Not your average skint student! Help please =)

RAS

PasturesNew wrote: »

If you can pick up a £2-3 flask and some 10-20p noodles, boil the kettle, put the noodles in the flask, fill the flask with water, wait awhile (need to test and see, but I'd leave it half an hour) and you can eat the noodles.

Also, great as a packed lunch. I've done this and they're still edible 6 hours later.

If you pick up the three minute noodles, just put them in a bowl, pour over boiling water and leave three minutes - stir once or twice. if the room is cold, try to cover them. This is how I use them when camping. If you are being luxurious, drain and then pour some more hot water over to liven then up a bit and drain again. But they are OK after the first "cooking",.

Add pesto.

Another quick and cheap pasta/noodle sauce is boil some peas, when nearly cooked, drain, then add some pesto, which is allowed to get hot, then cottage cheese or creme fraiche which is only WARMED. Creamy, fragrant, with the sweet peas adding contrast.

or basil, a chopped chilli and some cropped ripe tomato and a few olives, just stirred in.

**purpleprincess**

Hullo!! And welcome to the right place!!

I too am a student!

Couple of things that have struck me, £7.50 a week on mobile phone, with sim only you can get this down to £5 a week (£20 a month) unlimited texts and 600 minutes, or get 1000 texts and extra minutes. You can get a new mobile- as yours is on its last legs- for a pittance nowadays, either on eBay or from a phone shop.

Cinema trips, lunch at work and eating out. Do you not get a student discount at your cinema? Look for freebie tickets as well, and Orange Wednesdays. Lunch at work- take a packed lunch. Eating out- try and cut this down if poss, or use discount vouchers, student discount and the like.

Did you know you can cook pasta in a microwave!!

Look at the Old Style board for ways of saving on food shopping, loads of ideas.

Try and roll all this as well as "fun spending" and clothes shopping into a a weekly budget and even join some of us on a weekly budget challenge! I aim for £20 a week and can spend it on whatever I like! Do as you feel!

Hope this helps a little, good luck

Merlinexcalibur

dont pay with the minimum amount, it can make your bill amount bigger in the next month. :rolleyes:

I think the idea here is the pay what you an afford based on the budget. BTW, the cheapest debt advice - unlike the link in your signature, which just links into a whole list of debt management companies wanting money, and tells you nothing really just takes you to more links - is through the CCCS: it's free. And I really would advise anyone in debt to stay away from companies offering paid services to clear your debts. Just I came across this post, then saw the link in your signature.

simongregson

Food - buy couscous. Put in a bowl and cover with boiling water, put a plate over the top. No need to use the hob. Add what you like to it - spice, dried fruit etc. all keep or add tomatoes etc. Cheap and good for you!

RhiRhiMajic

Great ideas guys and girls, thank you keep em coming :P

Fire_Fox

You have plenty of money coming in - almost £7000 a year after tax, rent and utility bills and before working in the summer holidays! Read through the 'live on £4000 a year' thread, noting that this is the annual spend for an entire family.

If you really want to pay these debts off, I would question whether you can afford to go on holiday AND move into your own flat. Have you thought about sharing with other students/ another couple?

You have split your food budget up into small chunks which makes it look more reasonable. But if you add up the £25 a week on groceries, splurges £15, lunch at work £15 and eating out £25 ... that's £80 a week or £4160 a year. :eek: Presumably your boyfriend spends a similar amount?

For under £10 you can buy a small slow cooker, and for another £10 a small electric griddle. Between the two you can cook a virtually limitless selection of meals with very little effort. Sort out your food situation and you won't have to give up anything else. :beer:

And please, please cut up your credit cards.