Empty pocket, bank, fridge etc etc etc

What is currently in my purse.

When I moved to university I knew it would be expensive but worth it. The excitement you feel when student finance places that ‘hard earned’ loan into your account is great, until you realise you have to pay rent that same day, which brings you straight back into your overdraft.

Every day I say to myself I need to budget my money but as the days have passed instead I avoid looking at my bank statement and hope for the best. Most have said to me “Katherine you need to get a job” and that is all fine to say but it is not that easy. Living in a city populated by students all in the same ‘skint’ boat looking for jobs really does narrow down my options. Don’t get me wrong, I know I do need a job but I have become fed up of wasting my library printer allowance on CV’s that I seem to constantly hand out to no avail.

I am a fresher therefore I have come to measure how much I’m spending by how many drinks that will get me at Superbull[1] which I realise is really bad, sorry Mum and Dad. 

Then I have to do a monthly shop at the supermarket around the corner from student accommodation, obviously picking up the essentials such as an endless supply of pot noodles. Pretty much everyone in my flat will agree we open our cupboards to see if we have anything left, then ten minutes later repeat this action to see if fairies have come and miraculously filled them up.  

Even buying make up, now I know this only applies to girls but if I ran out of mascara my Mum would come home and say I bought you this today. Living by myself at university that duty is now left to me, who knew that I could spend up to £50 in Boots on practically nothing.

In my short time at university I have realised how much my parents did for me and how much I took it for granted. I used to laugh when my nan would come home with bargains and say ‘look ketchup is two for the price of one’ but now I have learnt from the best and thanks to nan I have become a certified bargain hunter.

[1] "Superbull" takes place every Friday night, popular student night out that requires your weekend to recover.