Voting for TSRs Ultimate Study Playlist is NOW OPEN >>

How much money will I need to live at uni?

I've just taken a student finance calculator and found I would have -2000 a year. So then I refilled it out and tried to reduce costs. Is £20 a week enough money for food? I changed my costs to £20 a week for food and virtually removed most other costs as I know I wouldn't be able to afford the, however I still am -1,300 a year. Any suggestion on how much money I will need weekly/monthly for certain things and how I am supposed to live on minus funds?
Thanks

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

claireestelle

Original post by henryf8

£20 a week on food is challenging but doable, you would at some point have to buy other things though. Are you in a high household income bracket? is that estimate with the cheapest accommodation option available to you?

Reply 2

henryf8

Yeah I am in a high income bracket however money really is tight at home due to various reasons. However my mum is able to give me £200 a month which I am grateful for, even then I am not able to afford almost anything. I realised I wouldn't be able to live in the city campus and so I have decided on accommodation about 25 min walk so not bad at all.

Original post by claireestelle

Reply 3

claireestelle

Original post by henryf8

If you've picked the cheapest accommodation then i would try and get a zero hours job so you have something to fall back on.

Reply 4

henryf8

Thanks I'll keep that in mind

Original post by claireestelle

If you've picked the cheapest accommodation then i would try and get a zero hours job so you have something to fall back on.

Reply 5

Dannyboy2015

Part time job, 16 hours or under is the way to go. Spread over 2 days (ideally 1 w/e day and 1 day when you don't have lectures).

Even with the full loan - it is impossible to live in Brighton w/o extra finance, which I think is a bit of a joke but there we go.

Reply 6

HoldThisL

I probably average £20 a week on food but, of course, that does not include unplanned things like drinks, entertainment and travel.

Reply 7

Dannyboy2015

Original post by HoldThisL

I probably average £20 a week on food but, of course, that does not include unplanned things like drinks, entertainment and travel.

Lol, I'm a food snob I think. I spend £50-70 a week on food.

Reply 8

henryf8

Original post by Dannyboy2015

Thanks, have you experienced this yourself? If so does a part time job strain you study-wise at all?

Reply 9

DrawTheLine

Get a summer job to save up as much as you can before you start. Then get a job whilst you study to help pay for things. Buy own brand foods too. Get a student bank account with an overdraft as well.

Reply 10

HoldThisL

Original post by Dannyboy2015

Lol, I'm a food snob I think. I spend £50-70 a week on food.

I'd honestly struggle to spend anywhere near that and I don't buy cheap food either.

Reply 11

Dannyboy2015

Original post by henryf8

Thanks, have you experienced this yourself? If so does a part time job strain you study-wise at all?

I have and it did, but I was working 4 shifts a week starting at 5 am before moving to 24-60 hour weeks. I managed to pull off a 2-1 that year.

It is certainly harder, but if you get the balance of hours and the days right then it can be much easier to deal with. However, I think we are kidding ourselves if we say that it is the same as not having to worry about money whilst at uni.

Reply 12

Dannyboy2015

Original post by HoldThisL

I'd honestly struggle to spend anywhere near that and I don't buy cheap food either.

Like if you buy the ingredients for a tomato soup at Sainsburys it comes to £10, so I don't get w0t black magic people are doing to not spend closer to that amount. :/ 1 meal a day? only canned food?

Pls share your weekly shop with me, I need to save money lol.

Reply 13

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

I live on £20 a week. People say get a job but tell that to the hundreds of employers I have applied to that don't get back to me

Reply 14

Notoriety

Original post by HoldThisL

I'd honestly struggle to spend anywhere near that and I don't buy cheap food either.

You can't be that picky if you spend 20 quid a week. I would spend that much in M&S for me tea.

Reply 15

Dannyboy2015

Original post by Notoriety

You can't be that picky if you spend 20 quid a week. I would spend that much in M&S for me tea.

Right, like a pizza cost at least £2 these days, even if it is frozen. So that is 1 of your 21 meals. Even if all your shopping was that cheap, it is at least double that.

Reply 16

HoldThisL

Original post by Dannyboy2015

Lots of vegetables, tend to buy meat/fish in advance so I can get bulk buy discounts, and the carbohydrates like potatoes, rice and pasta. Really not that strange.

Plus occasional purchases of seasonings, ingredients and similar.

Reply 17

Dannyboy2015

Original post by HoldThisL

I mean meat and fish are quite pricey and a tomato soup like I was saying is 100% vegetables. *shrug*

Reply 18

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

It's a broken system when that is the case to be honest. I got A*AA I deserve to be at uni I worked hard for those grades. Why should I have to have considered alternatives to uni just because my father earns a lot but is abusive so shares none of it. It's penalising people for no reason. The government needs to stop assuming that families will give their children their money. If it was a working class person being told to rethink uni because of money reform would be called for but this status quo is apparently acceptable to student finance :/

Reply 19

Moe_00

You should try to get a zero hour job. I work for Deliveroo and make about £13-15 an hour, minimum £10. So 3 hours a week will bring me at about £40. You pick when you work so if you have plans or study you can just cancel a shift (if you work in a booking zone) or when free you can make more money.
Use my referral code if interested MU288880
I'm happy to answer any questions