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Drawing Tresco, Falmouth University
Falmouth University
Falmouth

How do i survive on £10 a week?!

My student finance has come through and i have worked out i will only have £10 a week to live on, how the hell am i going to live on this? Does anyone have any tips on living on such a *****y income??? Also my parents can't help me out as they both work on minimum wage. Im so so so so so annoyed. Am i just not going to be able to have a social life? Is shopping in pound land going to be my life now?


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Is it possible to eat well on £10 a week?

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Original post by Laurajayne1
My student finance has come through and i have worked out i will only have £10 a week to live on, how the hell am i going to live on this? Does anyone have any tips on living on such a *****y income??? Also my parents can't help me out as they both work on minimum wage. Im so so so so so annoyed. Am i just not going to be able to have a social life? Is shopping in pound land going to be my life now?


If your parents are both on minimum wage how is your student finance low so that you only have £10 per week left?
Drawing Tresco, Falmouth University
Falmouth University
Falmouth
Find cheaper accommodation, better have worse accommodation than not be able to feed yourself
Tesco do noodles for like 16p
Tap water is free, hopefully you'll have access to a kettle

As a treat, go to the reduced sections of supermarkets. You can usually pick up ready meals for less than 20p. I got a delicious Tesco's Finest Malaysian chicken curry for 14p a few weeks ago!

I've never been to Falmouth, but it sounds small. Walking is free!
I'm assuming this is after rent and utilities. So, £10 a week for entertainment and groceries?
Actually not that difficult if you're only paying for yourself. For groceries, just buy non-branded in supermarkets like Asda. Non-branded is as good as branded. You'll eat a lot of pasta, but it's not that bad. (Also, check out this website. Lifesaver for cheap cooking and grocery shopping.)
As for entertainment, just try to stay in a lot. Invite friends round for a movie night with a bottle of cheap vodka that you all pitch in for. Alternatively, go to house parties. Avoid eating out and going to the cinema. Sure, it sucks, but if you're careful you can live on less. (Definitely recommend getting a job, though.)
Also, if you drink a lot of tea or coffee, buy a flask and bring some from home instead of buying elsewhere.
Reply 5
Visit supermarkets for free samples

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Reply 6
Original post by Natalierm2707
If your parents are both on minimum wage how is your student finance low so that you only have £10 per week left?


Its because they take into account what is earned from 2015, when my dad earned slightly more money... which doesn't really make sense to me as we don't have much money now. I don't even know if it's possible to live on £10 a week?
eat rice
Original post by Laurajayne1
My student finance has come through and i have worked out i will only have £10 a week to live on, how the hell am i going to live on this? Does anyone have any tips on living on such a *****y income??? Also my parents can't help me out as they both work on minimum wage. Im so so so so so annoyed. Am i just not going to be able to have a social life? Is shopping in pound land going to be my life now?


If you get a part time job during term time and work full time over the holidays, you'll have more money. Working part time is normal for uni students, especially as a lot of students' maintenance loans don't even cover their rent
Original post by Laurajayne1
Its because they take into account what is earned from 2015, when my dad earned slightly more money... which doesn't really make sense to me as we don't have much money now. I don't even know if it's possible to live on £10 a week?


Oh ok that makes sense! The system really is so bad its unreal!

firstly budget as much as you can, try and buy unbranded food and look out for great deals in the reduced section.
If you can try to get cheaper accomodation as its better to be able to eat trust me, you will still have a bed in the end whether it costs £140 pw or £80.

I personally could never live off this little per week happily so I would have to get a job and do like 8 hours a week to get some extra income (8 hours per week on £6 or whatever would get you £48 extra which is plenty).
Original post by Laurajayne1
Its because they take into account what is earned from 2015, when my dad earned slightly more money... which doesn't really make sense to me as we don't have much money now. I don't even know if it's possible to live on £10 a week?


Ask for a current year assessment.
Original post by stripystockings
I'm assuming this is after rent and utilities. So, £10 a week for entertainment and groceries?
Actually not that difficult if you're only paying for yourself. For groceries, just buy non-branded in supermarkets like Asda. Non-branded is as good as branded. You'll eat a lot of pasta, but it's not that bad. (Also, check out this website. Lifesaver for cheap cooking and grocery shopping.)
As for entertainment, just try to stay in a lot. Invite friends round for a movie night with a bottle of cheap vodka that you all pitch in for. Alternatively, go to house parties. Avoid eating out and going to the cinema. Sure, it sucks, but if you're careful you can live on less. (Definitely recommend getting a job, though.)
Also, if you drink a lot of tea or coffee, buy a flask and bring some from home instead of buying elsewhere.


I pretty much live off pasta anyway so that won't be a change haha. I think the key is to just has 0% social life! :biggrin: yay.
LOL at living on £10 a week.. Paying £9k a year+ to go to uni whilst living on £10 a week is like buying an Audi R8 and making it run on sunflower oil and pepsi
Original post by stripystockings
I'm assuming this is after rent and utilities. So, £10 a week for entertainment and groceries?
Actually not that difficult if you're only paying for yourself. For groceries, just buy non-branded in supermarkets like Asda. Non-branded is as good as branded. You'll eat a lot of pasta, but it's not that bad. (Also, check out this website. Lifesaver for cheap cooking and grocery shopping.)
As for entertainment, just try to stay in a lot. Invite friends round for a movie night with a bottle of cheap vodka that you all pitch in for. Alternatively, go to house parties. Avoid eating out and going to the cinema. Sure, it sucks, but if you're careful you can live on less. (Definitely recommend getting a job, though.)
Also, if you drink a lot of tea or coffee, buy a flask and bring some from home instead of buying elsewhere.


I am literally going to be the poorest student ever. I'll probably only shower about once a month just so i can save on shampoo body wash....
Original post by longsightdon
eat rice


Uncle Ben's FTW
Original post by Laurajayne1
I am literally going to be the poorest student ever. I'll probably only shower about once a month just so i can save on shampoo body wash....


Original post by Laurajayne1
Uncle Ben's FTW


Get a job? You're richer than the students whose loan doesn't even pay for the entirety of their rent
Original post by Betelgeuse-
LOL at living on £10 a week.. Paying £9k a year+ to go to uni whilst living on £10 a week is like buying an Audi R8 and making it run on sunflower oil and pepsi


I'm going to call student finance and tell them that! they might give me more money! ......
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Laurajayne1
I'm going to call student finance and tell them that! they might give me more money! ......


I mean seriously, if your option is Uni on £10 a week or not Uni.. you surely have to go with the latter unless you can find the money from elsewhere
Original post by Laurajayne1
I am literally going to be the poorest student ever. I'll probably only shower about once a month just so i can save on shampoo body wash....

It's really not that bad. I live with my partner and our standard is £11 between the two of us per week - £15 at most. Just buy non branded groceries for pretty much everything except Fairy washing up liquid (we bought one 615ml bottle last November and we haven't finished it yet - works out about 5p per week. Platinum and original last the longest).
If you don't want a job, just find other ways of entertaining yourself. If your parents or friends have Netflix, get the password. Study and teach yourself something online.

It's really not difficult or particularly boring to live on £10 or less a week.
Also, if you don't want an actual job, doing odd jobs is easy and useful. There's got to be families around the area whose kids you could babysit - plus, you can usually use their TV or spend the time studying. Or houses that you can clean. Print off some flyers and ask local shops if you can put them in the windows.

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