Financially screwed in college

LegacyUser

Hi all,

Basically i am in second year in college and i am broke. I can hardly afford food/ rent, never mind christmas. I am currently seek help from the student assistence fund, but are there anyother agencies that can help? I am looking into the SVP, but I am mortified that my housemates will walking when they do a house call out.

I dont even have a coat this winter as it went missing so i am walking to college in the rain the whole time.

Im just feeling sorry for myself i guess but its good to finnaly write this down...

Thanks in advance for all the replies

cafecolour

Not to push the obvious, but have you tried to find a part time job? I worked about 10-15 hours a week through college, and it made a huge difference.

Charity shops generally have tons of coats. Have you stuck your head in one? You may be able to pick up one for a fiver.

This may also seem like an obvious question, but I couldn't see mention of your parents. Could they possibly help you out financially?

Alongside that, perhaps you could negotiate with your landlord and see if he's willing to bring down your rent by as little as €10 a week. This €40 a month could really help!

Dotsie~tmp

Moneytroubles wrote: »

Hi all,

Basically i am in second year in college and i am broke. I can hardly afford food/ rent, never mind christmas. I am currently seek help from the student assistence fund, but are there anyother agencies that can help? I am looking into the SVP, but I am mortified that my housemates will walking when they do a house call out.

I dont even have a coat this winter as it went missing so i am walking to college in the rain the whole time.

Im just feeling sorry for myself i guess but its good to finnaly write this down...

Thanks in advance for all the replies

In this order.

Ditch the pride.
Get Job.
Buy Coat.
Do a budget (your spending plenty on social stuff still amirite?).
Hit parents up.

unattendedbag

Student loan.

Get a loan from a credit union or through one of those student accounts. Practically every student in the uk gets one to survive through college. Sure it means u graduate in a couple of grand of debt but ur it's ur future that's on the line. You deserve to live with basic everyday needs during your years in college.

iguana

unattendedbag wrote: »

Practically every student in the uk gets one to survive through college.

Um no, Student loans in the UK are a completely different thing. They are a state loan given to students to pay the enormous college fees in the UK and they only have to be paid back once the student starts earning above a certain amount. The interest is not calculated based on what the commercial banks are doing either.

Getting a part-time job and making a proper budget sounds like the OP's best bet. Large supermarkets near colleges/universities usually employ lots of students and have a pretty good atmosphere among the staff. Some of my best college memories are nights out with the Dunnes crowd.

Sashiee

I know that AIB have student accounts and you can apply for an overdraft as little as 100euro or as large as 2,000 if you need it.
no intrest and you don't have to pay it back until you say.
Between my friends and myself it's the only option!

Have you got an uncle or older brother that you can borrow some winter clothes of? I know that my boyfriend usually goes through his brothers wardrobe and gets jumpers and jeans etc as his brother no longer lives at home. or a charity shop is a great idea. clothes given away are usually in great shape and only given away because they don't fit/arnt in style anymore.

aldi and lidl and discount 2euro type stores are great for getting food like noodles and pasta sauces. just buy milk and butter and bread for the week. or you could go halves with your roomates so that you all get a good dinner out of it.

ps- chin up hun!

unattendedbag

iguana wrote: »

unattendedbag wrote: »

Practically every student in the uk gets one to survive through college.

Um no, Student loans in the UK are a completely different thing. They are a state loan given to students to pay the enormous college fees in the UK and they only have to be paid back once the student starts earning above a certain amount. The interest is not calculated based on what the commercial banks are doing

Student loans in the UK are provided by the student loans company, although a public body it is entirely optional for a student takes out the loan. From my experience the majority of students did and is not entirely for university fees. Most of the students rely on the term payments to get them through living expenses and rent etc. Most of the biggest drinking nights in university was when the student loan payments came in for everyone on the same date. Banks and credit unions here offer similar loan arrangments for students.

True that getting a part-time job to put you through college is always better than borrowing and getting debt but part time jobs can be hard to come by these days especially in provincial towns. I believe that 3rd level education is so important that nobody should ever contemplate quitting for financial reasons and if that means getting into debt to finish a degree then it's always worth considering.

Rhys Essien

I dont know what town or city you are in but there are places such as penny dinners in Cork that serve up fine dinners for free for the needy.I know there are also places like this in Dublin.

Check it out,a free decent meal for the week.Beats eating $hit anyway.

