What arrogant rubbish? If i know anyone single and spending 100 pounds every week eating alone, I'd slap them back to back enough to make someone get me charged for GBH!. .WTF?? are people simply living to eat nowadays or something? It's just utterly absurd!

Most people i know whose busy schedule involves getting to work very early in the morning will mostly do with cereal for breakfast, a heavy lunch and a light dinner. Occasionally, you spend Thursday nights dinning with colleagues and Friday nights at a local pub for some beer. It's completely nutters to believe any of this will take your bills to 100 pounds and this is even in central London!

If you are busy enough, you most likely wouldn't get the time to cook your yams (and whatever it is you may claim to be spending 100 pounds on) or visit every Nigerian restaurant on your street. I really don't get what certain people intend to gain by spewing untruths in a bid to appear well off on a faceless forum!


Plus I have read a couple of times already where people mentioned that going back home is not an option, could someone elaborate on this?

violent: What arrogant rubbish? If i know anyone single and spending 100 pounds every week eating alone, I'd slap them back to back enough to make someone get me charged for GBH!. .WTF?? are people simply living to eat nowadays or something? It's just utterly absurd!

Most people i know whose busy schedule involves getting to work very early in the morning will mostly do with cereal for breakfast, a heavy lunch and a light dinner. Occasionally, you spend Thursday nights dinning with colleagues and Friday nights at a local pub for some beer. It's completely nutters to believe any of this will take your bills to 100 pounds and this is even in central London!

If you are busy enough, you most likely wouldn't get the time to cook your yams (and whatever it is you may claim to be spending 100 pounds on) or visit every Nigerian restaurant on your street. I really don't get what certain people intend to gain by spewing untruths in a bid to appear well off on a faceless forum!


Plus I have read a couple of times already where people mentioned that going back home is not an option, could someone elaborate on this?

Ola _one oya over to you!

violent: What arrogant rubbish? If i know anyone single and spending 100 pounds every week eating alone, I'd slap them back to back enough to make someone get me charged for GBH!. .WTF?? are people simply living to eat nowadays or something? It's just utterly absurd!

Most people i know whose busy schedule involves getting to work very early in the morning will mostly do with cereal for breakfast, a heavy lunch and a light dinner. Occasionally, you spend Thursday nights dinning with colleagues and Friday nights at a local pub for some beer. It's completely nutters to believe any of this will take your bills to 100 pounds and this is even in central London!

If you are busy enough, you most likely wouldn't get the time to cook your yams (and whatever it is you may claim to be spending 100 pounds on) or visit every Nigerian restaurant on your street. I really don't get what certain people intend to gain by spewing untruths in a bid to appear well off on a faceless forum!


Plus I have read a couple of times already where people mentioned that going back home is not an option, could someone elaborate on this?

It is possible- not even difficult especially if your not the cooking type

queensmith:

It is possible- not even difficult especially if your not the cooking type

I'm not saying it is entirely impossible, but there's definitely no way it can be described as a norm. As a matter of fact, you could spend a lot more than that on food if you really want to. I live in central London and I'm not even the cooking type, eating Domino's alone will normally set you back 15 pounds per pack, but then again this cannot in anyway be described as a norm.
There are many nice restaurants where a good lunch will normally go for 6 pounds on the average after which you just feel really too filled up to have anything too heavy for supper.

It's my firm believe that it's mostly only unrepentant grubs who are likely to end up feeding themselves with 100 pounds on a weekly basis. . .there's no way that can be consistent with a healthy lifestyle.

[quote author=Ola one]


Did you just say 5 pounds a week on fruits? Just 8 Pink Lady apples will set you back 5 pounds at Asda. And, it costs about 6.50 pounds at Sainsbury's.Did you know that?

