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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask how u would spend £5000

94 replies

livinlife · 25/12/2019 20:33

I'm 18 and going to university to study Adult nursing so would get 5k a year in a bursary.
How do I spend this wisely?
I'm staying at home so I was thinking to spend it on a car however I've passed my theory and need to take a number of driving lessons and also I checked my insurance and it was 2.5k a year and I need to buy a car on top of that.
Would it better to just get a annual bus pass and do something else with my money?

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livinlife · 26/12/2019 00:32

@popc0rn ahh that does seem tight but I wouldn't be spending £140 on food at month probably at most 40. The car does seem expensive so I might just stick to a bus pass. Did u feel it was necessary to have a car for ur nursing degree?

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ColdTattyWaitingForSummer · 26/12/2019 00:38

Like you, my son will be going to uni after the summer. He’s just passed his theory test, and is planning to try to pass his practical before then, as he’ll have more time now than once he starts. He’s going to make a decision on buying a car once he knows which uni, and what the parking / public transport options are. So I think you should leave your options open.
If he does live at home next year (looks unlikely though) he’ll be paying board (I’m a single parent and I’ll lose money when he turns 18, but obviously he won’t suddenly cost less!!)

livinlife · 26/12/2019 00:42

@coldTattywaitingForSummer ahh I completely empathise with your situation my parents are not well off either my mum works in retail for 12 hours but idk they just don't like taking money off me.its just a cultural thing.

Ahh I might buy a car if I can pass my theory and practical test before uni starts or before placements starts.

Congratulations to your son on passing his theory test 💐💐

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Popc0rn · 26/12/2019 00:45

Depends what public transport is like near you really, I wouldn't have been able to get to the majority of my placements on time using the bus or the train. My furthest placement was a nearly a 100 mile round trip! Luckily I said I couldn't drive that 5 times a week and they did offer me hospital accommodation which the uni paid for. A car would probably make it easier, but the running costs of a car soon mount up, and students rarely get free hospital parking.

I'd check with your uni how far they can send you for placements, mine covered 5 different counties! Also check if they offer students the use of a lease car, mine did but there weren't enough of them for everyone who wanted one.

ColdTattyWaitingForSummer · 26/12/2019 00:46

@livinlife Thank you. I’m very proud of him. x

Graphista · 26/12/2019 00:49

You’re making a LOT of assumptions and seem incredibly immature and naive.

That money is to cover living costs which u will have extra too as a result of doing this course.

I’m an ex nurse and I can assure you that you’ll be shocked how much it costs you to undertake your training.

Who told you that you wouldn’t need to buy books for starters?! Most unis don’t have enough books to go around all students certainly the core books you’ll be better having your own as you’ll be using them a lot and may even want to highlight parts and add notes etc books and resources for these courses are not cheap because obviously they’re of no interest to the general public and so don’t sell loads. 2nd hand is an option but some you’re better buying new as research and information is constantly changing, depends on the content.

You’re ASSUMING your parents won’t want a contribution to what it costs to keep you - do you think a home, heating, hot water, food, toiletries, cleaning products all come out of thin air?

Even IF your parents are able and WILLING to support you financially by not needing you to pay keep do you really expect them to pay for your clothes, shoes (you will get through more than usual training for this job - comfy good quality shoes are ESSENTIAL), food & drink outside the house, taxis, stationery, tech if needed, personal expenditure (nights out, make up), your phone bill...

“with the car and all expernses i would still have £500 to spend on clothes” seriously would love to see how you work that out! And £500 is not necessarily going to be enough for clothes & SHOES - take it from one who knows your stuff gets wrecked! You need to look professional so can’t go too cheap but you will get vomited, shit and bled on with a regular basis, biological messes like that can be murder to get out of clothes and you won’t always succeed, in community placements peoples homes are not always hygienic because they might well be struggling with such things, they have pets making mess... in addition you get grabbed or patients reach for you when they’re feeling unsteady or stuff gets caught on lifting equipment etc and torn or stretched.

IF you get a car you need to ensure you have the right insurance if you’re going to be using on placements - and bear in mind some community placements can well be in the tougher parts of your area so a car more likely to get vandalised or stolen.

