What should I do??? Help!

[Foxy-jim]

Hi guys,

Basically at the moment I am living in a house with my football mates at uni. I am paying £330 a month for my room and bills on top of that. Im just getting annoyed that its so expensive for the little time im in uni.

Next year im in my 3rd and final year of my degree and I am in 8 hours on a week A and less then that on a week B. I know I have to do my dissertation along with research for this etc (was going to do the research on a forest near my home).

This is where I need your advice. If I commuted it would cost me £60 in fuel tops, but would be an hour drive to uni and back to get home. Plus I play football on Wednesdays for uni. What would you do if you were me?

I want to live here as it is a great laugh and I get my own little taste of proper independence, but, I love being home and I am still travelling home each weekend to work. It would also mean I could put some of my student loan into an ISA etc?

HELP PLEASE!!!

[Foxy-jim]

Also my girlfriend has a house at the same uni as me and said if I need to I can stay with her a couple of nights a week.

[Kimmie]

Speak to Scott....he commuted his first year, then rented the final two. It cost him roughly the same as well, so he might be able to help

[Foxy-jim]

Thanks! Ye I rented last year too. If he doesnt comment on this later I will drop him a pm!

[Megamonkey]

Where do you go to uni?!? My house was £160 for four weeks rent, tho was a half hour walk from campus (in Liverpool)

I wouldn't move, commuting is such a pain and you will miss out on alot of things. Plus parking was always a nightmare around my uni!

[Toms306]

An hours commute isn't too bad, I drive 45mins to college 3 or 4 days a week (due to traffic, it's only 30mins if its a clear run!) and I can't see that 15 mins more would make much difference if it was me. (Before anyone says it, my problem is with distance, not minutes lol).

Really, if you can afford to do what you want to do (which I guess is living away!) then you might aswell, I'd love to move out if I could afford to....even if that meant very little money for anything else. But if its pretty tight then commuting is probably the better option, only you can really decide whats best.

Maybe try and find a job closer to your Uni house (I know finding jobs isnt easy though).

Edit - Also Bearbenuk has a massive hour and a half commute from Ipswich to Yarmouth everyday iirc, might be good to ask him about it.

[Foxy-jim]

Im at bath spa uni. There is a free car park on our campus so parking isnt a problem.

I like being here, but I love being home. Im a proper home person! Haha. Ive tried looking for a job here but with two uni's in one city its pretty hard. Also a lot of my mates work with me so I dont really want to change jobs. Its also easier when the holidays come as I can just up my hours when I need to!

[Toms306]

I like being here, but I love being home. Im a proper home person! Haha. Ive tried looking for a job here but with two uni's in one city its pretty hard. Also a lot of my mates work with me so I dont really want to change jobs. Its also easier when the holidays come as I can just up my hours when I need to!

Hmm, I can see your problem tbh..........whatever you do something will be compromised.......but thats life I guess. :think:

You said your gf live up there too, depending on how long you've been together and stuff, might be an idea to move in with her and half the rent between you?

[Foxy-jim]

Thats not a bad idea, but I would think it would be pretty straining on us. We are still both really young and im not ready for that kind of thing! This is a major dilemna!

Another factor is that one of my housemate who I play football with may be going on a placement for a year for his course meaning he wont actually be here, he is the one I get on best with...

[sweeney1987]

personally wouldnt commute, would try and find somewhere cheaper neaar uni next year.
I commuted for a few months when i was at college, was an hour each way each day, ended up spending as much on diesel as i would of and rent and tiring myself out to boot. Personally think youd be better staying up there and put the time you would waste commuting into your dissertation.
Plus you have more fun away from home, just get somewhere cheaper, slum it a bit for a year, youre a student!

also living with the girlfriend so young is definately a bad idea!

[Foxy-jim]

There isnt really anywhere cheaper! I lived in a sh*thole last year and that was £325 per month! Bath is expensive. I have my car at uni already so im spending £35 a week as it is!

[Toms306]

There isnt really anywhere cheaper! I lived in a sh*thole last year and that was £325 per month! Bath is expensive. I have my car at uni already so im spending £35 a week as it is!

Everywhere is expensive, cheapest flats I've found around the Uni area of Ipswich (cos I considered going next year...but cba with UCAS lol) were like £300-£350!! And that didnt even include parking or water rates or anything!!