Hmm...I never knew this!!!
TBH, this could pass for an exaggeration,I do my monthly family shopping at Sainsbury's and I have not come across apples of whichever type that sells for 6.50 at sainsburys and I hav to say that if as a student someone spends 100 pounds a week on food then it should be an issue of concern to such person.As a family person(hubby,15 months old daughter and 1) Our total MONTHLY shopping amounts to a maximum of 230 pounds and believe me we eat alot.I know that if you buy a bag of either olu-olu poundo yam,(or whatever brand you choose)elubo,garri etc there's no way you are finishing those in a week!!
The key to living comfortably in London/UK is budgeting.
If you live in London,the only thing I know will probably put a strain in your pocket is accomodation.Food is relatively cheap,travel is subsidized for students( it is cost saving to buy monthly/weekly travel or bus card on the student oyster cards)

I was once a postgrad student so I know what am talking about here-you shouldnt be spending 100 quid a week on food.

violent:

I'm not saying it is entirely impossible, but there's definitely no way it can be described as a norm. As a matter of fact, you could spend a lot more than that on food if you really want to. I live in central London and I'm not even the cooking type, eating Domino's alone will normally set you back 15 pounds per pack, but then again this cannot in anyway be described as a norm.
There are many nice restaurants where a good lunch will normally go for 6 pounds on the average after which you just feel really too filled up to have anything too heavy for supper.

It's my firm believe that it's mostly only unrepentant grubs who are likely to end up feeding themselves with 100 pounds on a weekly basis. . .there's no way that can be consistent with a healthy lifestyle.

Now we are talking about 2 different things, healthy lifestyle and what is normal.

A healthy lifestyle is reccomended but far from normal. Eating take out daily is very normal and a 6pound lunch in a resturant in central london is probably abnormal. I dont live in central london but that i know.

Lets even say you eat a 6pound lunch is that the only meal you will eat for the whole day? What of breakfast? Dinner? Lucozade? Red bull? Coffee from starbucks which is like 4 bloody quid! We're talking a very easy 20pounds a day, and most londoners are not prude with money so we can call this very normal.

I spend around 10-20 pounds everyday on food up to 6 times a week so i know how ver easy it is. Even in college with little money a student can still spend a good 10pounds on lunch alone.

Its not a ludicrous claim at all. And i can even say its very common. Thats not to even mention those that like to eat out in resturants where you are likely to spend no less than 15pounds. You do that 4 times a week thats 60 gone!

[quote author=Ticklishmummy

230 a month? Where do you shop? What did u feed the child? Dear lawd!! Does this include detergents and deodorants? My hair producs probably cost a 3rd of that! Dayum! u need to give me tips!

Ola one:

Foreign students spend more than that, bro.
Did you just say 5 pounds a week on fruits? Just 8 Pink Lady apples will set you back 5 pounds at Asda. And, it costs about 6.50 pounds at Sainsbury's.Did you know that?



This is not true at all. 12 pounds a day is 84 pounds/week, bro. And that's just one meal per day.

Spending 100 quid a week could pass for excessive.Citing the scenario of applying for a student visa as an example,I believe there is an amount they expect you to have in your account for maintenance,if you do the maths,I do not believe it would amount to 100 quid per day for feeding.
Even if you had to eat in the African restaurants like tastys or Tommy's kitchen, I know they have meals for as cheap as 4.00.A large meal in MacDonald goes for 4.39-5.00 pounds so how would it possibly amount to 100 quid a week?
Now I am just citing these specific examples just so you know,I know what am talking about.

I forgot nigerians only eat once a day!

queensmith:

Now we are talking about 2 different things, healthy lifestyle and what is normal.

A healthy lifestyle is reccomended but far from normal. Eating take out daily is very normal and a 6pound lunch in a resturant in central london is probably abnormal. I dont live in central london but that i know.

Lets even say you eat a 6pound lunch is that the only meal you will eat for the whole day? What of breakfast? Dinner? Lucozade? Red bull? Coffee from starbucks which is like 4 bloody quid! We're talking a very easy 20pounds a day, and most londoners are not prude with money so we can call this very normal.

I spend around 10-20 pounds everyday on food up to 6 times a week so i know how ver easy it is. Even in college with little money a student can still spend a good 10pounds on lunch alone.

Its not a ludicrous claim at all. And i can even say its very common. Thats not to even mention those that like to eat out in resturants where you are likely to spend no less than 15pounds. You do that 4 times a week thats 60 gone!

We are talking about foreign students here, not a full-time working individual, any reasonable foreign student who spends £100 a week on food and drink need to get help.

Is Starbucks the only coffee shop? Red bull in most shops are just £1, Lucozade is even cheaper, its ridiculous for a student to spend £100 a week just on food and drink, did you just discover food?

queensmith: [quote author=Ticklishmummy

230 a month? Where do you shop? What did u feed the child? Dear lawd!! Does this include detergents and deodorants? My hair producs probably cost a 3rd of that! Dayum! u need to give me tips!

