Living a students life

kiss_me_now9

Hi there

My name is Nat, whilst I'm not in debt (well, depending on when I look at my bank balance!) I am a student on a very small amount of money trying my hardest to enjoy uni without *becoming* in debt! I thought it'd be ok to have a diary to track my budgeting and hopefully teach myself some decent money habits? Plus even though I'm only 21 I like to make crafts and would love to be a bit more 'old style' with my money saving!

Right now I'm in second year of university, studying Psychology. I love love love my course, and my friends here at uni, though most of the time I hate actually being here as I feel like my life is on hold. All of my friends from school bar two have graduated now and are either doing PGCEs, PHDs or graduate jobs... which I'm desperate to get! Doesn't help that my OH lives in Manchester and I only see him once a monthish Coming from an RAF house where my Dad is/was away every couple of years for months I try not to moan too much about it but it is hard especially when I'm feeling decidedly needy.

I'm currently [STRIKE]procrastinating[/STRIKE] revising for my mid terms which start tomorrow, four exams and I'm really not confident that I'm going to do well so it's panic stations here I don't help myself at all as I get cocky over what I do know and blas! about what I don't. Which leads to me sitting on t'internet all day and then just doing work the day before the exam. :mad:

I'll do a money post in a bit, I must do some work now, otherwise I will be totally clueless when it comes to my exam! :wave:

kiss_me_now9

Right, money matters:

In my purse: £15.00
In my savings money bag: £2.84 (this is my emergency cash for milk etc. lol)
In my accessible bank account: £107.32
In my savings bank account (rest of my loan): £744.43

I get my rent paid by my parents - £290 a month - but not my bills. I have to pay everything else from my loan. I don't really have a food budget yet but my going out budget is quite low as I don't normally go out; this will be tested on Saturday as we have our cheerleading 'team bonding' (can't use the dreaded I word or we get in trouble!) and it will probably be a messy night. Travel, clothes, stationary, books etc. is all paid for by me but I tend to use the library quite a lot.

Currently have three books out - two due back on the 10th (Thursday) and one due back on the 21st. Must not forget to renew/return them!

This is how I'd hope this week pans out, money wise:
Food - got a lot in still, massive box of mushrooms and spinach, probably only need to spend about £10 on it.
Socialising - as I said, normally I'm not a massive party animal but this week it's team bonding so I'll need about £25.
Books - don't plan on buying any this week
Bills - should get a gas/electric bill at some point, which I'll split with my housemates. Hoping it won't be too much though I'm a little worried about this one... they don't seem to grasp the concept of turning lights etc. off and often wash just one pair of PJs or a t shirt and some socks in the washing machine...

Not sure what else I need to account for I used to be really, really good with money, before I hit 17 and got a job that paid somewhat decently and found out that I could buy fun things like alcohol and clothes with it! Now I'm terrible. Really want to get the control I had as a younger teen over it back.

kiss_me_now9

Yesterday was a no spend day, on account that I didn't leave the house! Today I have a focus group to earn myself some cash and an exam... very worried about the exam but it's my own fault for not doing enough revision. Probably going to pop by Aldi on my way home and pick up some more milk and veggies so I can make a massive pot of cauliflower cheese tonight and live off that for a while. It's my ultimate comfort food when I have exams! I'm not great at making it but I think I've figured out the sauce so it should be ok.

I've started back on DooYoo again, got my first crowned review a little while ago so that's given me an incentive to spur myself on! Aiming to get to £25 worth of Amazon vouchers before christmas so I can buy a few things I need and a few things I want Can't remember how long the vouchers remain valid for though?

Was hoping to have heard from my estate agents regarding an email I sent them on Sunday night - I'll give it until Thursday morning as that seems fair but I have the feeling I'm just being ignored. My landlord told me over a month ago he was sending another cheque for the rent I double paid but I still have not yet received that :eek: Now I'm not certain if I'm being strung along or if the postal service here is really that crap...

jwil

Well done on being so organised! I wish I'd been more sensible when I was younger

I think amazon vouchers are usually valid for 2 years, but if you add them to your account, they tell you how long they've got left.

kiss_me_now9

Well today's finances...

Earnt £20 Thought it was going to be only £10! And a free sandwich as well that should've been £2.85

Spent £5.75 on...
- A packet of crisps from a vending machine (shouldn't have but I was starving and didn't know about the free sandwich)
- 8 chicken breasts; yes 8... managed to get two packs of 4 for 50p each in M+S! Should have been £6 a pack :eek:
- A cauliflower
- A broccoli
- Two large sweet peppers, again 50p
- A bacon and ham quiche which has now gone into my freezer, won't come out for a while but I like to keep a few things for if I get desperate/my OH comes to visit
- 3 cans of diet coke I only buy 3 cans a week from Poundland, lol
- 2 pints of milk

More than chuffed with that! I have £29 exactly in my purse. Going to put the £20 in my lock tin for Saturday night and keep the rest on me, then on Sunday any I have left will go into either my pound coin tin or my spare change bag, if I have any notes left (!) I'll keep them for the next week. Not planning on buying much so should have at least some spare change at the end of the week!

