Student Finance

52paddy

I'll be going into 1st year in UL in September. I'm basically looking for advice from students who are in UL and living on campus. I'm from Dublin, so obviously won't be living at home during my time as a student. How do people in my position find getting by with money for food and cigarettes mainly?

Presuming I get my first choice, I'll be living in Plassey Village which is something like €3480 per year for rent and then I need to buy food on top of that, and also smokes (please don't tell me to 'give up the fags,' I'm just being realistic.) I have around €2500 saved in the Credit Union at the moment and, fingers crossed, I'll get a nice grant when my application comes back in October (?)

Going on that info, can any of you offer advice for getting by financially? I'm expecting to get an evening or weekend job, for one. How easy is it to find employment around Limerick these days? I'm a musician so gigs and teaching are options for me. Any musicians have experience of this kind?

For the record, I will be doing the BA Irish Music & Dance.

Cheers.

Rineanna

Food-wise, that really depends on your diet and preferences. If you shop wisely, and don't mind Lidl Pasta over SuperQuinn Pasta then it should be relatively inexpensive. It adds up when you start eating in the Stables everyday, buying stuff left, right and centre in the shop and not caring what brands, etc. That's obvious stuff, but it can make a difference.

I'm expecting to get an evening or weekend job, for one. How easy is it to find employment around Limerick these days?

The words 'Hens' and 'teeth' come to mind. Very rare. Plus, with people being let go left, right and centre, the part time market has suddenly become very competitive. Your music teaching may be a good alternative though, as I'd imagine there are still people looking to take up music.

P.S: I'm not taking a swipe at you, as smoking is your choice and you've made it clear you're prob not giving them up, but I wouldn't go around advertising the fact that you're looking for a grant when (if) you smoke like a trooper AT €10 a box. Some people who don't smoke and can't get a grant may get annoyed! :P Just some gentle advice.

Good luck with your finances.

munsterdevil

You will get the Higher Education grant in 3 stages. If you are entitled to the full whack each installment is around €1,140. The first is normally around October, the second is either in December or January depending which Council you are dealing with, and the last installment is in March/April, so it's well spread out for your own benefit. Limerick Council give the second grant out in January just in case you blow it all over Christmas, which is a good idea, you will be dealing with the Dublin Council so not sure what stage they use.

52paddy

Rineanna wrote: »

Food-wise, that really depends on your diet and preferences. If you shop wisely, and don't mind Lidl Pasta over SuperQuinn Pasta then it should be relatively inexpensive. It adds up when you start eating in the Stables everyday, buying stuff left, right and centre in the shop and not caring what brands, etc. That's obvious stuff, but it can make a difference.

I understand what you mean. I lived away from home for a few weeks and was earning my own way. When you look for deals, its amazing how much you can save! I definitely keep that in mind anyway.

Rineanna wrote:

The words 'Hens' and 'teeth' come to mind. Very rare. Plus, with people being let go left, right and centre, the part time market has suddenly become very competitive. Your music teaching may be a good alternative though, as I'd imagine there are still people looking to take up music.

Thats not good news, but I can't say I expected jobs to be spread like wildfire in these times anyway. Hopefully there are opportunities for musicians. I'll have to look into it.

Rineanna wrote:

P.S: I'm not taking a swipe at you, as smoking is your choice and you've made it clear you're prob not giving them up, but I wouldn't go around advertising the fact that you're looking for a grant when (if) you smoke like a trooper AT €10 a box. Some people who don't smoke and can't get a grant may get annoyed! :P Just some gentle advice.

Good luck with your finances.

Ok, I understand your point: A grant paying for my addiction and all that jazz. But I'm sure there are other smokers in my situation, and it helps if I can put a realistic slant on things for everyone concerned. If its any consolation, I smoke roll-ups which are considerably cheaper and I'm trying to stop heavily drinking at weekends now so I won't feel obliged to do so in college (and thus waste money...)

But thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

52paddy

munsterdevil wrote: »

You will get the Higher Education grant in 3 stages. If you are entitled to the full whack each installment is around €1,140. The first is normally around October, the second is either in December or January depending which Council you are dealing with, and the last installment is in March/April, so it's well spread out for your own benefit. Limerick Council give the second grant out in January just in case you blow it all over Christmas, which is a good idea, you will be dealing with the Dublin Council so not sure what stage they use.

Its good that its in stages. It should be easier to develop some discipline then. However, I remember reading somewhere that Dublin City Council lashed out €6000+ for their maximum Higher Education grant. Maybe that was in some special circumstances, but I somehow remember telling myself, "I may be eligible for that." On the other hand, I'm open to suggestion that I could be just for the birds.

rmacm

52paddy wrote: »

I'm a musician so gigs and teaching are options for me. Any musicians have experience of this kind?

Teaching music might be a nice little earner for you depending on how many students you can find.

Give up the smokes :P

Ah on a serious note it depends on how much you smoke I guess, I could go through 4 or 5 packs a week perhaps more if I go out drinking so at that rate you're looking at ~€40 per week which is a nice bit of cash when you're a student.

Granted since I'm not in Ireland at the moment I'm only paying €4 a pack

You could always take a trip somewhere that sells them cheaply and bring back the maximum allowance of 800 and if you know people that are going away to a cheap country get them to do the same, that should cut down your smoking bill quite a bit.

munsterdevil

52paddy wrote: »

Its good that its in stages. It should be easier to develop some discipline then. However, I remember reading somewhere that Dublin City Council lashed out €6000+ for their maximum Higher Education grant. Maybe that was in some special circumstances, but I somehow remember telling myself, "I may be eligible for that." On the other hand, I'm open to suggestion that I could be just for the birds.