I think for starters you need to sit down with your parents and find out for sure what their expectations are regarding your living at home as an adult in education, not a child any more. I’d also highly recommend you get a true understanding of what things like clothes, shoes, transport, books & equipment are going to cost you, I’m sure there are now forums online where nursing students discuss how it is to do the training, they’ll be able to inform you.

Sit and do a list of costs probably with your parents help as they’re currently covering your costs of what your phone, clothes etc cost already now and factor that in.

You need to be organised because once you’re in the zone of training you’ll have much less time and energy to do this stuff.

I wouldn't be spending £140 on food at month probably at most 40 what are you basing that on?!

£140 pcm is only £4.67 per day over a 30 day month! That’s nothing! I’m out of the loop on current hospital canteen costs BUT even when I was training and working in nhs Over 20 years ago initially a tea/coffee was min 75p, a sandwich meal deal £2 and a full proper meal £3 ish and that was when it was well subsidised too! When you’ve just done 12-14 hours on your feet without so much as a tea break trust me you’ll likely head to nearest place to refuel - and canteens aren’t even open 24/7 now in most places so you’ll be paying commercial prices.

Ask your mum how much a day you are for food now!

How much are school lunches now? A quick google suggests £2.50-3 a day - even IF you took that as a baseline and only working 22 days that month - thats still £55-66 a month just for a basic lunch

Quite honestly this worries me as you seem to still have a lot of growing up to do and 2 things especially necessary to be a good nurse is maturity and common sense.

Are you finishing school next summer? I think you need to spend that time not only studying but also getting some life experience - have you never worked? Maybe look at getting a part time/holiday job - that’ll also give you some extra funds as well as some life experience. Maybe do some voluntary work, would be very good to get some work experience either paid or not in a caring role.

I’m not sure how it works now but certainly when I applied it was beneficial to have some experience in a caring role.

And just for yourself you can’t really know if it’s what you definitely want to do unless you’ve got some experience in the area.

There's a lot to consider.

livinlife · 26/12/2019 00:50

@Popc0rn 5 different countries WOW. No I think mines are local hospitals in the city within 2 busses distance however I do not know about community placements

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livinlife · 26/12/2019 00:56

@Graphista wow I know there is a lot to consider and I have done my research. A family friend has done the exact same course as me and she has said you do not need to buy books and even if I do I would not need that many. I know my parents wouldn't want me to pay as my sister has gone through uni and they didn't make her pay and they told me to not move out because they didnt want it to a financial burden on me. Regards to clothes the uni provides scrubs and I don't think I need to buy new clothes each time a patient vomits a wash can be done and all I need is a spare. I have had a lot of experience in the life of a nurse and spoke to many nurses. Food I normally take from home with the £40 I was talking about me normally taking packed lunch from home and if not can buy a packet of chips in town for a pound and 50 pence.
Thankyou for the advice

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livinlife · 26/12/2019 00:57

@graphista & I don't do nights out or makeup so I don't think that would affect me financially

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Popc0rn · 26/12/2019 01:01

5 counties not 5 countries Xmas Grin, that really would have been a nightmare commute!

Good luck OP, oh to be 18 again! Really hope you enjoy your training, I loved mine Xmas Smile

Lipperfromchipper · 26/12/2019 01:02

OP is not naive...she just knows that her parents don’t look for money from her for food and board!! Mine never did either!! That doesn’t mean I took them for granted though. Just because your child turns 18 and gets a 5k bursary doesn’t mean they suddenly need to pay to live at home Confused

livinlife · 26/12/2019 01:03

@popc0rn LOOOL I was thinking 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂. & thankyou I'm really not enjoying the stress of a levels at the moment but 😑.
I wish you luck in your future career as a nurse 👍

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livinlife · 26/12/2019 01:05

@Lipperfromchipper Thankyou I was like wow. Just attacked me but I get it, it is very different to what is considered the norm. I'm very grateful for them and wish to pay them back and treat them in the future ☺️

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Mintjulia · 26/12/2019 01:07

Personally I’d keep it as an emergency fund. You never know when you might want to move out and need a deposit, or some other significant need.
driving lessons is a good idea because it will widen your options in terms of which job you can accept.
But don’t fritter it away. At some point you will need it.

