Applying for Uni 2019 entry Part 4, UCAS & offers (and thinking about exams)

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Following on from the previous thread.

I will pay the accommodation for my DS which is £5800 in NTU. He will use his maintenance loan of about £5000 to live on, which is around £100 per week to cover his food, living expenses and nights out. I think it should be plenty and he wont need to get a job. Am I being unrealistic?

scabetty my DD gets £100 month allowance but by the time we’ve reimbursed her for petrol (drives to school) supplies for school and toiletries etc it’s probably about the same as you. One night out can easily be £30 just for train, pizza and a couple of drinks!

minesawine That should be plenty unless he has very expensive tastes!

At the moment my DS costs us about £0 a week. I suppose I could factor in seemingly endless supplies of Lynx, but otherwise he is a cost neutral child. It's going to come as a shock to all of us next year.

I feel a bit guilty now. Dd has a horse which I pay for but apart from that I give her nothing. Occasionally fill her car with petrol. She has a job as a swim teacher twice a week and lives on that! (Obviously I feed her!!)

Same, Piggy. (Well, there's no Lynx in our house).

He walks to school, school lunches are included in fees, he reluctantly agrees to a new pair of jeans or a hoodie about twice a year. He gets through a lot of lined paper...does that count?

I don't even have fees to think about dangling! His Nike trainers are embarrassingly urchin looking... might need to get him a pair...we went clothes shopping in 2017 once I think and I buy him books. He never reads them, mind.

I do think I spent wasted hundreds of ££££s on GCSE study guides in year 11!

I will save money on snacks when he goes, though as he finds them wherever I hide them.

"Pocket money" is a funny thing as they get older. I pay DS £20/week for singing in a cathedral choir because choir and orchestra commitments (which I wanted him to do) meant he could not get a weekend job. I did not want him to see it as "free" money, but something linked to effort. He pays for music tickets and going out from that. He also gets £10/week for lunches, but is often home early enough to eat at home.

I have told him that his university funding will be linked to communicating with us - a minimum level required to keep the money coming. I am not greedy, 2 or 3 texts or emails a week will probably do, but I know that he will not communicate at all if he does not see any need to!

My weekly food shop will reduce considerably but I currently pay for his phone, contact lenses and gym membership which I guess will continue.

When do we find out about text books. I am a bit worried about that cost. He needs to make friends with the library

I think dd’s sixth form is a bit of a fashion parade as they wear what they like so that is why I introduced an allowance. The ASOS links and ‘what do you think?’ texts were driving me mad. She now has to save some for university. I have sat her down and explained finances; she will have £100 a week max. I also have ds who will overlap dd by 1 year so constant handouts aren’t going to be possible.

I hadn't factored in phone : he has a cheap phone mind. My DH is a skinflint. I think conversations about accommodation, allowances etc are due to be very stressful. DH's motto should be 'How much?!'

I want DS to be in reasonably nice accommodation but DH is one of those'in my day we walked barefoot to school and I lived in a hovel and was fine' types...
I am never sure whetehr his university accommodation was actually a hovel or whether he and his mates turned it into one. I used to refuse to go to the toilet in his flat.

That’s another thing, dd wants ensuite so the more expensive the accommodation the less the spending money will be. I will admit I refer to her as The Queen to dh

Dd is fairly fastidious so en suite would be her preference for the first year

Ds is keen on en-suite too. I keep pointing out that his sister (who is far more high-maintenance) managed without even a sink in her room.

Next few years are going to be v expensive for us as there will be two overlapping most years. And dd will possibly receive less in loan+NHS bursary than previous years and will have less holidays to work in

I keep consoling myself with the fact that at least I won't have to finance DS2s dinner card, music tour abroad, hideously expensive music lessons and geography trip to Iceland anymore.
Not to mention weekend "pres" at our house or someone else's.

Well dd is looking for Lidl’s with a bakery section near her prefered universities. I was hopeful that she had learnt about the value of money but she said she could get an Uber if it was toi far. Got an eyeroll when I suggested walking

Sluj I hear what you're saying. DS goes to a state school but which offers opportunities which make it more akin to a private one than your average comp. Aside from the voluntary contributions (think £35 on a monthly basis), there seem to be lots of additional course related enrichment trips which all cost. All totally in contrast to DD's school where to date no trips have been organised or monies requested. So yes, we may not be much more out of pocket than we currently are...

DS loves Lidl bakery products too, Scabetty.

New model, sounds exactly like DSs school. Its a comprehensive in a SE market town but with a fabulous music department and an enrichment programme for every subject.
There is lots of angst on local FB pages from parents whose children didn't get into that school, though the other three in the area are also extremely good.

State education is not necessarily cost free. Every year I think we are paying between £1000 and £1500 just for trips. I know they are not compulsory but it's good if you can afford them, I feel very sorry for those who can't though.

Two of the three state schools I've worked in have had far more expensive trips and demands for money (and stricter uniform) than ds's independent school.

Dd’s state school have found the uptake for trips quite poor these days so don't offer many anymore.

sluj I can relate to your points completely. We have a DD about to sit A levels and a DS in Y9. U6 seems to be a constant celebration of 18th birthdays which require presents, drinks for 'pres' petrol money and new outfits and for DS, who is musical, it's trips costs, money for music lessons and a seemingly endless list of DofE equipment requirements!

I actually think we might be financially better off with DS at uni even if we allow for £75/100 for her

Thank heavens I only have DSs and not DDs, my boys don't seem to think presents aren't necessary for 18th birthday parties, just take a stash of booze. 😆

Can I recommend my DS to you all as the ultimate financila low maintenance child?

Can't drive Latest lot of driving lessosn funded by GPs)
No friends (or at least none that are sociable)
No hobbies
No clothes requests
No extra curricular
I occasionally buy him a pen

financial

Separated at birth from my ds, Piggy, except for a) ds not a football fan and) he will read every book I buy him and a lot more besides.