Money diaries – Emily
By Emily, from the UK, studying MSc Sustainable Energy Systems
Year of Study: Postgraduate
Accommodation: University Self-Catered
Part-time Jobs: Bus Tour Check-In Agent and Student Ambassador
Day one
It’s Thursday and the sun is shining, which is a great start to my day! I decide to get some fresh air by walking to the Cameron Toll shopping centre to do a big weekly food shop. I’ve been relying on the small local supermarkets during some busy days this past week, but they’re expensive and I’ve run out of most of my usual things at this point!
I head to Aldi for my main food shop as this is the most budget-friendly supermarket nearby, costing me £20.32. I then top up with a few specialist items at the Sainsbury’s next door (£14.05) and head home to make my lunch.
Since the weather is so warm, my friends suggest heading to the Meadows (a huge open green space right by central campus) later in the afternoon to enjoy the sunshine for an hour or so. This was a very welcome break from studying and was completely free!
In the evening, I do some life admin and buy a return train ticket so that I can visit my family after exam season is over. This comes to £44.80, with my 16-25 Railcard, which is not bad for a four-hour journey each way.
Total: £79.37
Day two
Today I have a work shift, so I’m up bright and early at 5.45am. I make myself my usual breakfast of apple, yoghurt and muesli before cycling to my shift. Since I’m too old for the Young Scot free bus travel scheme, I get around everywhere in Edinburgh by cycling. It’s convenient, fast, and free once you’ve bought the bike!
I finish work by 8.30am, and as usual I stop off at the Lidl on the way back to grab a pastry (£0.75). Since it’s the first day of the month, my accommodation payment also leaves my account (£881.46) as well as my monthly payment of £30.18 for road tax.
I have a little van (I’m in the process of converting it into a basic campervan) which comes with a lot higher road tax than if it was a car, which is why I pay it monthly as it’s very little difference in cost to one annual payment.
I pay my insurance annually (because that does come with a more significant cost saving) and that was at the beginning of the year, which is why I don’t have a monthly payment for that.
In the afternoon, I head to King’s Buildings to give a campus tour as part of my student ambassador role. I stay on at campus afterwards to do some preparation for my dissertation and buy some snacks (£2.45) from the campus shop to keep me going until I get home.
Total: £914.84
Day three
Another work shift today, so another early start and another trip to Lidl on the way back (£0.65). I then head into campus to find a study spot as I have a lot of revision to do today! I make some sandwiches at home to bring with me, but stop off on the way to buy an additional snack (£1.50) and to post a card (£0.91).
In the afternoon, I decide to take a study break and go for a walk around King’s Buildings campus with a coffee (£3.30). I also need to get bread and milk this evening as I’ve run out, which comes to another £3.00.
Total: £9.36
Day four
It’s Sunday today, so the campus libraries are a little quieter and I plan to head there for some studying. First though, I need to grab some drain unblocker for one of our showers and, thankfully, it was on Clubcard discount at the local Tesco for £2.75.
I decide to bring my reusable mug and some herbal teabags with me into campus today to make use of the free hot water taps at the Nucleus building. They also have a microwave available, one of many “Heat and Eat” stations in university buildings which are really useful for keeping costs down!
On my way home, I pop into Cameron Toll again to pick up a few things I forgot on my weekly shop (I really should make a list next time…) which come to £8.42.
I also need to do some laundry this evening which costs £3.00 for a wash and dry.
Total: £14.17
Day five
Today I’m staying at home to get some revision done ahead of my exam on Wednesday. It’s beautiful weather, so at lunch I decide to make a sandwich and go out for a walk as a study break.
I head to the Meadows first, then decide to extend my walk and wander down to Union Canal at Tollcross. I’ve been here before, but never explored very much, so I decide to walk along the towpath for a while. There are lots of colourful canal boats and I even spot a pair of swans nesting!
This was a great break from revision, but I still have a lot to do so I turn back after a while and spend the rest of the day at home studying.
Total: £0
Day six
I’m working again this morning which means another 5.45am start. After work finishes, I head into campus for a meeting with a PhD student about my dissertation. I spend a while afterwards testing out some new software, and suddenly it’s lunchtime and I’m hungry, so I grab a snack from the Nucleus shop (£1.05) to eat as I walk home for lunch.
In the afternoon my focus is on revision for tomorrow’s exam, but I do pop out for a quick walk to pick up some essentials (bread, milk, snacks and tea) which I ran out of yet again! This comes to £7.92.
Total: £8.97
Day seven
Today I have my first exam of this semester! It’s in the afternoon, which gives me the chance to do some last-minute studying in the morning. On the way to my exam location, I pick up two exam essentials: a bottle of water and a new pen (£3.94).
After my exam finishes, I get a pastry from Lidl to celebrate (£0.75) and my favourite soup from Sainsbury’s (£1.49) so that I don’t have to cook tonight after all my hard work!
Total: £6.18
Weekly cost: £1,032.89
Other costs
As demonstrated this week, my rent takes up the majority of my spending as a student. The £881.49 payment is paid over 10 months (although my contract is for 12 months) and includes all bills and university WiFi.
I pay £8/month for my mobile phone plan and £7.33/month towards a Spotify subscription which I share with my family.
At the start of the year, I also paid £319 for a gym and climbing wall membership at the University Pleasance gym facilities.
Income
I make around £310 per month from my Check-In Agent job and between £80-140/month as a Student Ambassador.
I am also very fortunate to receive a scholarship which provides me with £1200/month for living costs.
