Budgetting as a student

Swirlywurly

Once I pay my rent I only have £40pw to live on and i'm also struggling. I budget abou £15 for food but that still leaves me with £25 for everything else! I've had two job offers which I couldn't take because they clashed with seminars which was very frustrating because I am only in seminars for 6 hours a week! I am desperately trying to find a job and can't really cut down anything else. I walk everywhere, I don't smoke or go out because I have no money and other than my phone (which i'm tied into and is a bargain) I spend £2.50 on my dance lesson every week. All of this is despite the ALF giving me £2000!

It's really getting me down so I can just imagine how you are feeling. Your hobby does seem expensive but I understand the need to do something you enjoy, my health is suffering because of the stress and my dancing is the only thing that keeps me sane right now!

top_drawer_2

Swirlywurly wrote: »

Once I pay my rent I only have £40pw to live on and i'm also struggling. I budget abou £15 for food but that still leaves me with £25 for everything else! I've had two job offers which I couldn't take because they clashed with seminars which was very frustrating because I am only in seminars for 6 hours a week! I am desperately trying to find a job and can't really cut down anything else. I walk everywhere, I don't smoke or go out because I have no money and other than my phone (which i'm tied into and is a bargain) I spend £2.50 on my dance lesson every week. All of this is despite the ALF giving me £2000!

It's really getting me down so I can just imagine how you are feeling. Your hobby does seem expensive but I understand the need to do something you enjoy, my health is suffering because of the stress and my dancing is the only thing that keeps me sane right now!

hi,

Thanks!! Someone who understands ....

Do you do surveys? I'm saving for a new printer with Global test market (they pay you in cash) and paid for some course books with my Valued Opinions points ( Vouchers for lots of retailers including Amazon).

I also do mystery shops - search using google the best ones Ive found are GrassRoots, Retail Eyes and TNS, also Pinecone research. I'm also a regular on the market research circuit - I go to Manchester usually.

Jen

Swirlywurly

I set up the mystery shopping when I was in London but then nothing came of it and I didn't chase it up...Maybe i should..

Thank you for the suggestions i'll look into them!

Good luck, and your mental health and stability are really important. Anything that makes you feel good is great and if you can find a way to carry on with it then do. Have you approached your welfare department to find out about the access to learning fund?

Oldernotwiser

top_drawer wrote: »

hi,

I enjoy sewing and its my creative outlet - my counsellor/mental health worker has no issue with it.

I know many many people who spend more on going out and then the same on clothes etc than they pay out on food. I just want to know really whats a reasonable figure to be looking at for a weekly/monthly budget?

This week I thought it would be useful to find out if I could cope on £20 and until today when I forgot my sandwiches it was possible ... ;(
but I cant manage never having anything apart from the essentials ... My friend suggested £35 a week on food alone!! shows what completely different ideas we have ...

Jen

I'm sorry that you find me unsympathetic, although my comments were intended to be helpful. Nobody's suggesting that you should stop sewing; it's the lessons that are the expensive things, not the activity itself. I was trying to point out that your lessons are actually stopping you going out and also adding to your stress levels by making you have to budget so fiercely in other areas.

I would think that you should be able to manage quite well on £15 for food and general shopping; I don't know how much you spend on travel, but if it's a lot perhaps you could look at getting a bike through Freecycle or similar.

There's no point asking for help on a public forum and then complaining when the answers you receive aren't what you want to hear. Good luck.

bestpud

You know, Top_Drawer, that is the first time I can recall you thanking a poster who has tried to help! It seems you rarely hear what you want to hear...

But anyway, is there any sewing/craft groups near you? They often have a minimal fee to cover the room and drinks etc.

Or maybe you could ask some of the people in your lesson if they'd like to set one up with you? Could be a very informal affair if need be?

That way you could have a lesson once a fortnight perhaps and maybe have the group meet up once a week as well?

Just a thought...

Or, maybe you could post on the local pages on the BBC website, or others that have local pages, and ask if ayone is interested in setting up a group?

top_drawer_2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I'm sorry that you find me unsympathetic, although my comments were intended to be helpful. Nobody's suggesting that you should stop sewing; it's the lessons that are the expensive things, not the activity itself. I was trying to point out that your lessons are actually stopping you going out and also adding to your stress levels by making you have to budget so fiercely in other areas.

I would think that you should be able to manage quite well on £15 for food and general shopping; I don't know how much you spend on travel, but if it's a lot perhaps you could look at getting a bike through Freecycle or similar.

There's no point asking for help on a public forum and then complaining when the answers you receive aren't what you want to hear. Good luck.

hi,

Of course I know you mean to be helpful, I am hoping that someone will tell me something I dont know because I have already been through it logically. I hoped somehow there was something I might have missed. I would rather go to sewing than go out any day of the week; there is no stress involved, its good company and the group and I have a fair bit in common, theyre much more understanding like I know I can talk about my Mum's dx today with them. I couldn't do that with any of the people I know of my age as I know I would get a load of !!!! comments about "It'll be fine..." "Don't worry ..." theyre a lot older than me but I fit in with these type of people...

I would struggle to do much sewing alone as I just dont have the skills to do a great deal. I have looked into groups but they are related to card making/crafts in my area. I'm not sure about setting one up of my own as again I am not skilled enough to do it alone - the instructions which come with magazines such as sewing world/burda/prima are very summarised for those who have the main skills.

Jen

top_drawer_2

bestpud wrote: »

You know, Top_Drawer, that is the first time I can recall you thanking a poster who has tried to help! It seems you rarely hear what you want to hear...

But anyway, is there any sewing/craft groups near you? They often have a minimal fee to cover the room and drinks etc.

Or maybe you could ask some of the people in your lesson if they'd like to set one up with you? Could be a very informal affair if need be?

That way you could have a lesson once a fortnight perhaps and maybe have the group meet up once a week as well?

Just a thought...

Or, maybe you could post on the local pages on the BBC website, or others that have local pages, and ask if ayone is interested in setting up a group?

hello,

I think you'll find that I regularly go round pressing thanks when I find some info useful. I dont often do it in post though, in that case it was more of a case of Thank God for that!! someone who understands my point of view, I cant/wont cut right back as that would just make me miserable and not help me long term.

I've looked for other groups but I am very unskilled in the area yet and would struggle without the guidance of the teacher - its not like a set class, more like a turn up and do what ever you want to do related to sewing. People come from miles and miles for these lessons and there's even a waiting list now so most people wouldnt come to a group. I might mention it on freecycle but Ive already had a negative experience of setting up my own running group - the one person who I met was a complete nutter in a not nice way at all.

Jen

Oldernotwiser

top_drawer wrote: »

the one person who I met was a complete nutter in a not nice way at all.

Probably not the best way to refer to anybody, particularly as you say you have your own issues.

top_drawer_2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Probably not the best way to refer to anybody, particularly as you say you have your own issues.

whatever I have is never going to be anything more than minor to what she had ...

Oldernotwiser

top_drawer wrote: »

whatever I have is never going to be anything more than minor to what she had ...

All the more reason for courtesy and empathy.