Daughter may not be able to do her final year at Uni

tugrin

Culex - dont think it hasn't crossed both our nasty little minds - but like it says above its a really bad earner if you dont have the appropriate 'qulifications' and neither of us do!
Thank you to tesuo and RAS they both sound like fantastic ideas. Barclays really do carry on (like all major banking institutions) as if they are Msters of the Universe, - I admit I'm surprised at they way a building soc like Nationwide has behaved - still I s'pose it's all about the botto line for all of them involved in finance -what a bunch of merchant bankers they all are.
It's sunny here today so I'm going to sit in it and compose these letters (after I have planted my potatoes and pottd on my tomatoes- food for the future!).
I hope everyone here and especially those who have taken the time and care to post, have a stress-free lovely Easter.

kate87

I'm so sorry that your daughter is in this situation.
I've had money troubles myself whilst at uni and I know how horrible it is.

You mentioned that your daughter is in arrears with her rent and utilities. I don't know if she already has, but it might be worth speaking to her landlord and utility company and explaining the situation. Maybe she can come to some agreement with them and pay it off over the summer?

Secondly, I would really strongly advise you both to go to her university's student support centre, and speak to someone there. Ask them about the Access to Learning Fund, (I tried to post a link on here but it won't let me! You can find it via the directgov website) Its meant for students in your daughter's situation who are potentially at risk of leaving education.

As other people have said, tell her to try opening another account with another bank. Halifax gave me a student account with an overdraft of £500 and I had a crap credit rating. Its not ideal, but if its the only way it might be worth a shot.

Best of luck for you and your daughter.
I hope some of this helps.

tugrin

Help everyone!
I did all the things advised by you good people BUT on Easter Saturday, the day before taking her back to uni, I succumbed to the dreaded 'spending on the children' virus!! SO after buying her sunscreen, some cheapish summer clothes and some food to get by with(superdrug, H&M and Aldi) PLUS the cost of taking her and coming back I now find that I am back at square one with the money this month ansd the car needs taxing. I have got £190 left until my next payday (3 weeks) and have to spend out on 14 days of petrol for work -approx £115 plus tax for small car, which I'm guessing went up in the budget so is probably more than £68 now. How on earth am I going to survive and WHY oh WHY did I spend that money??????

maganan

tugrin wrote: »

Help everyone!
I did all the things advised by you good people BUT on Easter Saturday, the day before taking her back to uni, I succumbed to the dreaded 'spending on the children' virus!! SO after buying her sunscreen, some cheapish summer clothes and some food to get by with(superdrug, H&M and Aldi) PLUS the cost of taking her and coming back I now find that I am back at square one with the money this month ansd the car needs taxing. I have got £190 left until my next payday (3 weeks) and have to spend out on 14 days of petrol for work -approx £115 plus tax for small car, which I'm guessing went up in the budget so is probably more than £68 now. How on earth am I going to survive and WHY oh WHY did I spend that money??????

you spent the money cos (sorry I know you're a teacher!) you're a mum and thats whay we do and (to some extent) why we're here! I know how you feel I can't put any diesel in until I get paid tomorrow now both lovely daughters have gone back to uni. On a serious note 6mths car tax is £72.50 now I think (had to loan DD1 the money til her loan came in) Re: petrol make sure you google "petrol prices" for your cheapest local fuel. Re: your daughter do Durham Uni employ students as ambassadors or similar at eldests uni it pays well (£8.97/hr) so even a few adhoc hrs mount up. Wish I could offer some more practicle advice but I'm fairly new too, good luck getting to pay day

Kate

tugrin

You have hit the nail (and me incidently) right on the head!! Of course that's why I did it and at the time I felt I was helping her and doing the right thing and it was a GOOD feeling. I suppose I'm just terrified that I will be really short now and I have no one and no where to turn now the credit has run out.Its the petrol costs that put me into such a panic plus the car gtting more and more tatty and in need of TLC that I cant afford. Oh how I wish I could get a job closer to home.
BUT spending the money on DD is not like buying expensive shoes and overpriced face cream is it? It is what I have to do to try and get her through. The suggestion about be a Uni rep is a great one and I have passed it on although there is a ominous silence at the end of the text/emails at the moment, so thank you for that. PLUS - 'cos is a perfectly good way of abbreviating and as far as Im concerned you (and all the other on here) can spell any way you like - it's about what is in your hearts that matters here!!!!!

RAS

Hi

You need to do a storecupboard challenge; list all your goods in the cupboards, fridge and freezer, tell the good folks on the money saving old style forum how many days and people you need to cater for and they will help you devise a menu plan for the next three weeks. Whilst you are doing that add anythign you can forage (nettles, lime leaves, ransoms, rhubarb, bittercress and possibly a few early goosberries)?

tugrin

Wow RAS what do you do with lime leaves and what exactly are ransoms? I have lots of nettles!
This could be interesting and not just a miserable slog I think. Years ago I had Richard Maybe's Food for Free but it got lost in one of my many moves. I wonder what else there is out there?

RAS

Large-leaved lime leaves are a good salad vegetable - substitute for lettuce
http://www.tree-works.com/tree-identification.htm

Common lime may be OK - you need the really new leaves.

ramsons or wiild garlic - wilt with a little oil/butter/marg and eat as a spinach substitute, in HM "pizza", in scrambled egg, omelette, or with king prawns and creme fraiche as a starter. Can be "slimy" if boiled.
http://www.reallywildflowers.co.uk/product/ramson/shop/

Nettles
Spinach substitute, potato and nettle soup, nettle beer, wilted veggies.

Bittercress - one of the best early saladings there is. Not quite like watercress, a much more interesting flavour IMO.
http://www.thewildflowersociety.com/wfs_articles/march_article.htm

There will also be wild sorrel http://www.sags.org.uk/weblog/?p=44 and loads of other wild things. Try borrowing Mabey from the library?