Various places here around Dublin
http://www.coolmine.ie/about-us/links/food-day-centres-and-practical-support


Cork place here
http://www.corkpennydinners.ie/history.html

Moon Indigo

I say you have to put yourself first and as was said swallow the pride. I am sure you are not the only person in this position. Getting wet going to college will only result in you getting sick and then you will have a bill for that! I am also in college and someday's unable to afford food but there is ways and means around things. Concentrate on the future and when you graduate that has to be the light at the end of the tunnel. Take some of the advice here and get to a charity shop and get cloths sorted. Bulk buy value food and freeze it. Things will get easier. You can contact SVP they are discreet and they don't pull up in a van with a slogan stuck on the side. Best of luck.

Pigeon Reaper

Contact the students union. Often the welfare officer will have resources you might be able to access other than the student assistence fund. Despite what some people think even with a part time job you may be finding it difficult to make enough for daily expenses this is where the other asistance can come into play. It may be possible to increase working hours if the course you're studying isn't intensive but be careful if considering this as you can find it hard to study. Try to avoid loans from commerical interests as you will normally need to start paying them back whilst still a student. If you're having other difficulties leading to being short of money please tell this to the welfare officers/staff in the college.

LegacyUser

Hi guys. Thanks for all the replies.

In regards to help from my family, they all live back in dublin while i am in cork. I rarely get to go home as i cant afford the bus. My father and all my brothers were carpenters and are now broke so i cant get any help from them. Unfortuinitly the way the grant was assesed ment that i didnt qualify. Now the bank is demanding all the mortgage money so that more or less means that i am on my own.

I have a summer job back home and i get on really well with the boss so he has lent me €1000 that i can work off over the summer, but this is to pay my rent and bills.

My social life consists of a €5 bottle of wine every 2 weeks or so, so you could sat its pretty non existant.

I tried to find a job down here but as my course hours are so long i cant find anything that will suit.

Thanks again

Wompa1

Moneytroubles wrote: »

I tried to find a job down here but as my course hours are so long i cant find anything that will suit.

To be honest the idea that your course won't allow you to work is an excuse used way too much. I had more hours in college, more assignments and projects then my housemates. All of whom didn't work, the difference was I HAD to work.

I didn't get the grant, I could only get a 2,000 euro student loan. I worked as many hours as I could get in the summer and took full time hours for my first semester in final year in an attempt to be able to get out of working for second semester (which I still couldn't afford, had to go back to working part time). Every year before that I was working between 24-37 hours a week and still getting my college work done.

There was a few weeks due to higher than expected bills and doctor visits that I only had 15 euro to live off for the week. It can be done, If you look for a job in the next few days you will probably get one for the x-mas period. If you wait any longer they will be gone.

If you have to work, you have to work. Simple as

LegacyUser

Considering that i am in college from 9-6 most days and on top of that i have 5 reports as well as essays due every week, i am quite limited in the number of hours that i can work.

I am doing a science course so i am in the lab quite a lot, and this racks up the hours. I also have exams on a bi weekly basis so i need time to study.

Yes i do need to work, but its just not phesable.

My workload gets lighter next year so hopefully i will have time then

Ickle Magoo

Moneytroubles wrote: »

Considering that i am in college from 9-6 most days and on top of that i have 5 reports as well as essays due every week, i am quite limited in the number of hours that i can work.

I am doing a science course so i am in the lab quite a lot, and this racks up the hours. I also have exams on a bi weekly basis so i need time to study.

Yes i do need to work, but its just not phesable.

Well, it could well be. I studied much the same hours as you and had a pretty hectic exam schedule and I worked in a pub in the evening and at weekends - on quiet nights I studied/wrote essays/whatever behind the bar. I had friends who worked the night shift stocking shelves at a local supermarket or worked clubs 10pm-4am...needs must & all that.

Speak to your student union rep, speak to your tutor and ask them to point you in the right direction, speak to your bank about an authorised student over-draft and find out what your options are.

All the very best

Neyite

OP could you look into babysitting jobs at weekends or some evenings? once kiddies are in bed you get peace and quiet to do a bit of course work.

I did a year of minding where the the mother worked evenings - the money was crap, but she had a dinner saved for me every day which was great as it meant I didnt have to worry about at least one meal a day, and the kids were old enough to do their homework, watch a bit of telly and off to bed, and I got to study in a warm house, so I saved on heating bills too.

A guy I know worked a couple of nights a week in a petrol station through college. Decent money and once it got quiet he was able to snooze or open the books for an hour or two.