Graphista · 26/12/2019 01:08

“Regards to clothes the uni provides scrubs and I don't think I need to buy new clothes each time a patient vomits a wash can be done and all I need is a spare.” Scrubs aren’t always available or appropriate certainly can’t be worn on community placements. Yes you can wash them when vomited on but that adds to wear on the clothes and you can’t always get the stains out especially if they’ve had to sit untended in a locker for over 10 hours and any stain has a chance to set.

Nights out and make up are just examples of personal expenditure - do you not socialise with friends at all? You need a social life to balance the stress to be honest. Do you never go to cinema or out for a birthday meal?

What does “a lot of experience in the life of a nurse” etc mean? It’s not something you can experience vicariously at all. You need to be in it and experiencing it yourself.

Packed lunch from home - where are you going to store it? Not all placements that would be practical, eating poorly (bag of chips) will lead to you getting run down you need to be really fit and healthy for this job. It’s knackering. And in the first year or so you’ll find you’re likely picking up every bug anyway as you’re getting exposed to so many until you’re immune system adjusts.

I wish you luck I really do it’s an admirable career choice, but it’s good to go into it with eyes really wide open.

livinlife · 26/12/2019 01:12

@Mintjulia yh thankyou I will just use if for a bus pass possibly driving lesson and the rest into savings

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livinlife · 26/12/2019 01:14

@Graphista thankyou for all the advice I will try and incorporate it into my life as much as possible. I don't really eat healthy but I rarely get ill (touch wood) but I imagine it will have an effect when I meet ill patients. Again thankyou for taking your time out to give me some advice ☺️☺️

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Graphista · 26/12/2019 01:22

Very happy to do so. Eating well is a good habit to get into, I'm rubbish at it now (health issues of my own) but back then I tried to eat as healthily as possible it helped stave off getting every bloomin bug going especially in winter! Lots of fruit! Healthy, portable and doesn't go off too quickly.

It's a great career if it suits you, hard work but incredibly satisfying when it goes well. I worked mainly in elderly care which is a less popular area but of course during training had placements in other areas, I enjoyed paediatrics and diabetes care best in terms of hospital placements and the health visitor community placement.

But everyone's different.

safariboot · 26/12/2019 01:29

It's not five grand to blow, it's for living expenses.

Since you're living at home your student loan will be reduced (but paying no rent will more than offset that). If the adults in the house are earning well your loan is further reduced with the expectation they make up the difference.

The bursary will mean less need for you to work to fund your studies, which can be very welcome if it's a demanding course. Though, speaking as someone who did virtually no work while studying - I'd really have been a more rounded and better person if I'd had a part-time job.

Speak to the university about how often you are likely to need a car. If it's occasional, it might be more affordable to be a named driver on your parent's car (but it still will hike up their premiums).

madcatladyforever · 26/12/2019 08:42

In the city there is no need to get a car at all. Public transport is adequate and yes you will be too tired to drive. I used to be a nurse.
I'd save the money and not spend it on anything immediately, you will have expenses along the way.

ChotaPeg · 26/12/2019 14:19

Do you need to put this towards your tuition fees, OP? Not sure where you're based but I guess this might be a factor...

Dowser · 26/12/2019 14:42

£1000 for my Dd .£1000 for my son
And the rest ..go back to Tenerife for two weeks.
That’s how I would spend it...
I’m sure you’d do it differently

LaMarschallin · 26/12/2019 14:59

£1000 for my Dd .£1000 for my son
And the rest ..go back to Tenerife for two weeks.

That’s how I would spend it...
I’m sure you’d do it differently

Smile

On "Pointless" they often use it to go to Vegas.

Your idea of £1000 each to your children is a good one though.
Then they could put it towards a bursary while they're studying and use it for whatever bursaries are meant to be used for.

livinlife · 26/12/2019 15:54

@Graphista Thankyou for the advice ☺️

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livinlife · 26/12/2019 15:55

@safariboot I know and I would set aside money for living expenses I didn't say it was to blow was just asking if I should use it for a car or just stick to the bus. Thanks for the advice

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