Thursday, July 5, 2012

Living on £5 a day

Student life was never just about trying to finish off as much beans, cheese and toast a week or going to as many classes as you can or saving as much money as you can when doing your grocery shopping so that you have more money to party for the student nights. Student life was about making loads of friends, getting the qualification you want AND living on £5 or even less a day if possible.
So what did I use to do when I "took up that challenge" myself? There's a few don'ts here, I wouldn't advise anyone to do it now. Publishing this could also cost me some embarrassment or even slaps on my wrist, but I think I have covered it back up with the extortionate pounds in taxes and charity to the poor when I started work. 1) Get a bi-weekly bus ticket. in other words; get a weekly bus ticket, scan it for the next week (I wont tell u how we used to do it, coz Im quite sure its not legal). So you save about £16 a month. Obviously, there are times when I do not feel good about getting on the bus, so I just walk it. 2) Buy nearly expired bread, milk, pasta, rice etc. You can save quite a lot here. 3) Only party on student nights, where the ticket is on £5, you get a free drink. Which means that is the £5 u spend on that day (but u do need your weekly bus ticket, bring food from home when going to Uni n eat dinner at home before you go out) 4) Eat Chicken pasty from Gregs for lunch and dinner. 5) Buy cheap soda drinks (those that are £0.29 a can) and stock it up :). They don't taste as good as Coke, but you get the same effect of feeling full afterwards anyway. 6) Avoid walking in Top Shop, Miss Selfridge, River Island, Next etc.. You can try £1 shops. :) 7) Use the university Gym, dont bother signing up gyms you have to pay for. 8) Wash your own clothes at home. Hang it on the radiators instead. (If your student flat doesnt have a dryer) 9) Live in a student flat where you pay yearly. It will include electricity, heater and what not. So u dont have to figure out how to pay for the gas later on in the year. last but not least 10) Stock up on Pasta, beans, cheese and corn beef. They do fill you up miraculously. :)