Since it's exam week I think I can treat myself to some Yum Yums from M+S if I can find any... only reason I went in today!

Food wise I cooked up a lovely big pot of vegetable (one of the sweet peppers I got for 50p, half the cauliflower and broccoli and some mushrooms) cheese and had a chicken breast with it, plan is to have some of that for lunch tomorrow and to cook the chicken breast tomorrow lunch in chunks and then have it cold with mayo on a jacket potato tomorrow evening. Not planned further ahead than that really!

Exam today was horrible, nearly burst into tears several times through it, unfortunately that was the 'easy' one

kiss_me_now9

jwil wrote: »

Well done on being so organised! I wish I'd been more sensible when I was younger

I think amazon vouchers are usually valid for 2 years, but if you add them to your account, they tell you how long they've got left.

Thanks I'm fairly certain most of this is driven by my desire to go on lots of holidays next summer! But if I save and earn it, then I guess it's ok

kiss_me_now9

Not a good day today, spent nearly £10 on food - this is where most of my money goes, into stuff that I eat and then never see again. Not having a good day in general... exam was awful and whilst I thoroughly enjoy the module tomorrows exam is on I'm stressing as I should have a clear essay plan in my head but I keep losing it and can't remember it

kiss_me_now9

Let's not talk about money for today.

Exam this morning was great Exam tomorrow will not be great.

kiss_me_now9

So, had a lovely long lie in this morning and now starting my plan for the next few hours whilst I chill with a cuppa I'm also writing a cheeky little DooYoo review in the discussion section; no miles for writing it but 10 per view which I hope to get a few of on a Saturday afternoon!

I need to go to town and go into:
- Poundland, for a moneybox
- M+S to have a look at the Turkish Delight offer for my mums hamper
- Superdrug to look at the make up
- Get/make tag + card for my Mums birthday
- Have a look for a photo frame that's not too expensive but doesn't look tacky
- Buy hat, scarf, fishnets and badge for tonight (and skirt if I can find a nice one cheap enough)
- Go to New Look and return my broken bag
- Go to the bargain booze and look for some whiskey miniatures

All must be done before 6pm, lol! Then to get ready and go rock the town with my cheerleading mates Money doesn't matter today, lol. I will not take my card out with me though and will just be taking £25 out for the night. Budget budget budget!

kiss_me_now9

Been at/with my OH for the last week (we have a habit of spending no time together at all for months then a whole week together, I'll go to him for 3 days and then he comes back here with me for 3 days ) which was lovely but now he's gone back and I'm all alone again. House dramas are getting to me, I live with four Chinese international students and one of them has moved his girlfriend in permanently which is against his contract AND I've just been told that the girl who's in the room across from me isn't actually in the tenancy agreement and it's meant to be a guy who lives there. So not a clue what's going to happen - half of me hopes they might be asked to leave and then a couple of English speakers might move in, but that's a bit evil

Bedroom is a tip so plan for tonight is to tidy tidy tidy, really want to get my Mum's birthday card done but you can't see my desk so I shall have to impose a 'no fun stuff until tidying and washing up is done' rule I think, at least it'll keep me busy. I'm going to Tesco with a friend on Monday so need to write a shopping list for that, bearing in mind we're getting a bus there and back so I need to try and limit what I buy to just what I need!

Uni wise I have an assignment due in on the 1st, another due in on the 15th and our Christmas Market stall on the 9th of December - we haven't started gathering stock yet :eek: so all systems are going to be go on that one! Christmas/present wise I've got my Mums birthday present sorted apart from her card, her Christmas present sorted apart from chocolate coins and a scratch card which I'll buy in December, about half of my OHs 21st present sorted and no idea how to finish it (doing him a '21 things' box and I've run out of ideas!) and a few ideas for his Christmas present but nothing bought yet. Sister and fianc! are nearly done too, just need to make some homemade fudge/cookies and find a couple more things that are directly for him rather than her, and I have not got a clue what to give my Dad! Christmas card wise I haven't even started making them yet, naughty.

Added another 2 £1 coins to my sealed pot Not a very MSE day but hoping to have a NSD tomorrow and a low budget one on Monday.

kiss_me_now9

Have spent £3.20 since Sunday :yy: Need a massive tightening of the purse strings so I'm trying really hard to eat at home and out of my cupboards.

Not being having a good few days mood wise though