Students: how do you make ends meet?

[Renenet]

Hi,

I've just returned to uni to do a BSc and hope to major in zoology.

Very fortunately, I'm eligible for Austudy - but it's not quite enough. I took on a job to supplement my income and I'm now finding that I can't handle both uni and work. I have too many hours at work, which sucks so much of my study time away I'm not keeping up. All this for very little financial return because I lose Austudy for every dollar I earn over a certain amount.

Aside from losing study time, the other big concern is that my health is starting to suffer because I'm exhausted and stressed all the time. It's not a good sign five weeks into a three-year degree (four for me because I've chosen to take it a bit slower).

While I do need the extra money, this is clearly not the way to go about getting it. The job has nothing to do with my degree - it's just a job - so there would be no future value in sticking with it. I have a few ideas for other possibilities - freelance proofreading is one - but I'm curious to hear from others who have had experience with this. What do you do to top up the coffers? And how do you juggle your time without burning out?

Thanks,
Ren

 

[kawasakirider]

The majority of Uni students are fortunate enough to live at home. Those who don't live in share houses, making rent cheaper. That's what my gf and I do. Some have partners that work full time and support them. I don't know of a single Uni student that lives by themselves and manages to survive, unless they've inherited a fortune or something.

To work enough to support yourself you have to do Uni part time, or stretch by with paying rent/food and having like $20 a fortnight left over, which is what I do all the time, lol. It sucks.

Anyway, I've gone in a different direction, I've got a few job interviews next week for a real estate position, as I just did a course to get my licence. Working is better than studying, plus I like property, so hopefully it works out.

The BS thing is, I know scumbags that are keen to have a kid and live in cheap housing forever to get by, and many get way more $$ than Uni students. Even people who don't have kids get more in some instances. It's like the gov makes it harder for people who are trying to succeed than people who just want to live off handouts.

 

[Kitah]

Lived in a really, really cheap rental place, did mystery shopping once a month ($80 for the gaming room, $40 for the bottle shop- could do them whenever it suited me each month), youth allowance and being bloody stingy is how I did it No way in hell you can work with the vet degree, especially in final year- you're all over the place with placements, and can work up to or over 13hrs a day sometimes, say a month with one day off, then you have study on top. was hectic

 

[grannieannie]

I'm not sure my comments will help you, but I'll try. Obviously I'm not a student....except perhaps a student of life, as we all are....but hubby and I do live on the pension and watch our pennies. A very good example of ... thrift ... today for me was going to an Op Shop and I picked up two very nice blouses....tag still new on them... for $1.50 each...the Op Shop was having a half price sale...!!! So if you haven't already, think of getting at least some of your gear from Op Shops, they aren't rag shops like they used to be years ago. Also some cities have... soup kitchens ... they aren't just for the .. down and outers ... but people on low incomes can go there for a meal. I know my town has one, and they just ask for a gold coin donation if you can afford it. Do your shopping close to closing time late in the afternoons, many places drop prices just to get rid of the days food. Look up on the net the old fashioned ways to do cleaning around the house, that way you don't have to spend money on modern day cleaners. Things like vinigar and carb soda etc are very good for house cleaning in the kitchen and bathroom. There are lots of little things you can do to save money around the house. You never know, you might even enjoy doing things this way, that way you beat the big companies... I love doing that. Good luck and I hope it all goes well for you.

 

[campbell72010]

Im in the same postion as you haha. STRESSED!! studying four courses at uni with an expexted 12 hours for each course as well as working 38 hour weeks. defintaely isnt easy. i started half way through last year and studied over the summer which was regretful. now im just hanging out for the summer to get a break. only adive i have is goodluck! haha

 

[disintegratus]

I don't know, but it scares the crap out of me. I currently work full time and take care of my zoo, and I want to go to uni at some point within the next couple of years, but I've got two mortgages, and apparently am terrible at managing money(I assume this because I'm always broke) so I've got no idea how I'm going to survive, as my partner sure as hell doesn't bring in enough to cover both of us.

 

[Stompsy]

One of my friends finally finished his degree in micro biology last year. It took him about 10 years to finish it, uni part time and working 2 jobs. He never had time to do anything and always lived in share houses. He is now planning on doing his honours but for reasons I don't understand he may not get a placement. I believe it has something to do with the government and grants.

It sucks because he is an extremely smart person but everything is made twice as hard due to monetary restrictions and also time.

And this is the exact reason why I am yet to go to uni.

You either need to go one way or the other, make house and live comfortably or do uni and have nothing until you get your degree.

 

[littlemay]

I work two jobs and go to uni part time (three units a semester instead of two; extends my degree by a year and a half). I'm exhausted 95% of the time, get about 5 hours sleep a night on average, do not have a single day off a week and have pretty much lost the majority of my friends. I don't live with my parents, and do not receive money from the government so i have to be careful with my money (luckily one of my jobs has an incredible wage, so i don't feel *too* poor most of the time).

For me it's about time management and just getting on with it, I find i can work up to about 30-32 hours a week before i can no longer find the time/energy to fit my uni work in. I have to study on the bus to and from uni/work and in between most of my classes. Learning how to do assessments/study when already tired is probably the hardest thing.