In order to rcieve the €6000 (roughly speaking) you will have to be entitled to top up grant. In order to qualify for this your household will have to be earning no more than €16,000 (again roughly speaking), if it is earning more than that you will just be entitled to what I previously stated, or maybe even less, it all depends what the household is earning, and how many dependents are in the household etc.

52paddy

rmacm wrote: »

Ah on a serious note it depends on how much you smoke I guess, I could go through 4 or 5 packs a week perhaps more if I go out drinking so at that rate you're looking at ~€40 per week which is a nice bit of cash when you're a student.
[/rmacm]

I'm not a heavy smoker. A pack of 12.5g roll ups (about €4.50 packet) would last 2 or 3 days. Add to that €1.20-50 for the price of filters (every 10-12 days) and then skins. I guess you're looking at €10-12 per week if I'm not drinking heavily. Its not so bad in that respect.

rmacm wrote:

Granted since I'm not in Ireland at the moment I'm only paying €4 a pack

You could always take a trip somewhere that sells them cheaply and bring back the maximum allowance of 800 and if you know people that are going away to a cheap country get them to do the same, that should cut down your smoking bill quite a bit.

Yeah, thats always a help if people can get them abroad for me. I used to get them off my workmates, the majority of whom were Hungarian. But I've never bought packeted tobacco from abroad, only straights. Wonder how much I could save....

52paddy

munsterdevil wrote: »

In order to rcieve the €6000 (roughly speaking) you will have to be entitled to top up grant. In order to qualify for this your household will have to be earning no more than €16,000 (again roughly speaking), if it is earning more than that you will just be entitled to what I previously stated, or maybe even less, it all depends what the household is earning, and how many dependents are in the household etc.

Ah thanks. I was wondering about that.

Peadar87

I found the best way to save money is to do big weekly shops. Plan out your meals for the week, otherwise you get very tempted to just order take out. Also go into town to do your shoppping its alot better than the superquinn in casltletroy for special offers.

52paddy

Nice one.

ninty9er

I hope to run budget seminars at some stage in October and have a few guinea pigs write an article on how their budget is going every fortnight in An Focal.

Hopefully this helps. If you want a bit more advice on the grant, drop me an email (suwelfare@ul.ie).

Best of luck for Monday!

thelittleflames

Do the college offer any grant if you do well in the leaving cert?

ninty9er

thelittleflames wrote: »

Do the college offer any grant if you do well in the leaving cert?

No. There are scholarships you can apply for listed on the student affairs website though. Credit Unions offer bursaries too, only for incoming first years though.

smeedyova

Hi all, What does it mean if you've been approved for an 'F1' grant? Can't find out how much this is anywhere.... Thanks!

52paddy

smeedyova wrote: »

Hi all, What does it mean if you've been approved for an 'F1' grant? Can't find out how much this is anywhere.... Thanks!

As far as I know, Motorsport Ireland give them out to aspiring young racing drivers. The grant is mostly awarded to members of the Formula Vee Championship here, but unfortunately, its becoming more common that a young Irish driver racing overseas will get it. Adam Carroll got it after he won the F3000 title a few years ago, but he didn't get into an F1 drive so I don't know how useful it is.

ninty9er

ninty9er wrote: »

I hope to run budget seminars at some stage in October and have a few guinea pigs write an article on how their budget is going every fortnight in An Focal.

Hopefully this helps. If you want a bit more advice on the grant, drop me an email (suwelfare@ul.ie).

Best of luck for Monday!

Update: MABS is snowed under and unavailable to come to UL ath the moment, specifically because only 4 people turned up last time they came.

Anyone experiencing difficulty can contact me directly.

Anyone interested in writing for An Focal should pm Ergonomics or email her on sucommunications/at/ul/dot/ie
Thanks

annemarie09

52paddy wrote: »

rmacm wrote: »

... I guess you're looking at €10-12 per week if I'm not drinking heavily. Its not so bad in that respect...

Not averaging in when you do drink heavily, that is still almost 20% of your grant if you are getting a grant worth €1,140 by 3 stages. So it is pretty bad in that respect

Anyway there are some good threads running at the moment (How live on €20 a week and Cash for...) giving advice on food and how to earn extra money.

Best of luck with the music gigs and teaching.

Seachmall

And if you're smoking you might want to move to rollies. I've been given that advice twice now but have still to make the move, too damn difficult! :mad:

52paddy

Well its over one month into the semester and things have been up and down. I still need to settle into a financial routine and I won't be able to apply for my grant until the new year (complicated situation.) That's going to mean using my saving between now and the end of exams in Decembers to get by. I'm earning some money on the side by sellings bit and pieces and doing some nixers but I don't have a part-time job yet.

Seachmall, I definitely suggest a switch to the rollies. I've smoked them since the start of the year, roughly, and I couldn't go back to smoking straights. So much cheaper, nicer and healthier.

rmacm

annemarie09 wrote: »

52paddy wrote: »

Not averaging in when you do drink heavily, that is still almost 20% of your grant if you are getting a grant worth €1,140 by 3 stages. So it is pretty bad in that respect

Haven't been in college since 2007.....not relying on 1,140 in 3 stages to fund my bad habits anymore

billy the squid

am nibbling away at an overdraft to get by. am hoping this bloody grant comes and soon. although I am hearing it will be november when it is paid to us.

It's frustrating to see some councils have already paid out grants and here you are struggling with money.