Going back to uni for the second time???......

Fire_Fox

It sounds like you are on the right track with thinking about how you are going to manage, and you have done really well to get yourself out of such a big hole! You are not 'crap with money' - just learning from your mistakes, which is what life is all about.

Can you overpay your loan as you go along, or must you either pay a set amount each month or settle in full? The earlier you make overpayments, the less interest you will pay in the long term. £100 a month should be enough for spending money if you are careful, lots of us students manage it! As you say all your food, travel costs and utilities are accounted for. Just give yourself a little extra in December.

I have never failed to get a job when I have needed one. It's just a case of pounding the pavements and being willing to do anything ... when I relocated here I posted out 30 CVs on spec, chased them up by phone and then showed my face. Be aware that minimum wage minus tax is pretty disheartening! Don't be worried about signing on for two months - you have paid your taxes and it's only to tide you over.

Can you try to make any part of the holiday less expensive, or are all the arrangements finalised? Eg. could you stay in a cheaper hotel or organise a cheaper flight? If you can't, then just set yourself a really strict spending money limit as you would at home.

Only you know whether the car is worthwhile. Is it possible you could travel by bus/ train to your friends house, then stay overnight and return by public transport next morning? Or organise to have girls nights in rather than nights out? I am a student and my best mate has just bought a flat so we get a bottle of wine and a DVD, but this obviously depends on your respective living arrangements.

Lastly you should put some thought into deferring for another year so that you won't end up too stressed to actually enjoy the course. If you start next year you may be debt free but won't have any savings: the following year you will spend playing catch up. If you defer you will easily start with no debts and a comfortable buffer in the bank, and your probationary year can be spent saving for your own place.