My student daughter cannot get a student account!

tom717

That's not a mid range example, that's the most expensive rent I've seen in Manchester. Most halls are around the £4000 mark. I think any student getting the full amount for their loan should be able to manage, though I appreciate it's not easy for everyone. I ended each of my first two years with nearly £1000 of my loan saved (which I then blew studying abroad in my third year).

I don't have to spend anything during the holidays though, but that's true for most of my friends.

Cash-Strapped.T32

Experian_company_representative wrote: »

Payments missed by just three days should not be registered as late on a credit report. Write to the Experian contact centre and ask them to query this with the phone provider.

James Jones

I can't help much on the main topic, but I can back this up.
I frequently was late in my T-Mob payments by up to 6 days (I got paid on the 25th, bill date 19th & my budgeting back then was dire).

Looking back I have no late payments recorded during the entire period, at least on the Equifax report & I would assume it's the same software supplying both companies with my data, in this case a cleared payment.
(even if what they each do with it might differ).

notafan

EdgEy wrote: »

Right.
So what is your high end example? Buckingham Palace?

You're telling me that a house share in a 3bed would be £18k a year incl gas/elec/water?

How the bloody hell do families cope?

You said you couldnt find anything above 5k - theres your examples.

I agree its not cheap but it is middle of the range for some halls - there were more expensive on those website i gave you a couple of examples based on single rooms at the shortest contract available. That doesnt mean you you imagine that its half a year - as usual these are contracted for more or less the full year - it isnt optional either.

Most Uni's will have a range of accomodation maybe even as cheap as 2k for the full year - it doesnt mean that all students can stay in it.

Moreover most student accomodation is not charged at half a year at 26 weeks but more likely 30,40 or even 50 weeks in some cases.

Just because you have no experience of the charges others pay does not mean they're all working to your budget.

notafan

tom717 wrote: »

That's not a mid range example, that's the most expensive rent I've seen in Manchester. Most halls are around the £4000 mark. I think any student getting the full amount for their loan should be able to manage, though I appreciate it's not easy for everyone. I ended each of my first two years with nearly £1000 of my loan saved (which I then blew studying abroad in my third year).

I don't have to spend anything during the holidays though, but that's true for most of my friends.

Tom

I agree there are many halls in Manchester for around the 4k mark - but these are middle of the road examples for the companies that run those two.

Unfortunately both charge massively more in some cases - although to be fair they do have cheaper too. As i say mid range example from them both.

These halls aren't empty either and the companies are still building similar so they aren't empty.

notafan

EdgEy wrote: »

These are my major outgoings, there will be small bits and bobs I've missed but they're essentially optional.

Rent, £1200 per term, bills inclusive. Three terms.
This is not low end, I consider this expensive. It is cheaper than comparable city centre accommodation, but if I were private I'd go a few miles out and cycle.

Food, £20 per week.
Travel, £360, six journeys to/from Uni. Cycle rest of the time.
Stationery probably £100/year if I buy the odd book here and there and use the library.
Laundry costs less than £10 a term.
Bit of bike maintenance.

I pay my mother a sum I'd prefer not to disclose outside term time to take care of food and general housekeeping.

Anything else is optional. I would be interested in what you think I'm missing out here.

TV license and Council Tax do not apply, because students are exempt from CT and a TV is pointless if you have the internet.

And there you have it...

£3600 for accomodation
£520 food for 26 weeks
£360 travel to and from uni
£100 stationary

= £4580

- that from the 6400

= 1820

You said 1k for the half of a year your not at Uni - payments to your mum or general living for that 6 months and whatever you do with it etc.

That leaves you with £31 quid a week for the other 6 months your counting.

It does not include any deposit you made on your hall accommodation, the deposit you'll have to make next year to go in a house, any up front rent you'll have to pay, any mobile phone, any clothing, any insurance, any going out, any field trips. I think your book estimate is way out - whilst you might have got by so far on the library you'll soon find there's not a copy of each book held for each person on the course - you'll find that sometimes its mandatory to have the newest edition to take with you into seminars etc and some books cost over £100, by all means you'll find bargains and use the library but you'll be buying more then the odd book. Your figures include you not spending a penny on any form of transport except for a couple journeys home. The 'average' student you talk of will have a budget for travel and all these other costs. You see it as 'optional' costs but you'll find the typical student will get through more then the selective figures you quote.

Does the typical student buy a laptop - not do they have to but do they get a computer to work from their room/home? How much is a night out, how much is it to top up your mobile, you don't expect at any point over 3 years to get a bus or a taxi?

You are unrealistic, your figures don't representative the average student.

6K a year is not a massive amount to live on it'll get the priority stuff and little else as you've demonstrated.

