Away from home Uni Students (2 Viewers)

[LaZy_KoReAn]

How much is it costing you to live away from home?

Provide a brief weekly budget if you can.

 

[glitter burns]

I live on campus... and I think it's $208 per week for accomodation/food and then it's about $50 per week for stuff like catching the bus and entertainment and odds and ends.
Soo... we'll say $260.
Though I think it would be waaay cheaper to not live on campus.

 

[Ziff]

Depends. At ANU it's $120/wk in a self-cartered hall/college - which is cheaper than most rent. Also if you move out you'll have to stuff around with possibly paying electricity, gas, excess water (if in NSW) and the telephone/internet.

Living on campus or in a uni hall also means you spend less on transport as you can just walk to uni or catch the free shuttle services they provide.

You also have to consider that if you move outside of uni you'll have to provide your own furnishings, tv, fridge, etc etc where as at uni you already have these.

 

[Ziff]

You can live as cheap as you want really. $10,000 in a year is quite a bit but I guess if you factor in textbooks, general service fees and other uni fees then it can get reasonably large.

 

[LaZy_KoReAn]

Originally posted by Ziff
You can live as cheap as you want really.

No you can't.

Minimum living standards is not considered cheap for us poor students.

 

[LaZy_KoReAn]

Originally posted by SpoRTsGaL


i plan on staying in sydney with my family... much cheaper!

Even though i only live about 1 hr away, i'm sick of home.

The horror. Me want freedom.

 

[Ashleet]

i know my accomodation is $217 per week which is all inclusive in a college. but then on top of that are gym expenses wihch are $15 per week (thank god for cheap uni gyms), travel into town which is around $5-10 per week then entertainment and alcohol which adds to about $40 so $300 per week is adequate

 

[Ziff]

Originally posted by LaZy_KoReAn
No you can't.

Minimum living standards is not considered cheap for us poor students.

I know that. But if you're smart it can be brought down. E.g. be very stingy, shop at ALDI and so on.

 

[Raiks]

Rent: $200pw
Food and Drink: $75
Transport: $100pw
Misc. Costs: $50-75

Total: $450 approx per week.

 

[hipsta_jess]

Originally posted by Raiks
Rent: $200pw
Transport: $100pw

dude, how is it possible to spend $200 on rent and $100 on transport?

 

[braindrainedAsh]

My weekly budget is written up on my wall so I can try and stick to it!!!

$160 pw rent (which includes bills such as gas, electricity, water)
$15 pw telephone/internet
$10 pw transport
$70 pw food/groceries (I try and buy as many generic products as I can but some things I just can't sacrifice quality!!!)
$50 pw miscellaneous stuff (e.g. alcohol, clothes when needed, movie tickets, stationary.... all sorts of random things pop up week to week)

So that comes to $305 a week. It's expensive, but I'm not living badly, I live pretty well. I buy good food (meat and fresh veggies are quite expensive!!) so I could probably save a lot on the groceries.... but it also depends on what things run out during the week, and sometimes I eat lunch out or buy takeaway for lunch if I have to run to work. Plus I basically live in the Sydney CBD, so I don't have to spend as much on transport as some, but a lot of things here are more expensive than they would be in the suburbs (I wish we had an Aldi here, they sound so cool, I have never seen one except on Today Tonight lol!)

 

[Ziff]

The nearest ALDIs to the city centre are in Marrickville, Canterbury and North Strathfield. So reasonably far away but could be worth it!

 

[Dingo2004]

my sister has an apartment in the city
and she rents a room to uni students for around $350 a week
kitchen and bathroom usage included..
and the only criteria is, that you must be a non-smoker, and you must be a girl..

cheers^^

 

[clive]

I live on campus and spend ~ $230 week
$150 - accomodation/food (4 nights a week)
$50 - food for weekends/snacks
$30 - other

 

[Ribbon]

wow, I didn't expect everyones costs to be so high!

In my old share house:
$100pw rent (was origionally $120 but I traded off $20 a week to mop & vacuume ever weekend)
$30 phone bill (including mobile, house phone & internet... keep in mind though the line rental + net costs are shared between 3 people so this would be higher on your own)
$10 electricity & gas
$50pw food (this includes all shampoo, conditioner ect. Doesn't include costs of eating out or buying food from uni, cos a packed lunch is always the way to go on a budget!)
$8pw bus fare (school term ticket = $55... divide by the 7 weeks it lasts for)

total = $188 for the week, just under budget of youth allowence which is $202 per week... though, if you ever want to buy textbooks or go out you will have to get either a job or a scholarship...

In my new place:
Rent: $100pw (traded off $17.50 because the other person gets the garage)
Food: $50pw
Electricity & gas: $10
Phone bill $45 (broadband instead of dialup makes the cost a bit higher... also, the fixed costs are now only shared between 2 people!)
Car $45pw (rego including third party property insurance works out to about $15 pw and fuel to and from uni 3 days a week + I carpool to work on fridays works out to be about $30 all up [4cy car you need to factor in more fuel if yours is bigger!])

total= $250 which is over the budget of $230 ($150 from work and $80 living allowence from scholarhsip) but works out fine because I have another scholarship which covers all textbook costs and which can subsidise rego costs... also, if I run out of fuel at the end of the week I can always catch the bus which is much, much cheaper!

of course, depedning on your crisumstances things could cost more or less...

 

[Raiks]

Originally posted by hipsta_jess
dude, how is it possible to spend $200 on rent and $100 on transport?

I live with my girlfriend and her sister and the rent is $600pw, fully furnished, close to the beach and transport and quite a nice place. And $100 on transport is petrol and public transport for the week, because I'm not actually living near the uni, I'm just living away from home and going to uni... It's private residence, not uni accomodation.

I work 4 days a week near where I'm living which is one of the reasons I choose to live there and I'm still bringing in enough to save money along the way.

 

[Ziff]

I'm guessing this place is in the northern suburbs (Woonona or north from there) in Wollongong?

Ridiculous rent!

 

[miss_rachel]

How do you go working with Uni? Does it stuff you up with assessments and stuff? I;m gonna have to work. There's some allowance you can get isn;t there if you make like $15 000 within 18months after your HSC. Anyone know the details of that????

I'm pretty keen to live on campus. Most people I've talked to reckon that it's the way to go.

 

[braindrainedAsh]

It's called Youth Allowance. And it's closer to $17000 that you have to earn in 18 months to get it.

www.centrelink.gov.au for more info.

I go to uni for 11 hours a week, which is full time study for my course. Working 15 hours a week still leaves me with so so so much time!!!! I have no problem fitting in assignments and a social life!!! I want to work more, but that is all they are giving me at the moment at work. I'm trying to find a second job where the hours won't clash with my current job.

 

[miss_rachel]

Thanks heaps.
So what's UTS like anyway? Do they have any on campus accomodation?
I have a friend who's doing Communications and Law, and she reckons ita the best.