Do you live at home while attending uni?

Original post by pane123

Because you are talking about putting yourself in thousands of pounds of debt for the sake of a few years' independence. Even if you're not going to be in debt, you would be better off saving the money. Living at home during university does not necessarily mean your social life will be inferior to those in halls. In fact, your overall quality of life will probably be better due to the extra money you have.

If you've got the extra money then presumably you're still talking about taking a loan out and spending it anyway so your argument about debt is needless. I had a 10 hour per week job throughout university which practically paid for my rent in Bath. Sure I know it's hard for people to gets job etc but I did everything it took to move out and stay out of debt. It made me stronger as a person and I've learned to stand on my own two feet. I had to then make sure my internships and 3 month job contracts during summer were locked in so I could pay and save my way through university. No debt and now I'm in a job that I feel I'm financially stable in.

My parents were in a much worse situation when they were 18 and they managed to move out and start a life for themselves. Why is it so hard for young people to do that today? You're making it out that they are incapable without daddy's money.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 24

Original post by Welsh_insomniac

If you've got the extra money then presumably you're still talking about taking a loan out and spending it anyway so your argument about debt is needless. I had a 10 hour per week job throughout university which practically paid for my rent in Bath. Sure I know it's hard for people to gets job etc but I did everything it took to move out and stay out of debt. It made me stronger as a person and I've learned to stand on my own two feet.

My parents were in a much worse situation when they were 18 and they managed to move out and start a life for themselves. Why is it so hard for young people to do that today? You're making it out that they are incapable without daddy's money.

Why are you presuming that I'm talking about taking a loan out? If you had a 10 hour job paying, let's say, £6/hour, you are earning about £3,000 a year, which wouldn't cover rent in most places. It most definitely would not cover rent and living expenses, meaning a loan (debt) is required. This is best avoided.

I don't think you can apply your parents' situation to modern times. And I'm not suggesting anyone is incapable, I am merely suggesting that it's more prudent to stay at home if possible.

Reply 25

username917703

17

Moving out to live in halls when you've got a perfectly good place to live at home (and you're five minutes way from your campus) for the 'experience' is ridiculous, have you got brain aids ffs?

Reply 26

username1467365

18

To be honest, I wasn't actually sure if was ready for the responsibility of living away on my own (yet) :P plus I don't live really far away from Uni. Will be getting the bus to and from.

Reply 27

cole-slaw

5

Original post by Lyrical Prodigy

Would you say that people who live at home really, very much significantly, miss out on the whole uni experience in your opinion?

A little bit. Part of the experience of university is being thrown together with a group of flatmates, all of you completely different, from different parts of the country and completely different backgrounds, and suddenly spending all your time together. Its like being part of a huge and fascinating social experiment, seeing northerners, southerners, city folk, country folk, foreigners, posh private school kids, working class comp kids, all try to forge their own new identity in this crucible of communal living and drunken escapades. You learn more about yourself and your generation in 8 weeks than you have done in the previous 18 years.

Reply 28

Original post by pane123

Why are you presuming that I'm talking about taking a loan out? If you had a 10 hour job paying, let's say, £6/hour, you are earning about £3,000 a year, which wouldn't cover rent in most places. It most definitely would not cover rent and living expenses, meaning a loan (debt) is required. This is best avoided.

I don't think you can apply your parents' situation to modern times. And I'm not suggesting anyone is incapable, I am merely suggesting that it's more prudent to stay at home if possible.

Despite living in Bath my rent was only £280 a month. I was earning about £8 an hour. It wasn't the most fun experience, but I had about the same amount of money people had after rent came out of their loans anyway. Well you mentioned that you'd have more money by not moving away I just made the assumption you were talking about that money coming from a loan, my apologies.

I do think we can still compare situations. They were really poor, it would have completely benefited them if they all stayed in their parents house but they didn't because you're got to move away from home to find a job, if you stay in your parents home you're limited your job search to a very small radius. You're also missing out on a lot of life.

Your 20s is a time to find yourself, to set yourself up for the life you want to lead. It shouldn't be an extended childhood.

Reply 29

SparkleFairy

4

Original post by pane123

Hello and welcome to the sensible club.

Haha thanks!
Personally I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who didn't have time for me just because I didn't live in the same block/flat as them!

Reply 30

Original post by Welsh_insomniac

Despite living in Bath my rent was only £280 a month. I was earning about £8 an hour. It wasn't the most fun experience, but I had about the same amount of money people had after rent came out of their loans anyway. Well you mentioned that you'd have more money by not moving away I just made the assumption you were talking about that money coming from a loan, my apologies.

