how will i manage??!

jennyc85

hi, i'm starting uni in a couple of weeks (i was really late to apply so still sorting out finance/accommmodation etc!) I'm going to be receiving an NHS non-means tested bursary, which i think amounts to about £500 a month. However i've just found out this means i'm not eligable for a student loan or maintenance grant.

I'm not stayin in university halls so i'm looking for private rented accommodation. The cheapest thing i've found so far is a room in a shared house which is £250 a month inc. bills. This leaves me with only £250 a month. I'm a mature student & not receiving any financial support from my parents. Has anyone else been in this situation and how on earth did you manage?!

Out of the £250 a month i'm going to have to pay for transport, car insurance & tax (although keepin it on the road may not now be feasable), food & any equipment I may need for uni. I know i will have to take on a part time job as well, but during my placements (which are unpaid) I will not be able to work elsewhere.

I'm beginning to think maybe i just cant afford to go to university =( Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Oldernotwiser

Although you'll have to watch your outgoings, bear in mind that you'll have about the same amount coming in as someone on JSA and you can work part time as well. This may well be a good time to get rid of the car unless you need it to get to placements.If you work part time when you're not on placement and put a bit aside for when you are, you should be able to manage reasonably well.

tootiefrooties

transport AND car insurance? one or the other, surely. You won't need a car whilst you study- all campuses have good transport links and some areas have discounted student travel for week / term / annual passes.

When you budget minus the car, you should be absolutely fine, especially as utilities are covered in the rent. Food should be about £60 a month, books will only need buying at the beginning of each term, and usually one or two per course is sufficient (not the 1000s they put on the reading list, just use the library, google scholar online and share with friends) - and always use amazon or see if your uni has a book exchange thing for students who are finished with theirs.

Where I live, you can get a 3 month bus pass for £100. Can't guarantee the same for you, but if there is something similar then transport, books and food should come to roughly £120 a month. Which leaves you over £100 up a month for extra books, nights out or visiting home.

good luck on your course!

tootiefrooties

PS: look at the mse old style board to get cheap cooking inspiration and you'll soon see that £60 a month should do you quite nicely

littlebird22

Have a good look around the rest of the student moneysaving forum as a lot of tips have already been posted about surviving on a budget. You should find £250 easily enough to live on per month. Remember that one of students' biggest outgoings is alcohol and if you are on placement regularly you will save a lot of money by not being able to go out every night.

Are you sure that you can't get anything whilst you are on placement? I am doing teacher training and I can always claim my transport costs back from the university. In addition, whilst on placement outside university term time we are paid £5 subsistence per day, it's not much but it is something. If you're in Scotland, we are always told that you can turn down the university offer and apply to SAAS as they pay a better rate (I'm and English student studying in scotland though so I'm not eligible and so don't know any more than that)

Perhaps you will be better getting rid of your car. I walk 4 (sometimes 8) miles every day rather than pay for the bus and I manage it quite easily. You just get used to it. But have you looked into car sharing? I know that people who car share at my uni get a free parking permit and even if this is not the case for you, you will be able to share petrol costs.

As far as books go, use the library. If you're organised with your assignments and don't leave them till the last minute you can always recall books. I know that a lot of my education books are relevant to the whole 4 years of my course though and you might find the same with nursing, in which case if you want to buy them use bookbutler.com to compare prices rather tahn just assuming Amazon is cheapest. It will take time for you to work out which ones you use regularly though and so perhaps wait and ask for ones you feel you would benefit from having your own copy of as Xmas presents.

Finally, have a look at the 'Grant Grabbing' article on this website. You might not be able to get a standard maintenance grant but you may be able to get soemthing from a charitable trust or similar. Some grants are pretty obscure and you might just happen to live in the right area or be the right age.

jennyred

just thought I'd add a couple of bits. I was a student nurse from 2001-2004. I had the bursary which was £420 per month and no other support. yes it is hard to work while you are on placements but not impossible. I used to work behind the bar on the days I was on early shifts. so I finished at 3pm then started at 7pm til close. on the weekends or during the week when I had a couple of days off, I used to work nights in a residential home working 10pm til 7am. yes it does mean that you are working all hours and I know that there is studying to do as well but if needs must and all that. I suggest ringing round local pubs when you know where you are going to live and ask them if you can work on a casual basis. let them know that you are a student nurse so that they know for certain weeks of the year you cant guarantee which days you can do, although with most placements they will let you know plenty in advance what shifts you are working.
will a little bit of good time management you should be fine.

jenny

Ytaya

I survived on a similar disposable income during my undergrad days. It can be done!

I would strongly advise sitting down and making a budget of all your outgoings. Post it here for advice and feedback, if you want to. Then think about where you can cut back.

Ask your family for Amazon vouchers for Christmas and birthdays, and use them for your textbooks. Or do surveys for Amazon vouchers and do the same.

It is possible to combine part-time work with a placement, I know med student friends who do it. Yes, it's hard work, but if you need the money, then you do it. Look for bar work, or jobs on campus which can be more flexible for students.

redmel1621

I would just like to say well done on getting onto your course.

I do agree with what others on here have said, you will need to get rid of your car. My dh is starting Uni in two weeks and we have had to give up our car as we just cannot afford to run it....as a student you will be entitled to discounted travel passes etc, believe me these work out a LOT cheaper than running a car.
You also don't say if all bils are included in the room rental price, if they are then £250pm is easily enough for a singlr person to live on.

Mel x

jennyc85

hi, thanks to everyone for all the advice, its definately made me more optimistic about starting uni! I think i will definately get rid of my car once i'm there. I've also applied to go on the bank of healthcare assistants at one of the hospitals in Bristol, so fingers crossed on that one cuz it would be ideal to fit in around uni & placements. i think i thought that everyone else must just have really generous parents or something to manage on that money but i guess i've just gotta get my head round it as i've been full-time employed for about 5 years now. i'm definately going to have to make myself a budget and stick to it though cuz i am absolutely terrible with money! I dont even know what i spend it on half the time. Anyway, thanks again for all the advice!

DrFluffy

You should be entitled to the non-means tested part of the student loan - it's the extra means tested bit you can't get.

I get just over £3k this year from the SLC (£5k less than last year ), and am still waiting to hear what my DH (NHS) bursary amount will be...

bestpud

jennyc85 wrote: »

hi, thanks to everyone for all the advice, its definately made me more optimistic about starting uni! I think i will definately get rid of my car once i'm there. I've also applied to go on the bank of healthcare assistants at one of the hospitals in Bristol, so fingers crossed on that one cuz it would be ideal to fit in around uni & placements. i think i thought that everyone else must just have really generous parents or something to manage on that money but i guess i've just gotta get my head round it as i've been full-time employed for about 5 years now. i'm definately going to have to make myself a budget and stick to it though cuz i am absolutely terrible with money! I dont even know what i spend it on half the time. Anyway, thanks again for all the advice!

Just a thought:

It may be better to get rid of your car before you get to uni as it seems placements are allocated after working out who has their own transport at some unis!

If that happens at yours, you could end up with all the distant placements and then be unable to get rid of you car.