Leeds whole year budget

rubuhoeikanaika

Hey lads,

As an MA student, does this sound roughly plausible?

per week per year
Food £33 £1,716
Rent £58 £3,016
Laundry £6 £312
Entertainment £15 £780
Utilities £10 £520

TOTAL= £6,344

I'm worried it might be a bit optimistic!

Cheers,
rubuhoe

TeaBoy_2

do you not drink?

Acc72

Probably a bit optimistic - eg. what if you spend more than £33 per week on food (this is a very specific number !!) - probably better to round up all assumptions to be on the safe side.

I also notice you have budgeted for 52 weeks - how long is your course ?

Also, would you be able to work for a couple of weeks at Christmas etc. ?

If you round up and budget for 52 weeks and no income, then at least you are being prudent.

aqueoushumour01

you could half your food bill

kittiwoz

I would say that is a lot to be spending on food but some of the others seem quite low and you have no allowance for travel or spends on stuff like clothes, magazines, CDs etc. Whether £15 entertainments is enough depends a lot on how often you go out, what type of places you go, how much you drink and whether you get taxis so I don't know whether it is enough. Does it include an allowance for sports clubs/exercise classes/swimming etc? The amount you've allowed for utilities will cover electric and gas OK but what about telephone/internet/mobile?

mitten_2

aqueoushumour01 wrote: »

you could half your food bill

Yes I agree. I spend about £7 on food a week. I don't eat out or get takeaways and I look for offers at the supermarket.

mitten_2

Actually, your rent is really good value. I pay nearly £70 a week for living in a really rubbish town in wales. When I live in leeds my rent was £68 (meanwood) and when I lived in Wakefield (nr leeds) i paid about £67 a week.

emmaglet

mitten wrote: »

Yes I agree. I spend about £7 on food a week. I don't eat out or get takeaways and I look for offers at the supermarket.

Just out of interest, how? I tried to be really careful yesterday, got all Tesco own brand products, and got just enough for a week, yet I spent £18

rubuhoeikanaika

kittiwoz wrote: »

I would say that is a lot to be spending on food but some of the others seem quite low and you have no allowance for travel or spends on stuff like clothes, magazines, CDs etc. Whether £15 entertainments is enough depends a lot on how often you go out, what type of places you go, how much you drink and whether you get taxis so I don't know whether it is enough. Does it include an allowance for sports clubs/exercise classes/swimming etc? The amount you've allowed for utilities will cover electric and gas OK but what about telephone/internet/mobile?

No, I don't drink (or not more than 2 pints anyway - medical reasons). I don't buy CDs or magazines as a rule.

The food bill is a bit high I think but it comes from the Leeds website- I thought I'd leave it high, and let it cover for the inevitable unexpected costs.

You're right about utilities- it is too low.

The course takes the entire calendar year.

cheers for the tips,

rubuhoe

mitten_2

emmaglet wrote: »

Just out of interest, how? I tried to be really careful yesterday, got all Tesco own brand products, and got just enough for a week, yet I spent £18

I buy all the own brand Morrison's food and also I look out for good buy one, get one free offers. I usually get a loaf of bread each week and put it in the freezer only taking out slices as and when so it doesn't go off. I always buy chopped tomatoes to bulk out any sauces i make like bolognaise and then freeze half of it and eat it as another meal another day. I tend not to buy much meat which is perhaps where i save a lot of money and i eat like a vegetarian most of the time. I never go to the supermarket when i am hungry so that i don't buy on whim. I buy things like washing powder/bleach etc from the pound shop rather than the supermarket. Also Morrison's have a petrol card so i always fill up at their station an occasionally you earn a £5 shopping vouchure. I'll post any more tips if i think of them but i think that's more or less how i spend so little.

THIRZAH

DD was told she'd need £11,000 to cover a years MA at York but that did include her fees-she's determined to spend less.