Money diaries – Yu-Hun
By Yu-Hun, from Taiwan, studying English Literature
Year of study: Postgraduate, PhD
Accommodation type: Private
Part-time job: Student Ambassador
Day one
The best way to have a fruitful week is to begin the first day productively and efficiently. In this case, I prefer to wake up with a healthy breakfast (cereal, blueberries, bananas and oat milk) and a cup of homemade black coffee. After breakfast, I start replying to all the emails I haven’t properly responded to over the weekend while initiating some new correspondences for my weekly plan.
At around 11am, I head off to the University on foot. I pass by Sainsbury’s to get their meal deal, which is ideal for lunch, to save some time (around £3.75). When I arrive at the University, I get myself a cup of iced coffee as a treat (around £2 depending on the cafe – remember to bring your cup to get some discounts!)
I often combine the first round of my weekly grocery shopping on my way back home. What I usually get for the first round includes seafood, chicken, eggs, vegetables, fruits, soft drinks, bread and snacks from Tesco (getting a Clubcard helps!). For this trip, I spend around £30.
For dinner, I prepare some soup with vegetables and seafood from the grocery shopping. I also make some chicken for tomorrow’s lunch.
Total: £35.75
A pick me up before getting stuck into work
Day two
I start the day with a healthy breakfast (cereal, blueberries, bananas and oat milk) and a cup of homemade black coffee again, making it my weekly routine.
After breakfast, I head off to University to have my meeting with my supervisor. After, I stay at the office, revising my thesis based on the suggestions I receive. Thanks to the lunch I prepared for myself yesterday, I can save some cooking time, making my day less intense.
I head back home around 5pm, making myself some soup noodles for dinner from the ingredients I bought yesterday.
Total: £0
Day three
I usually use the third day of the week as a bridge, either making up the planned tasks I haven’t finished in the past two days or planning the rest of the week, after my routine breakfast. I tend to combine my lunch and dinner preparation at the same time too. I spend my afternoon reading and working on some of my side projects.
After dinner, I give myself a break in the middle of the week. I like to watch some Asian TV series or movies (to handle my homesickness) with some snacks I bought on day one.
Total: £0
Day four
Today is the day I will join a public lecture held at the University in the afternoon. In this case, I work at home in the morning, after which I make myself a brunch (chicken, eggs and vegetables) with some soft drinks. On my way to the University, I get myself some snacks and a cup of iced coffee from a cafe (around £5).
After the lecture, I have dinner with some of the lecture participants. I order a light dinner and some soft drinks from a restaurant (around £18). A very inspiring social event!
Total: £23
A light dinner after a lecture
Day five
To wrap up the working week, I follow my weekly routine, starting my day with my breakfast and coffee. After finishing the remaining weekly tasks, I then begin making my lunch and dinner (using up the remaining ingredients I bought earlier this week). After lunch, I proceed to the University to do more thesis writing and, as always, I buy myself a cup of iced coffee (£2).
I leave the University at around 5:30pm. On my way back home, I stop by Tesco and Starlight Asian Supermarket to do my second round of grocery shopping. Similar to the first round, I get myself some eggs, fish, chicken, vegetables, fruits, instant noodles and Asian soup base, which costs me around £50 this time.
Total: £52
Day six
I use the first day of the weekend to fully rest. In this case, I sleep until noon to reset my body. I start my first day off with a healthy brunch (salmon, vegetables and eggs) with some juice. In the afternoon, I decide to watch some more TV series.
To make my dinner preparation more relaxing (which is made of the ingredients I bought during the second round of my grocery shopping), I selected some good Asian podcasts to keep myself company.
After dinner, I spend my evening catching up with some of my good friends now based in the US to call it a day.
Total: £0
Some sun in the Meadows
Day seven
Today is my family day. Even though all my family is based in Taiwan, to accommodate different time zones, I spend the whole morning catching up with them. To save some time, I decided to order a food delivery from a Thai restaurant, which costs around £20.
For dinner, I finish the rest of the ingredients I bought the other day. I decided to have another movie night to call it a week.
Total: £20
Weekly Total: £130.75
Other costs:
Rent (monthly, with utilities and Wi-Fi included): £750 per month (Private Accommodation)
Savings: £20 added this week
Related links
Other studying and living costs
Study at the University of Edinburgh