I do think we can still compare situations. They were really poor, it would have completely benefited them if they all stayed in their parents house but they didn't because you're got to move away from home to find a job, if you stay in your parents home you're limited your job search to a very small radius. You're also missing out on a lot of life.

Your 20s is a time to find yourself, to set yourself up for the life you want to lead. It shouldn't be an extended childhood.

Most people have finished studying by 23, which is still very young in the grand scheme of things. When you start working you can enjoy yourself and not have to worry about paying back large debts. I know you might not have had these debts, but they are a reality for most folk.

The reason I don't think we can compare older generations to today's youth is that we have so much more to buy before living a 'normal' life. Your parents would have required a house, some furniture, a couple of white goods and perhaps a TV. Nowadays, I would argue that things like subscription TV and broadband are almost essential, meaning that living away from home is a lot more expensive than it once was.

Reply 31

Original post by pane123

Most people have finished studying by 23, which is still very young in the grand scheme of things. When you start working you can enjoy yourself and not have to worry about paying back large debts. I know you might not have had these debts, but they are a reality for most folk.

The reason I don't think we can compare older generations to today's youth is that we have so much more to buy before living a 'normal' life. Your parents would have required a house, some furniture, a couple of white goods and perhaps a TV. Nowadays, I would argue that things like subscription TV and broadband are almost essential, meaning that living away from home is a lot more expensive than it once was.

That may be true but we don't really need to spend money on TV subscriptions and stuff like that. It's just a subconscious decision because everyone buys that. I'm a bit of a concious consumerist/minimalist so I'm more of the believer that we don't really need to be spending money on TV, especially considering Sky packages are ridiculously expensive.

I will be willing to say that living with your parents at home is only okay under one circumstance

You have a sound financial savings plan and you're a dedicated saver. If you're living at home you should at least be putting 50%, minimum, of income into savings so that when you move out you've got money to show for it. I know some people move at home under the guise of "being able to save" but I know for a fact that they hit expensive bars most week nights, spend frivolously on clothes and can barely make it month to month.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 32

Original post by Welsh_insomniac

You have a sound financial savings plan and you're a dedicated saver. If you're living at home you should at least be putting 50%, minimum, of income into savings so that when you move out you've got money to show for it. I know some people move at home under the guise of "being able to save" but I know for a fact that they hit expensive bars most week nights, spend frivolously on clothes and can barely make it month to month.

Why? What's wrong with going to expensive bars? Surely that suggests a good social life is possible without living in halls. Ending up in debt if you stay at home would be silly, but I don't see the need to save 50% of your income.

Reply 33

Original post by pane123

Why? What's wrong with going to expensive bars? Surely that suggests a good social life is possible without living in halls. Ending up in debt if you stay at home would be silly, but I don't see the need to save 50% of your income.

I'm coming from a perspective of after you've graduated and are living at home with your parents whilst having a job. Because it won't be far off until your 30s have arrived and you still don't have money for a house deposit or anything to show for living with your parents and moving out will be just as hard as if you did so when you move straight after finishing uni.

If you still don't have a problem with that then it just sounds like you'll live at home forever.

Reply 34

Original post by Welsh_insomniac

I'm coming from a perspective of after you've graduated and are living at home with your parents whilst having a job. Because it won't be far off until your 30s have arrived and you still don't have money for a house deposit or anything to show for living with your parents and moving out will be just as hard as if you did so when you move straight after finishing uni.

If you still don't have a problem with that then it just sounds like you'll live at home forever.

Well that's an entirely different perspective. I have friends who live at home and don't have 2 pennies to rub together come the end of the month, which, I agree, is both weird and foolish.

I do not live at home.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 35

Alfissti

20

My eldest lives in the family holiday house while attending uni.

She had the option for halls, private flat or live in the family holiday house which is 30 miles away. Why she does it?

-She preferred the environment of a house which for the most part is a house to herself over 90% of the time as we don't go there except during the holidays.

-Quiet environment. An idyllic Cotswold cottage beats the environment of a private flat or a hall in Oxford. She finds it difficult to sleep or study in a noisy environment.

-Essentially she has to learn how to manage her money as I told her she will get less from me by staying there.

-She does have a car so if she wants the social life it isn't too difficult to drive to where her friends are and it isn't unusual for all her friends to come over to the house.

-Clubbing and drinking? Living at the house doesn't stop her from doing so even when her mother or me is at the house.

Reply 36