First of all,I do not feed her all these their oyinbo meals. I encourage her to eat our normal african foods, so during meal times she sits on her high chair next to us at the dining table. She also takes cerelac and sma follow on milk for toddlers but that's occasionally. I encourage her to take fruits,which I make into purees/juices myself( no matter how late I am for work)I have been commended by her health visitors for that(they keep saying she looks so nice for her age)I buy stuffs in bulk at the african shop close to where I stay, ( Ades cash and carry) I buy my fruits from some local farmers,then I do the other shopping stuffs at Sainsburys,and yes it does include detergents but not deodorants,perfumes,make-up and clothes

If you want to spoil yourself I can understand it when you say you spend 100 quid weekly but if you had to go to tescos to get a meal deal ( which will include sandwich,crisp and a drink) that's less than 3 pounds! you go to an African eatery and get maybe jollof rice/fried rice or maybe even amala and ewedu for 4.50 and then maybe at night you have a Chinese take away which I know you can get for as little as 5 pounds( depending on what you wish to have).I believe that should not amount to 100 quid.
I work at London bridge and I know there are places that people go to for lunch which costs less than 6 pounds,by people,I mean my colleagues and this is not to say they cannot afford a 100 pounds meal at a sitting,I am just trying to buttress the point violent(m) was trying to make.

justwise:

We are talking about foreign students here, not a full-time working individual, any reasonable foreign student who spends £100 a week on food and drink need to get help.

Is Starbucks the only coffee shop? Red bull in most shops are just £1, Lucozade is even cheaper, its ridiculous for a student to spend £100 a week just on food and drink, did you just discover food?

Well as foreign student, yea he probably just discovered food!

Im not disputing that he needs help, im telling those that think he's lying that its very possible.

I havent actually seen a uni student with a doggy bag before...so its safe to assume most of them spend too much money on junk and coffee

And even uni mocha is 3.50

[quote author=Ticklishmummy][/quote]

And weekly you dont spend more than 60 pounds? U ur husband and your baby..i need to change!

[quote author=xzibia.com][/quote]


I totally understand your story xzibia,I will be back to share a story with you.My experience.

queensmith:

And weekly you dont spend more than 60 pounds? U ur husband and your baby..i need to change!

but that is apart from occassional family trips,treats,eat outs clothessss etc

If you do more home cooking you will be amazed at the amount you get to save on feeding

That is not to say I am exactly a 'perfectly prudent missus'

queensmith:

Now we are talking about 2 different things, healthy lifestyle and what is normal.

A healthy lifestyle is reccomended but far from normal. Eating take out daily is very normal and a 6pound lunch in a resturant in central london is probably abnormal. I dont live in central london but that i know.

Lets even say you eat a 6pound lunch is that the only meal you will eat for the whole day? What of breakfast? Dinner? Lucozade? Red bull? Coffee from starbucks which is like 4 bloody quid! We're talking a very easy 20pounds a day, and most londoners are not prude with money so we can call this very normal.

I spend around 10-20 pounds everyday on food up to 6 times a week so i know how ver easy it is. Even in college with little money a student can still spend a good 10pounds on lunch alone.

Its not a ludicrous claim at all. And i can even say its very common. Thats not to even mention those that like to eat out in resturants where you are likely to spend no less than 15pounds. You do that 4 times a week thats 60 gone!

I will be very curious to know what your feeding plans may look like. For someone who doesn't cook a thing it may be safe to assume that your breakfast may likely be either cereal, sandwich, or something from Mac (feel free to change this to any other outlets you like). This is a normal diet, all of which are very cheap!. . .a box of cereal will cost you 5 pounds and will definitely last a whole damn week!

Lucozade, red bull & coffee? on a more serious note, i really haven't come across people who take a combination of these on a daily basis! red bull at sainsbury sells for 1 pound!!!

I understand that many people often take the option of eating out at restaurants, but again, this is definitely not a norm, not at least doing so 4 times a week.

Again, i get the part that you could easily spend a lot on food if you choose to spoil yourself a bit, but for many people this is mostly an occasional thing than a kind of lifestyle, in which case, one has to be some kind of greedy grub! Londoners generally tend to feed on foods that are easily prepared with an oven.

Cereal is for children, and most people dont have time to sit and eat breakfast at home.

You can easily buy breakfast every morning and spend 4 pounds, a pound for the croissoint and 3 pounds for the mocha.

