“It’s a rich man’s world”

As far as I know everyone has received their student loan, processed the 4 figure balance in their account and gone wild! Yes I still get the same feeling every 12 weeks, it’s good isn't it? Having all that money to spend on whatever you want, not to mention that lovely rent if you’re staying out in halls.

Can any of you relate to this list I've made from my personal experience on 7 ways to flash your cash?

• Stratford
• Nandos
• Haagen Dasz
• Primark
• Michael Kors – My guilty secret
• MAC
• LUSH Cosmetics 

Obviously the guys won’t be able to relate as much but I’m sure you get the jist of the list. I am so bad with my money it’s actually a joke. But I've managed to find a way out of this mess!

I applied for a job within the Greenwich Employability Team and I am now “Happily” working for the university twice a week. It is still hard to manage the work and uni assignments but I need the money and somehow there is always a way to make time for your uni work. One thing I've gradually learnt is how to spend my money in bulk... BAD HABIT! If you are a big spender like me, then spend in small frequent amounts like, £20-30 a week instead of £200 a fortnight. It makes a big difference trust me!

There is no specific way to manage your money it solely depends on your situation and how much you eat, drink, shop etc. Just watch what you spend your money on and ask yourself every time you buy something you don’t need (like a Michael Kors watch), “Do I really need this? Will this affect my food budget in a month?” and then put it down, walk away and don’t look back!

Repeat those words as many times as you need to until you are out of the shop, then buy yourself an ice cream as a reward! 

It's October!

So it’s October, the Halloween flyers are out and it’s already been a month since uni has started, congratulations if you are still alive and not suffering from liver failure.

 
Currently, I have blown my student loan and now experiencing traumatic stress from the bombardment of second year assignments. Since my experience from fresher’s year, I have now learnt to be more responsible and wise regarding my attendance to tutorials and lectures. I was foolish enough to skip a lot of lectures last year because I thought they were irrelevant but the truth is, if I did attend them, I could potentially have a higher grade on my transcript right now. It does make a massive difference, even though your first year does not count, you still need the grades and basic knowledge to help you in second year. Otherwise you will be stuck revising your content from first year whilst the second year killer modules are being introduced (like I am).

It doesn't mean you can’t have fun, make the most out of fresher’s while you still can! The party is never ending, especially as this is my second year in halls, I can see all the fresher’s banging doors and playing loud music at 3am. I am fortunate enough to have a flat mate who stops playing loud D&B after 12am because he knows I can hear the music which is so nice considering the other types of people you come across in halls.

So what I would say is keep calm and relax, keep an equal balance of work and leisure. If you get too carried away with parties and fresher’s events, you will lose the focus you need to gain in first year to help you with the transition into second year. It’s really important you gain that focus and understanding of how the system works because there’s no time in second and third years.

Find out which places are good and find a spot where you can chill regularly to take your mind off work. It’s also worthwhile to start searching for accommodation for next year as many landlords require their deposit in January so I guess you know what you’re spending your January student loan on!

Prepare and plan well in advance is the key to success in uni, Good Luck!