Another path - now we have a map

[chopc]

Chopc - Durham-History
@jano69 -Durham -History
@OnTheBenchOfDoom -Durham - Natural Sciences
@Majaso12 -Imperial - don't know subject
@bendmeoverbackwards -Bristol- History
@Pumpkintopf -Imperial/Cambridge -Natural Sciences
@ChimneyPot -Brown (US) - ? Subject
@Stillcrikey -Bristol -MML
@Tenpastseven - Bristol -also modern languages?
@Longtimenewsee - Durham - Chemistry?
@MidLifeCrisis007 - Durham -History
@BigWoollyJumpers - Exeter- History
@SeasonFinale -Bristol- History

I've just upped DD's allowance to £500 per month, each and every month, even when she is living at home, so she will build up a balance over the summer too.

Will still have to sub a bit though, and have said we will cover the balance of the accommodation bill over and above her loan. So a further £2k as it costs £6.6k per year for 40 weeks.

Is that to include food @BigWoollyJumpers ?

@chopc

Is that to include food *@BigWoollyJumpers* ?

Yep. She doesn't eat much!

We'll see how she goes. DD1 got the same at Oxford, but her rent was a lot cheaper so I didn't have to subsidise that at all. I DID pay for all the balls though, at £180 a pop!

Swings and roundabouts. For us it is still cheaper than private school fees, so still a win for us .

"bendmeoverbackwards Wed 01-Sep-21 13:39:27

How much is the full maintenance loan does anyone know?"
for outside London not living at home the full loan (for those whose parents do not have much money) is £9488. So £5587 self catered college leaves £107 a week (52 weeks of the year) but catered much less.

@Xenia - £9488 less £5587 leave £3901, or £75. pw over 52 weeks

This is interesting. I don't feel that I can do too much work on budgeting until we know which accommodation DS has been offered - central London expensive / North Acton cheaper but with transport costs. Can't believe we're still waiting to hear and that he doesn't move until the 2nd October!

So sorry. I am usually pretty good with a calculator but not here! Perhaps we should get my post removed. Anyway you are correct that is £75 a week left over from maximum loan after paying that self catering Durham college rent.

@Xenia - no worries, I work in finance

@Pumpkintopf I didn't realise you were not sorted when I was going through the Durham drama. Is the preference for central halls?

DS1 received the minimum loan in his first year. His accommodation (self catered) at Loughborough was cheap and the minimum loan covered it. We agreed to top it up to the max loan which meant we gave him £400 per month over the 12 months. DS1 said that £400 per month is plenty and that he could manage on £300. But that those on £200 per month struggle.

Hey @chopc yes, he's had to list five preferences (he's listed all the central options) - but he's not guaranteed to get any of them so still might end up in Acton 😫

@calculatorqueen that's useful to know - was that for self catered?

Those of you with students - what do they eat? Do they cook for themselves? This is (still!) a work in progress with my DS.

dc1 pretty quickly found a group of friends and each of them cooked for 1 day for the whole group.He also shared laundry as he would otherwise never had a full load.

Both DD's are pretty good cooks. When we were all together over the last year each one cooked one meal a week. They tend to do various stir fry,, tagines, risotto, pasta, chilli. Plus all the basic meat/ fish plus veg type meals. I hope DD2 will be fine. It's not that she can't cook that I am worried about, more that she may not bother if she is tired.

I’ve got dd this book

www.amazon.co.uk/NOSH-Students-Student-Cookbook-Recipe/dp/0993260985/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&crid=23OHHWEHYOS&keywords=nosh+for+students+cookbook&sprefix=nosh+&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1630532848&sr=8-1

@Xenia

"bendmeoverbackwards Wed 01-Sep-21 13:39:27

How much is the full maintenance loan does anyone know?"
for outside London not living at home the full loan (for those whose parents do not have much money) is £9488. So £5587 self catered college leaves £107 a week (52 weeks of the year) but catered much less.

Thank you @Xenia and @AvocadoPlant I’m thinking of giving dd around £70/week ish and see how it goes.

@BigWoollyJumpers your DDs sound like great cooks! Big parenting fail here on that count but my dds were never interested in cooking other than baking cookies when they were little. I do worry a bit but dd is in catered halls so she won’t have to worry for a while. Dh reminds me that when we were both that age we couldn’t cook either! In fact when I was newly married I didn’t have much of a clue either but picked up skills over the years and am a very good cook now.

I actually learnt to cook at Uni when I began to miss my favourite foods from home. However DH thinks I couldn't cook when we got married because I couldn't boil an egg. Probably because I didn't eat eggs nor meat so didn't know how to cook them ........