Afternoon you can buy a panini and a drink for a fiver, the nation has a caffeine addiction! So a red bul for a pound

And its safe to assume a take out will cost a fiver, u can get chips for abt 4pounds or u can go for pizza 10pounds upwards.

The cheapest option here is well over 10 pounds and for a working week will be arnd 60. Now imagine the weekend when u have more time to laze around and order take out....doesnt sound so absurd to me?

Ticklishmummy:

but that is apart from occassional family trips,treats,eat outs clothessss etc

If you do more home cooking you will be amazed at the amount you get to save on feeding

That is not to say I am exactly a 'perfectly prudent missus'

I guess your right, my friend was giving me money saving tips on cooking african food. Like using frozen peppers and onions and buying pork from british butchers.

I'll put it into practice when i have a husband to report to! Lol

queensmith: Cereal is for children, and most people dont have time to sit and eat breakfast at home.

You can easily buy breakfast every morning and spend 4 pounds, a pound for the croissoint and 3 pounds for the mocha.

Afternoon you can buy a panini and a drink for a fiver, the nation has a caffeine addiction! So a red bul for a pound

And its safe to assume a take out will cost a fiver, u can get chips for abt 4pounds or u can go for pizza 10pounds upwards.

The cheapest option here is well over 10 pounds and for a working week will be arnd 60. Now imagine the weekend when u have more time to laze around and order take out....doesnt sound so absurd to me?

Chips for £4 or pizza for £10? Only one person will finish £10 pizza or £4 chips and chicken in one go? Is that really healthy?

queensmith:

I guess your right, my friend was giving me money saving tips on cooking african food. Like using frozen peppers and onions and buying pork from british butchers.

I'll put it into practice when i have a husband to report to! Lol

I am sure it will come in handy but until then,feel free to pamper yourself babes
God bless n Happy Easter too

[quote author=justwise]

Chips for £4 or pizza for £10? Only one person will finish £10 pizza or £4 chips and chicken in one go? Is that really healthy? [/quote


Well the meals should be cheaper imo healthy for the pockets, its for individual meals and it does depend on where you go, i was using those for examples.
Not healthy at all but very do able.

Ticklishmummy:
I am sure it will come in handy but until then,feel free to pamper yourself babes
God bless n Happy Easter too

I dont even call this pampering, just not being bothered much ing! lol

On other days i live on smoothies and milkshakes ,typical student diet. Havent grown out of it one bit!

queensmith: Cereal is for children, and most people dont have time to sit and eat breakfast at home.

You can easily buy breakfast every morning and spend 4 pounds, a pound for the croissoint and 3 pounds for the mocha.

Afternoon you can buy a panini and a drink for a fiver, the nation has a caffeine addiction! So a red bul for a pound

And its safe to assume a take out will cost a fiver, u can get chips for abt 4pounds or u can go for pizza 10pounds upwards.

The cheapest option here is well over 10 pounds and for a working week will be arnd 60. Now imagine the weekend when u have more time to laze around and order take out....doesnt sound so absurd to me?

I guess it may be safe to conclude that eating patterns/preferences generally vary. For some us, we don't tend to find a need to respond to urges for food all the time. Today, I've had chicken, potatoes with some smoothies in the morning, cost me 3 pounds 85 pence. It's almost 5pm now and I still haven't found a compelling need to munch another stuff.

Perhaps it's very possible with the way you've described and especially if lazying about on weekend may mean ordering 40 pounds worth of food for yourself alone . That sorts of defines absurd to me. . .again, individual preferences. But once more, there ought to be a drawing of the line for things that are normal against things that only happen with certain people who have some kind of "extreme" dietary habits.

violent:

I guess it may be safe to conclude that eating patterns/preferences generally vary. For some us, we don't tend to find a need to respond to urges for food all the time. Today, I've had chicken, potatoes with some smoothies in the morning, cost me 3 pounds 85 pence. It's almost 5pm now and I still haven't found a compelling need to munch another stuff.

Perhaps it's very possible with the way you've described and especially if lazying about on weekend may mean ordering 40 pounds worth of food for yourself alone. That sorts of defines absurd to me. . .again, individual preferences.

Of course everybodies eating patterns are different.

But even a healthnut that doesnt cook can find him/herself spending more than 10 pounds a day on food. If your not really looking to spend the minimum amount possible and starve you wont really be bothered with the cost. You will count it as the cost of living.
There are days when i dont eat, just because i cant be asked to go and get food. So its not really about eating expensive food by all means its about eating whats available when you need to.