It helps to have a job that pays decently so you don't work super long hours. If you can, get a job at the university, even the starting wage there is pretty damn good. It also really helps if you can work that job from home, as i do. It takes up no time in travel and i always find i get my work done a lot faster for some reason, it just feels like an extension of your uni work.

 

[slim6y]

Always eat at restaurants, and make sure you bring one of your pet (or food) rats in with you, possibly smuggled in your purse. Eat your meal... Release your rat... SCREAM really loudly... And run out of the shop.

Breeding rats is much cheaper than feeding yourself.

 

[KaotikJezta]

I am at uni 3 days and work 4 days and it is a killer. I don't have time to do anything and all I can do is patiently wait for holidays. I won't give my job up as I work in a reptile shop and the perks are too good, and I won't give uni up as I worked to hard to get there so it is just a juggling game really.

 

[junglepython2]

Move back in with the folks.

 

[cuddle_python]

Once you finish uni it will be all work it doesn't get any better

 

[MadeInNZ]

Uni can be hard in many ways but financially it has to bethe hardest.
Here’s a few things that I did to reduce cost while studying.
Refinanced all my debts into one loan through the bank. Onlyone lower payment then.
Brought a freezer. We use to bulk buy once a month and whenwe worked over summer or in the holidays we filled it up. Bulked all our mealsout with rice and pasta, its amazing what a few herbs and spices can do andthere are plenty of cook books online for ideas. Collective buying was anotherthing we did, get together with a few friends and invest in half a cow or pigor sheep, reduces your meat costs if you can buy in bulk. Shop on line atplaces like catch of the day to get cheap groceries.
Reduce your household costs. Short showers, one load ofwashing every couple of days, turning things off when not in use, getting ridof things like foxtell ect. If you have room then getting in boarders can be abig help.
Hope some of this helps and good luck with the study

 

[slim6y]

Take turns at being a person choking to death on an olive and you save the day with the Heind.... that manoeuvre thing at the restaurants you're eating at (when you run out of rats).

PS - that is an olive from the Oleaceae family not the Liasis family... Or what ever modern nomenclature puts it in these days... I can't keep up...

PPS - It's the Heimlich Maneuver apparently...

 

[Crystal..Discus]

Invest in a slow cooker. You can get the worst possible offcuts from a butcher for about $4 p/k and turn it into a really harty meal. Rice, Pasta, legumes, and do your shopping at farmers markets (it was about $40 cheaper a week for me.) Ignore name brands, and remember to splash out every now and again so you don't go mental. If you get into a lot of trouble, there are student guilds with food banks and other services (I know QUT gave out Woolies vouchers and had a food bank.)

 

[Beard]

smack and meth.

 

[pretzels]

im doing full time uni at the moment and desperately need a job but it scares the hell out of me even thinking about having to do full time work and even part time uni. im also pretty much sole carer for 3 teenagers and my mum. its hectic.
luckily i can live at home with my mother and not have to pay rent but its incredibly frustrating having to some how support the family on my small wage.

the only thing i can suggest is to get a cheap bottle of wine and get a study session happening with people from uni to socialise every now and again and help out with uni work. my sister is doing the same degree as me and we've managed to rope a few people into late night wine and study sessions its been very beneficial.

 

[grannieannie]

smack and meth.

LOL...they'd be more expensive than food wouldn't they....!!!

You're a silly bugger Beard !!

 

[Nathan_T]

I'm a few years out now, but I found the big thing was reducing your expenses, instead of increasing your income. As you said, most employment will conflict with austudy so you'll need to sit down and do the maths regarding petrol to see exactly how much you'd earn. When I worked it out with expenses I was making about 4 bucks an hour so I threw that in.

One thing that definitely kept me afloat though was the army reserve. If you're that way inclined, you can get your training sorted out in the first year or two and you'll make a fair amount. It's non-taxed income so you don't need to report it to centrelink. As a fully trained private I recall I was making about 50 bucks a week with tuesday nights and monthly weekend training. Courses will net you about 1500 for two weeks work, and you can often get a job assisting any training courses that are running in your local area. That's particularly boring work, but hell, it's good money as a student

 

[Kristy_07]

I agree with Nathan's comment about reducing costs rather that increasing income. Not only is it a good habit for students, it is a good system of thinking even once you're working full-time. More income usually equals more expenses, so even once you're earning more, you don't necessarily feel like you have more money to throw around, particularly once you have regular payment like cars, mortgages etc.

I trying to think back on how I did it, because, while uni was a tight time financially, I also had a crapload of fun, and lived out of home the whole time.

Let's see:
1) Find holiday work that allows decent hours and pays relatively well - most of my friends at uni did things this way; worked less during the semester, but got as many hours as possible at Target, Woolies, Kmart, coffee shops etc as possible. Make all your spending money while on hols, and then budget wisely during the semester.
2) Freezer + bulk buying meat etc
3) LOTS of rice, pasta, and tinned tuna
4) Public transport, always
5) Forget your hobbies, or at least find cheaper ones - uni is fun because of the social aspect, but sometimes you need to think of the bigger picture. If you're struggling to pay rent, go out once a fortnight for drinking, dinner, movies etc, and make that your limit. Don't choose your expensive hobbies like scuba diving - buy some cheap paints or a guitar and stick with that.
6) Live in massive share houses with 6-10 people so you are pay less that $100/week in rent, and hopefully, sharing food costs as well.