@Notagardener that sounds an ideal scenario! I remember I was in catered halls my first year, the only meal where we had to fend for ourselves was Saturday dinner. Generally my corridor would get together and cook something like quorn spag bol (was cheaper than mince!) or similar. None of us had much of a clue but we muddled through together. However, one meal a week is quite different to cooking every night and like you @BigWoollyJumpers I'm worried he won't bother if he's tired. Cooking once a week for a few friends sounds a lot more manageable, I hope it works out that way.

@bendmeoverbackwards yes we've bought that one too! Have also been encouraging him to watch the Marcus Rashford/Tom Kerridge tutorials. I do wish he was in catered halls - ah well, I guess in a way it'll do him good to learn if he does. We have him for another month so will try to get him cooking. Trouble is none of us wants him near the kitchen at the moment as he still has his post-festival cough. All negative LFTs but took him for a PCR just in case today. Pretty sure it's just a normal cough - have to remind myself we did get ill and have coughs pre-covid - but wanted to be sure.

bend yes, but my post should have concluded with £75 a week once that rent was paid - anyway the gist from most people is perhaps start with maximum loan for the relevant place - London or not London and make it up to that if you can afford it. On cooking my twins were in catered halls in year 1. In year 2 they and their housemates either cooked together or separately depending on the day. Mine are unusual in that I did not cook their meals even when they were in the sixth form so they had been cooking for themselves for a long while so are quite good and one is vegan and has been for at least 5 years. Students cook lots of different things. I am sure rice and potatoes and pasta feature heavily as they are cheap. I was very disappointed not to get catered halls when I went ( I put down I was not prepared to share a room which I suspect was the reason as so many had to share rooms in those days) but it was fine - I just got the hang of it pretty easily. I used to do a roast chicken just for me and live off that for a few days after the first day.

I know some of us are on the Durham thread too but I'll put it here too.

Ds has just booked his moving in slot. So now I officially have a date when he leaves which is Saturday 25th. He is excited and just wants it to happen which I get, he is not a talker but a do-er. He is off this morning to collect his leavers' hoodie which was delayed.

Just sorting last few bits for him like nail clippers and post it notes. I usually love stationery shopping but this feels different. I am going to miss him so much. Luckily I still have Ds2 for another 3 years. My friend's son who is the same age is probably going into the RAF next year, he won't quite be 16.

@bendmeoverbackwards I think learning to cook comes from needing to cook. My sister taught me as she became vegetarian and my Dad refused to change any of his cooking. She cooked her own meals and I learned from her. When I went to uni I lived in a house in first year (over-subscribed) and at least 2 housemates couldn't cook, they soon learned. Ds1 was happy to learn to cook as he loves food. Ds2 had to be brought into the kitchen kicking and screaming. I am just more stubborn than him Ds1 gutted he can't take an Instant Pot to uni, yet. That will no doubt be his 2nd year gift.

We have started putting stuff together and I am already alarmed at the sheer amount of stuff! Will have to shop properly when Dd finds out what sort of accommodation she gets in her college . If she gets catered accommodation, I hate to think of how loaded the car will be

My ds seems to think one small suitcase plus his guitars will be enough . Very reluctant to think about room decoration or anything , suspect a few favourite posters and photos might make it in.He seems bemused at the the idea of plates and cups despite the fact that most of the house crockery seems to be in his room at the moment

@OnTheBenchOfDoom congrats on getting the booking sorted, it does make everything very real doesn't it? DD leaves in 10 days, that seems scarily close. Earlier this week she left her part time job, then went to visit friends who are moving away to study, so a week of good-byes!

@AvocadoPlant ah yes the goodbyes, Ds has been out last week for someone's 18th and then last night for someone's 19th, a 1st September birthday! Apparently some want to meet up tonight as a another last goodbye to some who are moving shortly, Ds rolled home at 2am and declared he is way too tired to go out again tonight. Only 1 person is living at home to commute to their uni. Personally I think they are crazy to drive there every day, apart from anything parking will be hell on earth plus the cost.

Ds's pile of stuff to take does not look like a lot and now I am wondering what I am missing. His biggest thing is his guitar. He can't take the digital piano though! He has been looking at keyboards. There is a piano at his college so I said to see how he goes and if he needs a keyboard we will buy him one. He likes playing music to calm himself if he is stressed.

He does have a couple of fake plants for his room, a wall tapestry thing and we are getting some photos printed and some postcards with inside family jokes/sayings for his pin board. No fairy lights though.