Just a quick entry, I'm procrastinating on writing my essay!

i got my first marked essay back today though and I got a high 1st so I was really pleased!

onto moneysaving..

- went to a free lunch today
- got a cheque from some try me free cappuccinos
- filled in a load of things I had piled up for other try me free things last night (I roped in my flatmate to address envelopes!)

That potato pie recipe was timed just right as I spotted a great deal on .......wait for it... 5kg of potatoes the other day. Yes, 5kg, just for me..

have written a letter to the supermarket here complaining about their general dreadfulness. I haven't posted it yet though, I'm going to drop it in next time i go.

I really am procrastinating on my essay.. so Im going to go... but I will check in soon.

By the way, I decided to go for the £35 photo and give it to mum and dad for xmas

rosie

Hmm this week is being expensive

First I had to buy batteries for my special equipment they have bought me, as they kindly forgot to send me any batteries.. £10

Then I got a textbook that is core to all my courses this year.. £36 (but I did get a 20% discount as yesterday , today and tomorrow is the Student Discount Period! so it made it as cheap as I could get it 2nd hand brand new )

Then our matriculation (matriculation is a ceremony where you become a member of te college, and they take a photo of everyone who is matriculating that year, so everyone in your year is on it) photo is on sale.. I want to get one.. but I couldn't decide

£12 - photo, no names, no mount, nothing
£25 - names & mount, no frame
£35 - names, mount, frame

(the mount is all fancy and written in calligraphy with the college shield and stuff).

I was thinking if I got the £25 one.. I would probably have trouble finding the right frame for it etc..

So I thought maybe I should splash out and get the £35 one, but I also thought maybe I couldgive it to my parents for Xmas? I mean it's not the kind of thing I'm going to hang up now, but they would like to put it up I think and then I can reclaim it when I'm older

So even tho that is going for the most expensive option I think as it also sorts out Xmas presents quite nicely that;s the one I'm going to go for. It'd be nice to hangit with the graduation one (assuming I get that far!!)

Plus I'm going out on friday night which may prove expensive.. .. and i have to book tickets for going to the hospitall.. £15.

am still doing reasonably well on the food front though.

Ohh, some good news, I emailed Quorn (they make vegetarian thingybobs) saying could you send me some recipes, PS and any coupons and today I got a little recipe booklet and £1.50 of coupons in the post. Which was nice

Also had a couple of surveys through.. and I found a penny in a lecture (wahey, riches!)

Anyway I am going to head off and do some work but I will check in again in a couple of days and let you know how I am doing...

at least the threat of 9am maths lecture on saturday is enough to stop me spending too much on alcohol on friday night huh

rosie

well.. the results are in... I spent £50 last week.

that did include a new (in the sale!) winter coat though (£18) and me buying in pizza for a group of people, some of whom haven't coughed up their shares yet.


ignoring those I spent £11.59 on food and £7 on alcohol!

I reckon I must be eating quite healthily though! - I bought

grapes, apples, pears, cheese, oil, spaghetti, dinner (in canteen), lunch (in canteen), onions, milk, plain yoghurt, and orange juice. oh... and a pack of polos

I got some more recipe books out the library today..

I did buy a couple of textbooks today, second hand, £24. I think they will be worth that in usefulness though, and I have been given a grant for books from my LEA so that I can buy ones if I need them to refer to rather than having to go over to the library all the time, and also so I can work at home with my software and my special chair (should be coming on friday, we hope!) rather than on the crappy seats in the library.

I have my eye on another one as well but I'm scouting around for it first!

I did the brain research on monday, £7, and it was quite fun! - I learnt some new stuff as well, and plus there are the fuzzy feelings from knowing it will (eventually) help people. Also half-way through a very long market research survey thing about drinks that should give me £20 when i do the 2nd part. So I guess that is my textbooks paid for

rosie

ps. does anyone have any ideas of good things to do with onions? they were reduced to clear and also buy one, get one free, so I now have nearly 2kg of onions just for me to eat... I mean I normally put them in sauces, curries etc.. but that doesnt use them very fast so ideas very welcome! thanks!

oops sorry I posted before I finished!

I'm mainly eating cooking for myself, the hall food is disgusting.. so I am quickly learning what's cheap to eat! I'm doing pretty well I think making a variety of stuff on 2 hobs, and since I live so close to the market but wquite far from the supermarket (which is expensive and has a rubbish range of stuff anyway) I'm eating loads of fresh stuff - cheaper and healthier

despite the stereotypes I'm not spending that much on alcohol! - I have 9 or 10am lectures every day except sunday so I can't go too mad anyway!

still scouting for mystery shopping, market research, & anything free! - I have been doing well with "try me free" products, and today I got 2 bottles of coconut shower creme as part of a market research thing.

I'm also helping with some brain research next week which I get paid for but also will help some people with hearing impairments - it's helping them learn more about how the brain processes distorted speech which will help them develop better ways to rehabilitate people who get cochlear implants as well as to develop our general understanding of how the brain handles language.

Okay i will try and post again soon when I get a minute, and thank you for that lovely comment on my last post - really made me smile!

rosie

hi, I'm back, and I've almost survived 2 weeks of uni!

got some good news today... I opened a fixed rate monthly saver account with Abbey that was paying 6.5% interest (pretty much the highes t you could get anywhere) and today they just put the rate up to 7%! I rang them and checked and it does apply to my account.. so wahey!

I think I've been doing more or less okay on my spending... I didn't keep too tight tabs on it during fresher's week although I didn't spend huge amounts, but now the rush is over I'm trying to