Genuinley don't know how young people are supposed to do anything these days.................moving out is too expensive, running a car is too expensive, theres no jobs about for non-experienced people, Uni is too expensive, etc!! :nope:

[Foxy-jim]

It is hard especially as I pay for everything myself, including car, rent, insurance. Obviously I get my student loan etc, and mum and dad help when they can but money is tight for everyone and my dads wages have dropped again...

[THE_Liam]

I'd probably keep your own place if I were you mate, I moved out at 18 and it was great for me, nothing like having your own space in the world!

[Toms306]

It is hard especially as I pay for everything myself, including car, rent, insurance. Obviously I get my student loan etc, and mum and dad help when they can but money is tight for everyone and my dads wages have dropped again...

Yup I know the money situations crap for everyone atm. I also pay for my car and food myself......and couldn't even contemplate rent atm unfortunately.

I guess student loan helps a fair bit with that though.

What do you do at Uni btw, out of interest?

[kingy]

go to uni in derby,

then that would save me £30 in couriers to get your wheels.

sorted.

[kingy]

plenty of jobs up here anyway in asda stacking shelves for when you graduate. :clap:

[Toms306]

plenty of jobs up here anyway in asda stacking shelves for when you graduate. :clap:

I wish there were ASDA shelf stacking jobs round here!! I was turned down for 8 ASDA jobs recently...didn't even pass the first online exam bit!

[Scott]

As said I commuted for my first year of uni (2007 hock: ). I had a DT at the time so doing 100 miles a day wasn't terrible for the wallet especially with diesel prices at the time not being the ridiculous amount they are now.

It depends on the times you have to be in at uni. I was in every day for 9am lectures, then occasionally I would have a mid-afternoon lecture so instead of just driving home again afterwards I'd have to hang around all day. Bear in mind too that this was my first year, so I didn't have so much work I could have been doing between lectures. It was fine at first but it got very tiring being up at 6.30 every day after a late night, to drive for over an hour, sit in a lecture for an hour or two and then another hour home. Plus it makes going out with mates more difficult.

You'd have to work out how much money you'd save by doing the drive 3-4 times a week compared to the £330 that you're currently paying, which isn't really a bad rate. Having done the live and home and commute thing, even if you do save some money over the year it has quite a large pay off on your social life, as well as being generally tired all the time, I'd recommend staying where you are. Plus you have to think about driving in during exams...

[MrsMoonstone]

This might be a girl thing but I would always put comfortable living environment before commuting distance/duration - so if at home you get a nicer place I would move back. You might get more peace as well for dissertation etc. and my take on final year is you might as well give it your best shot, everything else is a waste of time/money imo. Also loving the plan to put some not-needed money to one side, you never know what kinda cards life deals you in terms of unexpected expenses coing up! So that's my opinion but then I'm old and a girl so you might not give to much on it!

[ash240970]

Keep your own place bud - the stress of driving in all the time will do your head in after a while and also puts more wear and tear on your car which will ultimately cost you more money in the long run. Keep your independence but pop back home more often for long weekends etc - best of both worlds

[Foxy-jim]

Ye I think I will stay. Had a great night out last night with the football lads and they all had a chat to me about it. Haha. I'm enjoying it ATM so not.

Tom - I do geography. I failed my alevels and that was the only thing I could do through clearing. I'm hoping to join the navy after!

[Ed Doe]

Everyone's different, so it's not easy to tell someone what to do.

In my experience, my flatmates were legendary, I had an amazing time, and I couldn't contemplate living at home during uni (even if home had been down the road).

To my mind, if you've got the student loan, its there to be used on stuff like rent; get the old interest-free overdraft used and stay in the flat!

[Toms306]

Tom - I do geography. I failed my alevels and that was the only thing I could do through clearing. I'm hoping to join the navy after!

Fair enough, good luck with it Jim.

[Foxy-jim]

Ye Im enjoying it a lot ATM! Think I'm going to stay! M housemates are decent! One of the girls is a lynx model! WIN! My other housemate spent the night in a cell haha.

[4WayDiablo]

What should I do??? Help!

well you know what time essex is on, we can help you still, just put the remote down, find something else thats good on at that time.. dont record it and dont watch it on repeat anywhere
you shall soon get over your shameful addiction

no problem, we are all here to help

[Foxy-jim]

Haha thanks for the reply I will try that!