But seriously guys where do u shop? 3 pounds for chicken potatoes and a smoothie? This sounds too good to be true!

Chicken fillets a fiver, bag of potatoes a pound smoothie 2pound fifty am i living in dubai or what? I even thought my area was cheap!

But being prude when it comes to food isnt normal? You've assumed your habits to be normal britons don't spend minimal amounts on food, thats why there is soo much of it. I think the average mean is £5 if i read the last survey correctly. So anything below that will be considered low quality and anything above a luxury.

When I was a student I remember being the only one amongst my friends that cooked. They tend to eat what they see. And order lots of pizza! Some order chinese every blessed day for dinner, that's not extreme at all. Unless you will consider a whole nations diet extreme??

queensmith: But being prude when it comes to food isnt normal? You've assumed your habits to be normal britons don't spend minimal amounts on food, thats why there is soo much of it. I think the average mean is £5 if i read the last survey correctly. So anything below that will be considered low quality and anything above a luxury.

I'm not certain i understand where you got your statistics from, most of the people I know actually prefer to do their cooking by themselves than "eating what they see", and i'm yet to see anywhere a survey puts anything below 5 pounds as low quality.

Food is about the cheapest things in Britain and the average Briton will probably buy their foods from either Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's, if you do your shopping at these places, and if you are probably the type that doesn't find a need to eat all the time, i can't see any reason why one must rake up a hundred pounds a week on food bills.

The fact that the average person in Britain earns less than 1500 pounds a month makes living this sort of lifestyle a bit unbelievable---I'd say impossible if you live in London!

When I was a student I remember being the only one amongst my friends that cooked. They tend to eat what they see. And order lots of pizza! Some order chinese every blessed day for dinner, that's not extreme at all. Unless you will consider a whole nations diet extreme??

When i was a student and i wasn't bothered about paying lots of bills, i could very well afford to gamble with lots of money whenever I chose to, but then again, this is not likely representative of the average students that may have to pay their through their nose for their term bills and on several occasions working on the side. Those ones couldn't afford to cultivate an extreme dietary culture.

It is very very very possible. And even easy gan sef. Britons spend alot of money on food and dining so i wont be suprised if most city workers spend that much on food.

I see people posing on here £100 a week as a student lol na wahhhh
If you was a worker full time that puts your food bills on average of £500 thats almost half the basic wage.But then again when you spend money you never earned you wont know its value.

violent:

I'm not certain i understand where you got your statistics from, most of the people I know actually prefer to do their cooking by themselves than "eating what they see", and i'm yet to see anywhere a survey puts anything below 5 pounds as low quality.

Food is about the cheapest things in Britain and the average Briton will probably buy their foods from either Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's, if you do your shopping at these places, and if you are probably the type that doesn't find a need to eat all the time, i can't see any reason why one must rake up a hundred pounds a week on food bills.

The fact that the average person in Britain earns less than 1500 pounds a month makes living this sort of lifestyle a bit unbelievable---I'd say impossible if you live in London!



When i was a student and i wasn't bothered about paying lots of bills, i could very well afford to gamble with lots of money whenever I chose to, but then again, this is not likely representative of the average students that may have to pay their through their nose for their term bills and on several occasions working on the side. Those ones couldn't afford to cultivate an extreme dietary culture.

These are typical examples of people who aint got a clue £100 a week yeh rite

I have been reading silently but feel the need to say something.
£100 a week is too much money for a student to spend on food in the UK. How would you learn to save?
Like Ticklish Mummy said, myself, hubby and son (2 years) spend £200 on shopping every month which includes Tesco, Costco, African food and our baby's food. (though he eats most of what we eat now). A few treats and eating out from time to time, maybe £40 a month (Varies).
Then my hubby and I spend £20 every week on eating at work, however we decide to eat is left to us. Sometimes I have change by the end of the week, we eat to live and not live to eat.
It is very easy to get carried away but why spend so much on food? I see a lot of people spend so much on food at my work place daily and I think to myself why? Coke, redbull, Latte, chocolate, crisps all in one day? It is definetely not healthy.

Food is big business o, so if you're coming to study in the UK think of your eating pattern :


So moving on, How do you guys find part time jobs or volunteering opportunities nowadays ( chei i don dey old o)