dirt broke.

Isn't it a bit unfair to assume that my parents will cover the difference that others get from student finance just because they earn more? I know someone who lives in a single parent house and gets lots of money but she's an only child and her mum owns her house and she's kind of old (late 40s or 50) so she doesn't spend as much.

Whereas I have a sibling, my family don't own property in the UK, they need to pay for things like nursery. So its not like they just have all this disposable income to hand over to me.

Does this include an income from a job? Have you looked at grants from your uni? What type of accomodation are you going for? You can always back out of some luxuries, maybe go for a shared room if you don't mind it, go to shops like lidl instead of other supermarkets and cook in big, cheap batches so one big £4 dinner lasts you a few days. And as for going out, pay for club entrance but just have strong predrinks? Buy a big bottle of vodka or tequila and have a few drinks before you go so you won't have to buy any at the club

I've looked up a grant and they're only for achieving high grades or being from a low income household. I was planning to get a job anyway but I thought it'd just be a bonus on an already decent amount, I don't know any of my friends at uni who work and they all go out 3 times a week, I'm fairly sure they're not as poor as they claim to be. My friend went on two back to back holidays (without returning to the Uk) before going to uni, has a huge mac pc, like I'm apparently high income but I swear my family have nothing.

I tend to do the whole predrinks thing anyway, I guess shopping at lidl makes sense.

Your argument that parents should have saved for you is ignorant in a lot of ways. Firstly, you presume all parents had the same high income since the birth of said kid. Secondly, What if the parent just does not care about the child going to university? Thirdly, what if poor financial management has left the household crippled in debt? Fourthly, What happens when a moderately ok income is spread across more than two children in london where everything is so expensive? Not everything is so easily done as you proclaim, the system does not give students, who are old enough to go live alone enough to survive with. It is a dumb system and highlights the killing off of the middle class families across the country.

They shouldn't be having children then....


Posted from TSR Mobile

That's so dumb, so it's bad that young parents managed to earn above a threshold? It's wrong that my family pays more in and gets less out, **** you


Posted from TSR Mobile

They should have been saving for you and managed their finances before even having children... But no they had two children and didn't bother thinking about the consequences.



Posted from TSR Mobile

she's kind of old (late 40s or 50) so she doesn't spend as much.

What about the j word. 1 day a week would solve your problems.

I don't have time for Jesus

??? Still choking on this. Don't kind of old people spend money?

I'm not aware of anyone who does this, you make it sound like a requirement. Saving up to pay for a child's full university before they are born is really only doable if you are earning a lot or if you're old, I'd rather take having some more years of my parents being in life than some extra spending money at university tbh.

Why is it that parents who are 50 and somehow have kids my age who earn below a threshold for no apparent reason seem to be fine then? It's not like everyone who is low income is also disabled, so in their 50 years of life they can't manage to get a higher paying job and because of that they get treated for it? They didn't save up anything either, so that is ridiculous.

If I had been born like 2 years earlier and applied to university then back when my mother had a lower salary, I would've gotten more money without the expectation for them to save up for my university, which once again is a ridiculous concept.

You're right... It's not the normal! But it should be and there is no one else to blame for your shortfall other than your parents.

Get a job during uni and stop being such a victim.


Posted from TSR Mobile

I'm not being a victim, I am annoyed at how obnoxious you are. I blame the people who don't earn any money and take the biggest share of the government money, why should I blame someone who worked hard.


Posted from TSR Mobile

Just because someone doesn't earn much it does not mean they don't work hard. Good grief.


I did sympathise with your frustrations, but after that comment just no.

I don't care for your sympathy this person has taken me to my wit's end, I don't even consider my family as 'earning a lot', only one parent even earns above minimum wage.

Sympathy won't get me anything, I am just annoyed by this assumption that someone should be saving up for a scenario they have no experience with, should I save up in case my future children want hover boards, how am I even to know how much one will cost? Especially considering how the prices seem to increase every year for everything.

Why are those who earn low income not expected to save up before they have children then? What a horrible double standard.

So it's my parents fault they don't have a couple thousand to spare to give to me but if they earned less then it wouldn't be their fault?


Posted from TSR Mobile

I don't care about the argument you are having with that user. My only qualm with you was your statement that if someone earns less they don't work hard. It was incredibly naive and insulting thing to say.