Money diaries – Brandon
By Brandon, from the UK, studying MA Geography and Archaeology
Year of Study: Fourth year undergraduate
Accommodation: Private Rent
Part-time Job: Student Ambassador
Day one
At the start of the week, as I have a day without any classes, I always try to do my weekly shop and cook some food to have throughout the rest of the week so that I am less tempted to spend money whilst out and about. Before going to the shops, I also make a spreadsheet with meals I intend to make for the week and use this to budget out the cost of my shopping. Doing this means that I both save some money and waste less food! The cost of this weekly food shop is typically somewhere between £20 and £25, and this week it cost me just a little less at £19.04.
Total: £19.04
Day two
Today was one of the two days in the week when I had lectures, as my degree has quite low contact hours. Today’s lecture did not start until 11am, giving me plenty of time to have a coffee at home beforehand rather than grabbing something on the way to class.
Following the lecture, I met up with a friend and we went for coffee and a cake in a nearby cafe. In total this cost me £7.90. We also went and looked in some other shops on the street, but I didn’t spend anything extra in any of these shops even if some of the books were tempting!
After having met up with my friend I went back home for a quiet night in and ate the food I had prepared the previous night meaning there was no extra costs for today.
Total: £7.90
Edinburgh is a great city to wander around
Day three
Today was a very quiet day, where I spent most of the day on campus in the library working on an upcoming assignment. Rather than buying things on campus I made lunch at home and brought it with me. Preparing food in advance is a really great way to save some money whilst studying, especially as there are places on campus where you can heat up food and get hot water, meaning that I spent no money today.
Total: £0
The Central Library on George Square
Day four
Today was the only other day in the week that I had lectures, again they started late enough that I had time to have a coffee at home before walking into campus.
Following my lecture, I spent the rest of the day around campus finalising and proofreading my assignment before submission. I had unfortunately forgotten to make lunch before leaving my flat in the morning so when it got to lunch time I had to head along to the shops and grab a meal deal from Tesco for lunch. Using my Clubcard, which gives reductions on certain items in the shop and so is a good way to save some money whilst shopping, meant that this only cost £3.60.
Total: £3.60
Day five
Something great about living in Edinburgh is that the city is well connected. So, now that I was finished with my assignment, I made the very last-minute decision to take a short trip to Linlithgow Palace as I love all sorts of historical sites. To save some money I walked to the train station rather than taking the bus (although people under 22 can get free bus travel in Scotland). The train to Linlithgow itself was a fairly quick journey, taking just 20 minutes, and cost only £10.99 for a return ticket. Entry to the palace was another £8 and it was such a great place to visit, even if the weather was not the best when I went! I had brought lunch along with me and sat on a bench near the edge of a loch to eat it, saving me a little money.
Total: £18.99
A nice spot for lunch
Day six
Another great thing about living in Edinburgh is that there is so much to do that either costs very little or is entirely free, whether that be visiting museums, going on walks up the various hills in and around the city, or just going sightseeing. One of the other free activities is the Royal Botanic Garden, which I decided to visit for a nice, quiet day. All of these go to show that Edinburgh does not necessarily have to be an expensive city to explore, as other than my coffee, which was £3.85, there were no costs.
Total: £3.85
The Royal Botanic Gardens are perfect for a stroll
Day seven
Finally, to end the week, it was another rather quiet and uneventful day back on campus working on my final assignment of the year to get that ready for submission. I once again brought coffee and lunch with me onto campus to save some money meaning this was another no-spend day.
Daily Cost: £0
Weekly Total: £53.38
Other costs
Rent: £730.18/month
Bills: Approximately £60 to £65/month
Savings: I typically set aside £150/month
Sources of Funding
Each month I receive a student loan as well as a bursary payment from SAAS (Students Award Agency Scotland) worth £990 in total. Additionally, as a Widening Participation student I receive the Access Edinburgh Scholarship which amounts to an additional £3,000 a year.
