Money diaries – Alice
By Alice, from the UK, studying MA History
Year of Study: Fourth year undergraduate
Accommodation Type: Private
Part-time job: Student Ambassador
Day one
As I am in my fourth and final year at the University, my workload has been quite intense. Though I also have one day of classes per week, I spend most of my time in the library working on essays or my dissertation. One of my favourite ways to relax is cooking and baking so I spend most of my spare money on ingredients to make tasty, healthy meals.
On Saturdays I usually do my weekly shop. I prefer to go to Cameron Toll shopping centre just south of Edinburgh’s Old Town as it has a big Sainsbury’s and an Aldi. For anyone not from the UK, Lidl and Aldi are the best budget supermarkets to help you keep food costs low. I usually spend around £40 on a weekly shop. This shop will include all the basic ingredients I need for the week, for example breakfast cereal or vegetables. Then I often do a few top up shops during the week that would come to a maximum of £10 to £20. I follow a gluten free diet, so this makes my food shop a bit pricier. I highly recommend making a weekly food plan to make shopping easier; I did this for my entire four years at uni.
Total: £60
Relaxing by cooking dinner
Day two
Often on a Sunday I will go to Stockbridge Market. This is a lovely food market in the north of Edinburgh. The market sells fresh produce, baked goods, and crafts. Once a month there is also a gluten free churros stall (pictured). If I want to treat myself, churros, cakes, and pastries are around £5.
Stockbridge has a lot of nice charity shops which are great places to buy clothes and books while saving money. I would also recommend the Vinted app to buy second hand clothes, most items on the app are around £4 to £10. I usually walk to Stockbridge from my house but if you are under 22 you can sign up for a Young Scot card and get the bus for free.
Total: £10
Churros from Stockbridge Market
Day three
In my third year I worked a part-time job two days a week to earn some extra money, however I found it wasn’t possible to balance work and studying in fourth year. In my previous part-time job, I earned around £90 per week. I worked as an archival intern for the University’s Centre for Research Collections who were very conscientious of the fact that I was studying full time.
Total: £0
Working as an archival intern
Day four
This semester all my classes for the week were on a Tuesday. As they were spread out across the day, I would usually make a packed lunch so that I didn’t need to go home to eat. This is also a good way to save money as the lunch spots around campus can be pricey. The student union building, Potterrow, has an area with four microwaves and a hot water tap which makes it easy to heat up food brought from home. Often, I would make a portion for two for dinner and then bring in the leftovers the next day. Some of my favourite microwavable packed lunch options are leftover macaroni cheese, curry or a stir fry, soup, a jacket potato, or homemade frittata.
On Tuesday evenings I have Signsoc from 7pm to 8pm. My last class of the day finishes at 6pm so I don’t have time to go home for dinner. To tide me over until dinner time I go to the Potter Shop on campus to buy an energy bar or snack. The options there are very allergy friendly and reasonably priced. A snack will usually cost me around £2.50.
Total: £2.50
Day five
On Wednesday mornings I like to wake up early and go for a run around the Meadows. Usually after my run I go to my favourite cafe in Edinburgh, Summerhall, for a sweet treat. They often have a few gluten free cakes to choose from that are around £4 a slice. The cafe is a great place to sit and work for a couple of hours with lots of plugs and natural lighting.
Total: £7 (for cake and tea)
Fuel for work
Day six
I am a member of Edinburgh University Female Voice Choir, and our practice sessions are on Thursday evenings. Society membership can vary in price, but clubs and societies are usually very happy for new members to attend a few taster sessions for free. The membership for my choir is £8 for a year but it is also possible to pay semesterly. I believe sports clubs can be more expensive as they often require membership of the University gym. Like many societies, the choir holds a ball each year with tickets costing around £35.
Total: £8
The programme for our spring concert
Day seven
There are lots of great pubs around Edinburgh and the further you go away from the tourist hot spots the cheaper the drinks will be. For those coming to Edinburgh from outside the UK it may be valuable to know about Wetherspoons, which is a popular chain of pubs across the country that do particularly good deals on food and drinks (if you don’t mind the sticky tables).
My flatmates and I like to go to a cosy pub at the end of our street to chat or play cards. My drink of choice is cider and usually half a pint will cost me around £2.50 to £3. The more elegant cocktail bars around Edinburgh, mostly located in the New Town, are typically more expensive but can be great for a special occasion.
Total: £7.50 (for three drinks)
One of the best cosy pubs
Weekly total: £98.50
Other costs
The majority of my spending at university goes towards my rent. For the last three years I have lived in a beautiful Marchmont flat close to campus. The flat has four big bedrooms and a sunny, spacious kitchen where my flatmates and I all spend time together. I found the flat at the end of my first year through the University of Edinburgh flat share website. I moved in with three girls that were looking for one more person to fill a flat they had found. The rent has remained relatively stable throughout the three years and is now £574 a month including bills.
Income: My income currently comprises of my student loan (~£7000 a year) but has previously been supplemented my part-time work (£80 to 90 a week)
Related links
Other studying and living costs
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