Derivative

notafan wrote: »

It does not include any deposit you made on your hall accommodation

Not applicable for me.

the deposit you'll have to make next year to go in a house, any up front rent you'll have to pay

Still not applicable. Even if it was, private rents are cheaper than city centre halls in most/all cases. Especially if you house share.

any mobile phone, any clothing, any insurance, any going out, any field trips

As I am trying to make clear - these are all optional extras. I have enough clothes to last me until my death bed sitting away in my wardrobe, anything I buy now is for vanity or professionalism.

Your figures include you not spending a penny on any form of transport except for a couple journeys home. The 'average' student you talk of will have a budget for travel and all these other costs. You see it as 'optional' costs but you'll find the typical student will get through more then the selective figures you quote.

As I said, I cycle everywhere because it's cheaper and keeps me fit. The bike costs money sure, not much for something decent when you amortize over a 3-4 year degree.

Does the typical student buy a laptop - not do they have to but do they get a computer to work from their room/home? How much is a night out, how much is it to top up your mobile, you don't expect at any point over 3 years to get a bus or a taxi?

My laptop cost me £330 and I went for something expensive with a decent warranty. Nights out, taxis and mobiles are OPTIONAL "fun things" that you do NOT _need_. I don't see much point in budgeting for optional things. You do that as and when. I am not saying never go out - I'm saying you look at the x you have left over after living expenses and figure out what you can do on that. You don't decide to go out and THEN look at money, that's a good way to make yourself skint in short order.

6K a year is not a massive amount to live on it'll get the priority stuff and little else as you've demonstrated.

This I agree with. It is more than enough, not "massive" as you put it. It requires you live, and not do much else. The fact you seem to think shiny mobiles, nights out, travel for trips, cars and whatever else are essential I find strange.

It's not that I disagree with your 'average student' expenses, it's that I do not see them as relevant. If the average student spent £20k on shiny toys, that doesn't mean I have to.

Also remember outside term time you have the option of temp jobs, especially over Christmas. If you work in a couple grand a year (ten weeks full time) from those then you really are sitting pretty. Yes, I understand it's difficult to find employment at the minute so I don't use that when I budget.

notafan

EdgEy wrote: »

Not applicable for me.

Still not applicable. Even if it was, private rents are cheaper than city centre halls in most/all cases. Especially if you house share.

As I am trying to make clear - these are all optional extras. I have enough clothes to last me until my death bed sitting away in my wardrobe, anything I buy now is for vanity or professionalism.

As I said, I cycle everywhere because it's cheaper and keeps me fit. The bike costs money sure, not much for something decent when you amortize over a 3-4 year degree.

My laptop cost me £330 and I went for something expensive with a decent warranty. Nights out, taxis and mobiles are OPTIONAL "fun things" that you do NOT _need_. I don't see much point in budgeting for optional things. You do that as and when. I am not saying never go out - I'm saying you look at the x you have left over after living expenses and figure out what you can do on that. You don't decide to go out and THEN look at money, that's a good way to make yourself skint in short order.

This I agree with. It is more than enough, not "massive" as you put it. It requires you live, and not do much else. The fact you seem to think shiny mobiles, nights out, travel for trips, cars and whatever else are essential I find strange.

It's not that I disagree with your 'average student' expenses, it's that I do not see them as relevant. If the average student spent £20k on shiny toys, that doesn't mean I have to.

Also remember outside term time you have the option of temp jobs, especially over Christmas. If you work in a couple grand a year (ten weeks full time) from those then you really are sitting pretty. Yes, I understand it's difficult to find employment at the minute so I don't use that when I budget.

I never said you needed them or were essential but its what students spend money on - its just you casually forget them and talk about that 'average' student but wont take into account where the money goes - it doesn't matter if its essential or not they will still spend money on it. Maybe not all costs apply to you directly and some of yours wont to others. But again you have answered me again and again. You say yourself that amount gets nothing but the bare necessities - from your previous figures you had £30ish to live on (not including that other 350 you just spent on a laptop). So really you have hardly anything else, and if your saying like you have - the other stuff like going out or clothing or mobiles which you say are not essential - I've not disagreed on if i think its essential spending its a choice - but I still stand by that its naive to state you can live of 6k and happily disregard these, because you will be one of few doing it - and that's why I say you'll be living like a hermit especially based on your ambiguous figures which frankly still don't add up.


Other students will have other costs to cover and some - shock horror -have the same choice too on what to spend their money on (and their choice is by no means the wrong decision) and as you go through Uni you'll quickly learn that similar to the OP's daughter she (or anyone else for that matter) will make the choice to spend money on other things that you may not class as essential even though she does, or she may want some to spend money that she may not class as essential - It will happen at some point during three years (if not each and every week/day). On a student income which you've already demonstrated to be near impossible to do anything else then cover the basics - she will require funding from elsewhere.

