Money diaries – Ailis
By Ailís, from Ireland, studying BSc Environmental Geoscience
Year of study: Third year Undergraduate
Accommodation type: Privately rented flat with one flatmate
Part-time job: Freelance Youth Consultant. I work remotely for both the Co-op Foundation and Scottish Fair Trade. I find this works great for me around my studies, but the hours are very variable, and I had to do a lot of voluntary work to even be qualified for these positions. I’m also a Student Ambassador.
Day one
Monday mornings are my time off, so I let myself have a bit of a lie-in. I head to the University gym late morning – it’s a great way to reset for the week. Luckily, I don’t pay anything for my gym access because I qualify for a Participation Grant, which covers all costs related to my sport, including gym membership. One less thing to budget for, which really helps.
After the gym, I have lectures from 12pm to 4pm. I get the bus there and back, which is free with my Young Scot card. I stop by the supermarket on the way home for my weekly food shop; it comes to £35, but it should cover all my meals for the week.
Dinner is something easy and I spend the evening planning out the rest of my week in my calendar.
Total: £35
Day two
Tuesday starts with lectures from 10am to 1pm. I didn’t have time to make lunch, so I grabbed my go-to from KB House: a ham and cheese toastie for £4.50. I spend the afternoon studying and completing assignments.
In the evening, I had a two-hour work call. I’m paid £20 per hour for these sessions, so that’s £40 earned for the evening.
Afterwards, I scrolled through Olio, the food-sharing app. I’m a really big fan of it; people give away food they don’t need, and you can often find good extras to stretch your weekly shop. Tonight, I picked up some bread and a pack of square sausages from someone just a five-minute walk away. Zero cost, and no waste!
Day Two total: £4.50
Sometimes course readings can lead you to declassified CIA documents…
Day three
Wednesdays are class-free for me, so I treat them as my get-stuff-done day. I head to the library in the morning to work on lecture notes and prep for upcoming assignments. I’m also the Research Officer for the Marine Science Society, so I spend part of the afternoon doing admin. I brought my lunch from home so I could eat on the Meadows with my friends.
In the evening, I head to shinty training. It’s intense but such a good way to switch off from university stress. Again, thanks to the Participation Grant, I don’t pay anything for equipment or training sessions. I get home late, grab a quick dinner, and head straight to bed.
Didn’t spend anything today!
Total: £0
Day four
Thursday mornings are usually spent doing some shinty club admin; I’m the Secretary, so with a Saturday match coming up, there’s always logistics to sort: transport plans, kit checks, confirming fixtures. It’s a bit of a juggle, but I like being involved off the pitch as well as on it.
I have a lecture at 2pm, and I’d meal-prepped lunch again, so no food spending today. However, my phone bill was paid today, coming to £12. After class, I head home to get ready for the weekly shinty social. These nights are always a lot of fun; it’s a good way to unwind and stay connected with the rest of the club. I spent around £18 on drinks over the course of the night.
Total: £30
Day five
Friday starts bright and early with a lab session from 9am to 1pm. After that, I usually give myself the afternoon off after such a long week! I headed into town for a bit of a charity shop browse, which is one of my favourite low-budget ways to unwind.
This time, I was pretty restrained and just picked up a £4 t-shirt. I also swung by my local shop to grab some fruit and an energy drink for Saturday’s shinty match, important fuel even if I’m not a morning person. That came to about £4 as well.
Total: £8
Some incredible charity shop finds today!
Day six
Saturday is our match day, so I’m up early to meet the team and hop on the minibus to St Andrews for our game. Travel is covered by the club, so no cost there. The match itself is intense but it’s always the highlight of my week. I find it to be a great anger release!
Afterwards, both teams head to the pub for some post-match “team teas” which are bowls of chips that are generously provided by the hosts. I buy two pints, which comes to around £9.
Once we’re back in Edinburgh, I don’t call it a night just yet. Instead, I get changed and head out again for a proper post-match night out with the team. I spend around £12 on drinks, and head home before I get dragged to Hive, a local nightclub!
Total: £21
What I look like on match days!
Day seven
I took a day trip to North Berwick today; it’s one of my favourite getaways from the city and getting there costs nothing with my Young Scot card!
I set up shop for a while in the Seabird Centre cafe to get some coursework done. The food there is lovely. I spent £11.50 on lunch and a hot chocolate while catching up on assignments.
Afterwards, I wandered around the shops (looked, didn’t buy!), then found a quiet spot by the sea to just breathe for a bit and do some meditation. It’s always worth making time for that, especially before the week starts again.
Back at the flat, I called my mum and made up a big paneer curry for next week’s dinners. I find it super useful to have my dinners all ready to go, especially when university life is so unpredictable!
Total: £11.50
Some paneer curry in my incredibly messy kitchen!
Weekly Total: £110
Other costs
Rent: £125/week
Utilities: £12.50/week
Internet: £2.50/week
Earnings: £200/week (I work a lot more in the Summer!)
Related links
Other studying and living costs
Study at the University of Edinburgh
