Giving up work

daveace

Hello,
I have decided to give up work in less than a year to return to university to re-train. That means I have 10 months to save and earn as much as I can to soften the blow of a poverty stricken student life. I have a small amount of savings which is already in a high interest account. My mortgage deal is fixed for another 4 years.
Does anyone have any ideas (besides getting a second job in McDonald's) on gaining extra income in the next year??
Thanks y'all!

jessicamb

for the amount of money you need to earn I think you would need a second job, or maybe look at matched betting. Budgeting and cutting down on your current costs will also help significantly.

Amber_Sunshine

If you have spare rooms, rent them to fellow students.

[Deleted User]

I did this in my 30's in London !

There are loads of ideas for supplementing your income in the FORUM - too many for me to repeat (apart from more obvious ones like bar work, Saturday jobs in shops, sorting the Xmas post, etc.)

I couldn't take on an extra job, but these things helped me get through 3 years as a student ...

Like you, I SAVED the year before I went. I drew up a strict budget for EVERYTHING and stuck to it.

I also talked to friends about the 3 years I was going to spend as a student, and warned them I wouldn't be able to join them for expensive nights out or buy them expensive presents - but would make up for it when I finally started working again. Forewarning them all really paid off.

I chose to go to a college where I could travel there on the bus rather than use train or underground, so it was cheaper (at the time). If I hadn't been so idle (or so cowardly) I'd have cycled there - so think about your daily costs. Transport. Food (take your own lunch of course) etc. and how you can minimise these when you become a student.

Student life can be much cheaper than you think - all those cheap student bars to hang out with (yes, even mature students enjoy them). Newspapers on campus for sale at a fraction of the price. Cut price cafes All sorts of student discounts and deals.

Get a book list for your first year as soon as you can and start buying second hand copies (but make sure a new edition isn't due out first).

Ask for Vouchers or Money as presents from friends and family (over the whole 3 years).

I worked during the holidays every year (office work).

Don't forget - you'll have time during the daytime (at least some of the time) to take advantage of off-peak offers, plus do things like getting your hair cut at training sessions (I did this at a very posh hairdresser and always got a very good result at an incredibly reduced price).

But finally - you won't believe how much money you will save by NOT going to work. No more work clothes, expensive after work drinks and meals out, no more collections, etc. In fact, your weekly expenses (I can guarantee) will drop drastically. Apart from anything-else, you'll have too much studying to do to go out as much as you used to (you are planning to study aren't you ???)

Above all - ENJOY IT. I really enjoyed my 3 years as a mature student AND I think I appreciated it much more than the 18 year olds. Hope it all goes well for you.