2008 - Live on £4000 for a full year.

Penny2myName

justme111 wrote: »

Furniture - living set ( £250 used one in good condotion), 2 beds (£70x2 =£140, the same , 2 mattresses ( simple ones, new £200), 2 wadrobes ( simple ones, new or used ones good condition £120), 1 table ( £40), 2 chests of drawers( £40) , 6 chairs £50 - no exscesses. , £840 in total. Let us assume each item will last 5 years. it gives us £170/year expense on furniture.

If you buy the decent SOLID furniture to start with, it will last a life time, rather than the flat pack prices you are suggesting.

Anyhow go read the first post and then delete all the NON ESSENTIALS which you have happily included and the WORK EXPENSES which is also NOT included in this challenge (yes that includes travel to work and child care) Then go take your argumentative tone elsewhere.
Thank you:)

andromache_2

Penny2myName wrote: »

Think I need to do CA's food budget, DD has just told me she wants to go to Cambridge and do a veterinary course. Still having half attack after printing this coming years costs off, god knows what it will be in 5 yrs time. Doing all the searching now so she knows what options she has to chose next year. They estimate £6-8k livings costs per year, its a 6 yr degree course:eek:

Hiya Penny2myName!

I'm gonna blow some of my anonymity and confess that I'm actually studying at Cambridge atm. Just thought I'd post to say that you shouldn't be scared off by the costs just by thinking 'oh, it's Cambridge, it's scary and only rich private school students go there,' if that's what you are thinking. Totally not true! In fact, it has (I believe) the most generous bursary scheme in the country, with a £3000 grant available if you get the maximum SLC grant (and obviously other amounts depending on your household income). My parents earn too much for me to get any official grants but I've already posted on this thread about various grants and scholarships I've been given without even having to tell them what money I have coming in - and they've offered me more if I want it but I feel bad about taking it! There's loads of hardship money available if necessary; in that sense, she's better off at Cambridge than anywhere else, IMO.

I also read the £6-8k thing and was like, what??? My rental costs are gonna come to less than £2500 for the year (and I have a nice room), and I reckon I should meet my £2750 target for other spends - that's with going to the balls, joining the societies, buying the textbooks (which I will sell on!), buying lots of train tickets for an LDR, having an expensive hobby, and generally not really missing out on anything at all, just not wasting my money where it's not needed. I've also included all my work-related travel in that, just to make the challenge more, well, challenging for myself As you can see, I feel comfortable enough with my finances to blow a lot of money on going travelling this summer and I'm hoping to graduate with a good chunk of savings towards an expensive professional qualification I need to do, and about £20k of SLC debt (and no other debt!) which obviously I'll only have to pay back when I can afford it. I dare say (in fact I'm sure!) that many other vet colleges give lots of similar help as well: that's just my experience here.

Remember, also, that wherever she goes, she'll have stacks of help from the SLC and a 3-month summer holiday where, even if she does no paid work the rest of the year, she should be able to earn a fair bit if needed... I didn't feel like I did much work last summer at all but I passed the £1k mark easily. I'm sure if I had put my mind to it I could have earned quite a bit more. It's really great of you to be thinking about how you can help her out but please don't worry about it so much! I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be putting yourself under so much pressure to fund something which is, ultimately, her responsibility, either. Good luck to her wherever she ends up and I hope she enjoys her subjects next year :cool:

Janey51

Oooooooooooh Lollopybear . Good post

LollopyBear

Andromache - How strange! I'm at Cambridge at the moment too (it's where I'm doing my PGCE). What a small world this is I didn't do my undergrad there though so didn't feel I could offer financial advice on that score also as I don't live in Cambridge itself but a town a few miles away I can't comment on living costs.

Penny2myName

Have to admit told her she best find a paper job asap and start saving and i'm sending the slow cooker with her if she gets in...so she had best learn to cook:rotfl:

edit: Also suggested she do the holiday camps during christmas and summer breaks (guess what i did before kids)

justme111

LollopyBear wrote: »

Well, that was fun! What numbers game are we playing next?

You see, some people could live with £400 a year - take as example a pensioner who has paid his mortgage and who has grown up son living with her and paying all the bills and doing shopping and buying all the goods. Or a nun in a convent in India - she'd be OK at £4.
1. I agree, considerable economy on not having children. , and it applies to sections under number 3 and 4 as well.
2. using train or bus would add to journey times very inconveniently for an average working person so your example is not typical.
3. or yes, no gym/no swim is good for your health
relying on presents for something does not count, it would meen either that you pay the same for buying presents to pother peoples or that you are not independent and is sponsored by someone.
a good diet? have you ever heard that because of overworked soils we do get a fractyion of needed vits? of course at your twenties you do not need glutamine
YOU have good teeth, I have taken an average person into account. One is ok with 1 exam per 2 years and anotherone spends thousands of pounds on crowns.
Have many years does the pair of shoes last on you?
about your bras , electrics and furniture - they HAD TO BE PAID FOR at some point by someone, hence my calculations how much does it cost per year on average to buy them.
sure you do not use water filters, you think it will make no difference to your health
how long do you use your towels for?
How often do you clean your toilet?
! 1 (!) item of closing per year! £40 closithing per year! even if assuming you have used your robe, your swimsuit, your jeens, your winter jacket, your sweeter, you formal trowses, your smart dress, your jumper, your skirt, your midseason jacket, your t-shirt - only one item of each:D for 10 years you'd need to buy more than 1 a year

justme111

Penny2myName wrote: »

If you buy the decent SOLID furniture to start with, it will last a life time, rather than the flat pack prices you are suggesting.

Anyhow go read the first post and then delete all the NON ESSENTIALS which you have happily included and the WORK EXPENSES which is also NOT included in this challenge (yes that includes travel to work and child care) Then go take your argumentative tone elsewhere.
Thank you:)

How much would solid furniture lasting a lifetime cost?
I did not include work expenses either, where have you seen them in my calculation?
Please tell me what exactly are NONESSENTIALS listed by me
Do not say me where to go...

andromache_2

LollopyBear wrote: »

Andromache - How strange! I'm at Cambridge at the moment too (it's where I'm doing my PGCE). What a small world this is I didn't do my undergrad there though so didn't feel I could offer financial advice on that score also as I don't live in Cambridge itself but a town a few miles away I can't comment on living costs.

:beer: I noticed you mentioning going to an event at Queen's College a while ago and thought of asking but then I remembered that there's one at Oxford as well and probably plenty of others too so I refrained It's a great place to study! So glad I came Hope you're enjoying it too.

lingojingo

andromache wrote: »

I'm gonna blow some of my anonymity and confess that I'm actually studying at Cambridge atm.

Hi andromache,
I may need to pick your brains later. My daughter is also thinking of applying to Oxbridge following a talk at college last Tuesday evening. It was given by an Oxford graduate, but she confirmed all that you've said, also their terms are only 8-9 weeks and they only pay rent for that time. :j They are guaranteed a room for the whole course, so no expensive accommodation in town to find (unlike my son in Manchester :eek:).

lingojingo

justme111 wrote: »

2. using train or bus would add to journey times very inconveniently for an average working person so your example is not typical.
3. or yes, no gym/no swim is good for your health

Well, I don't have a car either. I usually walk to work, it takes about 20 mins, and on the way home it's nearly all uphill so takes a bit longer, but is free and also good exercise.:j