I just bought a Ps3, 360, £2000 computer and a 40" plasma screen with my Uni grant!

da_mic_1530 said:
What angers me are the kids who get "government grants" i.e free cash, don't work and still spend it all on a TV and xbox 360, they don't need the cash. Obviously this is a HUGE sweeping genrilisation and some people couldn't do uni without the financial support.....my 2 cents
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I got grant and a loan this year but I don't spend it on crap, haven't done in the past. I don't get support from any family members. I also work my nuts off doing up to 20 hours a week.

It's not a lot but it helps.
 
Useless uk system as usual.

I get £2.8k loan + £1.2k grant + £1k scholarship per year and a £5k overdraft which is going into savings accounts, while some people not living at home get less!

The prices at the campus waterstones are shocking, £75 for Campbell and Reece biology, when it's £42.50 online!
 
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I spent a fair amount of money at uni going out and getting drunk - I reckon if I didn't drink/go clubbing then a big plasma screen, PS3, other toys/gadgets would have been easily achieveable. I worked throughout uni, lets face it you get 20 weeks holiday a year and the living expenses are next to nothing if you're outside London. Shopping can be cheap if you budget or share with mates and bills are cheap if you're sharing with 5 others. Loan + income from part time work/summer job can come to quite a few thousand and if you budget well a decent portion of that can be disposable income.
 
shifty_uk said:
:eek: How you getting that? Hope that's not all loans, grants and overdrafts.
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Loan/Grant/Bursary. Only got to pay back around £6,000.

I'm living at home, so no accommodation to pay for; hence why it's quite a large sum.

There's a £1000 overdraft on my bank but I've no intention on messing with that.
 
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All this grant stuff is such rubbish, I wish they'd do away with all the means tested junk and the 'free money' from grants. I got minimum loan and zero LEA assistance for me fees, that was it. Meanwhile others were literally swimming in money and didnt have to pay a penny for fees.
 
Was just wondering how you managed to make your loan/grant go so far! Regarding your previous comments earlier in this thread (from 2007!!) though, I would disagree that £100 or £150 out of your monthly salary is a small amount - in fact it really does matter!

Whenever you are paying rent/mortgage + all associated household bills, even if you are taking home 30k a year, you'll definitely be crying out for another £140 a month, and anyone in this position will agree!

I managed to live on not very much at uni, took out a small loan for one year which is now 99% paid back, but also worked two part time jobs throughout which helped finance the finer things in life!
 
Freeman said:
No, I didn't really.

But I'm planning on going to Uni next year. Working it all out I'll be in near enough 20 grands worth of debt by the end of it.

My question is, why do you hear so many people saying "I just bought a PS3 and a widescreen plasma with my Uni grant, wooop!" How do they afford this? Say they got 6k for the year, 3k for living, 3k for the course, how do they afford to spend hundreds/thousands on that type of equipment?

Is it simply because mummy and daddy are rich/they have a job so can afford to eat into their loan? Or am I missing something.
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Overdrafts, my grant could not cover that and i live at come!
 
Overdrafts have basically kept me alive through uni - though I resisted getting mine extended each year, which is why I seem to have no money while other people are still flush. My loan almost covers my accommodation for a year back in the UK, but that's it - jobs, savings, overdraft and parents if necessary for the rest.

I do get to play the system this year at least - extra grand for studying abroad, doesn't seem to take in to account that the cost of living is a fraction of what it would be in Edinburgh. Be great if they'd actually released my money yet, stupid company.
 
i get 3000 a year which just about covers my yearly rent. i'm currently living off money i made over summer but will soon need a job at uni. no free monies for me :(
peoples parents must be really poor or something.. my mum works, my dad doesn't. shes a nurse so can't earn that much? WHY DONT I GET FREE MONEY IN THE FORM OF A GRANT?????.. its madness.
 
Most students have no idea how to manage money. A lot of them have never worked or done a job which brings in money, or haven't had to pay for bills and living expenses before - so a big influx of money makes them go bonkers basically. Taking a year out and having worked since the age of 16 was the best thing I could have done, as come uni I was able to survive and live the life of riley for most of my time at uni, but I had an understanding on looking after money and what I was spending it on.
 
i'm currently looking into Uni. seems i will be classed as an 'independant mature student' by next september as i will have supported myself for 3 years... i'm currently 20, 21 soon.

which in turn means my parents income isnt taken into account, which in turn means i get the largest grant? like a lot of people, my 'rents don't give me noubt, i work hard, pay all bills and everything i own i have funded myself. seems not going to uni straight away is the best bet around this ridiculous system.
 
Mul said:
My maintenence doesn't even pay off my accomodation. London FTL :o
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Dont you get 2 grants? I did, the main one pays my accommodation then another one for other costs like food, and I thought in London students get more money and some sort of extra loan due to been in london, or maybe a grand?

I've never had a job, but I think I know how to manage money, if I had to I could sort money between what I would use to pay bills and then budget for food, nights out etc...
 
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