Her mother is not tight for not wanting or not being able to pay out for her - as you previously branded parents that wont/cant as 'tight'

She therefore has the option on spending the three years covering the shortfall via parental help, with debt or finding extra income such as a job - for such a student a job would be far preferable to debt or being on the take from bank of mum and dad continuously - contrary to your other statement about there is no need to work during term time - clearly for some students for whatever reason (which unfortunately don't seem to meet your strict average student profile based on you) they do.

And with the greatest respect I go back to my hermit comment - how many students do you know that do top up their phones/get a contract phone, do buy new clothes and are on nights out frequently? These are a few of many examples on extra spending. The vast majority -for a multitude of reasons they they consider important enough to do it. That type of spending is typical of a student (and not necessarily excessive) and its ridiculous to disregard it - whether or not you like/agree with how that money is spent doesn't matter. It still gets spent by the majority - take a look in your Union for examples of all the above.

firstinflight

I think the SLC might be assuming you'll get a job during those other 20 weeks. I didn't work in term time, but i did spend my summers loading frozen peas in a factory. Not pleasant work, but it did pay well.

Derivative

notafan wrote: »

And with the greatest respect I go back to my hermit comment - how many students do you know that do top up their phones/get a contract phone, do buy new clothes and are on nights out frequently? These are a few of many examples on extra spending. The vast majority -for a multitude of reasons they they consider important enough to do it. That type of spending is typical of a student (and not necessarily excessive) and its ridiculous to disregard it - whether or not you like/agree with how that money is spent doesn't matter. It still gets spent by the majority - take a look in your Union for examples of all the above.

It really is irrelevant though.
If 'some people' decide to spend more than they bring in, why should I care?
Whether it is 'excessive' or not is academic. If it is more than you have in your bank account, it's excessive. If it is less, it's not.
Why would you look at 'some people' for examples of how to live your life?

The median income is something like £20k. Should you aspire to that and then just stop?

'Some people' have 2.4 kids (pop culture number, probably wrong), should everyone aspire to having children?

Living like the average person gets you the average life. The average person in Britain is in all sorts of trouble financially, if we believe this "big squeeze" load.

"Living like a hermit" is just a daft playground insult. I go out on walks, cycle about, travel (yes £30pw is enough for this, however I don't track weekly, more like termly) and visit museums with my girlfriend. I couldn't care less for the "get smashed on a weekend" lifestyle. You seem to be advocating it.

I think the SLC might be assuming you'll get a job during those other 20 weeks. I didn't work in term time, but i did spend my summers loading frozen peas in a factory. Not pleasant work, but it did pay well.

This is true, however difficult it might be at the minute.

notafan

EdgEy wrote: »

It really is irrelevant though.
If 'some people' decide to spend more than they bring in, why should I care?
Whether it is 'excessive' or not is academic. If it is more than you have in your bank account, it's excessive. If it is less, it's not.
Why would you look at 'some people' for examples of how to live your life?

The median income is something like £20k. Should you aspire to that and then just stop?

'Some people' have 2.4 kids (pop culture number, probably wrong), should everyone aspire to having children?

Living like the average person gets you the average life. The average person in Britain is in all sorts of trouble financially, if we believe this "big squeeze" load.

"Living like a hermit" is just a daft playground insult. I go out on walks, cycle about, travel (yes £30pw is enough for this, however I don't track weekly, more like termly) and visit museums with my girlfriend. I couldn't care less for the "get smashed on a weekend" lifestyle. You seem to be advocating it.

This is true, however difficult it might be at the minute.

It's you that brought up how its not difficult for the 'average' student, its you that decided to be the voice for the 'average' person when you were spouting on about what they spend on, or their tight parents.

Again clearly you recognise that how someone spends their own money is up to them - and its not for you to say how easy it is based on your limited, and as demonstrated flawed view.

Its not about me looking at anyone on how to live my life, I certainly don't - although seeing both sides of an issue is something you unfortunately cant do because your focused on how it is for you and you can apply that to everyone else.

Furthermore I'm not advocating any lifestyle, but I'm certainly not judging it either. As I continually remind you - the average student your so happy to talk on behalf of will spend far more time in bars then museums - and as such any average spending should include it - despite the fact you seemingly think that these people are excessive if they buy clothes, mobiles, go drinking or whatever.

OP if you daughter is the type to spend time in bars, with her mobile in some new clothes - like i say i recommend a job. If she's off to museums and out on walks - which I'll add that there is also nothing wrong with - and her budget still isn't working out then i still recommend a job.