Trinity Mahjong Village
10 February 2009
You know how I said that there appeared to be a light at the end of the tunnel in regards to next year's accommodation problem? Well, it seems that it wasn't the end of the tunnel at all. Rather, it was an axe-wielding maniac who happened to be holding a torch. And right now he's chopping my head off...
A few friends and I had decided to stay in some private halls next year so we went to get an application pack today. Upon receiving it I noticed that the rent was a lot more expensive than I had originally thought. I'm currently paying £70 a week for my university-owned room. The rent for the new place will be £86 a week - a whole 18.6% more expensive! The new place would come with an en-suite bathroom but does that really justify such a large increase in price? I know that an extra £16 a week doesn't sound all that much but over the long run it adds up. The total rent for the first semester would take up 75% of my loan and grant. That doesn't leave me with very much money to survive on.
Although the whole situation has made me a little more apprehensive about applying for a place, I don't really have that much choice. A lot of the places have been fully booked already and the ones that remain aren't too appealing. I think the only solution I have is to save up some money from my final term's loan and use that to boost my funds for the second year. I plan to have about £1,000 left by the end of this academic year, so if I save about 50% of that it should leave me with a comfortable amount of money to live on. I will have to be a lot more frugal about my money and not spend it as freely as I have done this semester. That's no bad thing I guess.
Posted byHocchan at 2:50 am
