Money Diaries is a first-hand student guide to the cost of living in Chichester, sharing real daily spending, honest budgeting tips, and practical insights into student life.
Year of Study: Third year Psychology Undergraduate
Accommodation Type: Private
Day One
After an eventful week of dissertation hand-in and the annual summer ball, my fridge needed a major restock.
My go-to supermarket is Aldi – a 20-minute walk from my house, and a cheap option, which allows me to eat a healthy, balanced diet each week.
I usually spend between £25-35 each week on groceries and use the Aldi app to help plan my shop prior.
This week I spent £34.40 – this is my most expensive day of the week, but it helps keep the cost down for the rest of the week as I can make use of packed lunches and meal prep.
Total: £34.40
Day Two
Tuesday, I had my dissertation poster presentation at uni. Refreshments were provided at the event, which were delicious and held me over until after the event. Most of the events at uni often provide refreshments, a notable mention goes out to my lecturer’s homemade fudge!
After the presentation, my coursemates and I decided to embark on a celebratory Wetherspoon’s trip!
My meal and drink cost me £9.09
Total: £9.09
Day Three
I work Wednesdays from 9-5pm, thankfully my house is a 10-minute walk away from work, so I save money on transport there, I also make myself a packed lunch from my food shop earlier in the week.
I grabbed a latte from the café, using my own cup, which meant I received a 20p discount!
I also received £25 from one of my items selling on Vinted. I find that this is an efficient, sustainable way to make a few extra pounds at uni!
Total: £3.30 (£22.70 profit)
Day Four
Thursday was focused on upcoming deadlines and housekeeping duties neglected throughout the week.
I started the morning with a washing machine load and made use of the nice weather by drying my clothes outside. This is a money-saving measure I make use of when possible, as drying in the machine can be costly for bills, especially when living with multiple flatmates – where we can, we try to do washes together.
The rest of the day, I cracked on with my upcoming deadline (the last one for the semester!).
I cooked all meals at home, meaning my total expenditures for the day came to £0!
Total: £0
Day Five
Friday, I had work from 9 to 5pm. Again, I made myself a packed lunch and walked, which helped me save money.
I came back home, cooked dinner and watched some TV with my flatmates. TV licences and streaming subscriptions can be costly, but my flatmates and I combat this by each paying for a streaming service using their student plans – this way our house has a range of films and TV shows to choose from.
I didn’t spend any money this day, low-cost days like these can be quite common as a student.
Total: £0
Day Six
Saturday was dedicated to more assignment work, trying to get as much as possible completed before the deadline.
It was also a bank holiday weekend, so I was conscious to establish a balance of social events and uni work, I had made plans for the rest of the weekend, so I was determined to get as much as possible done on Saturday.
Total: £0
Day Seven
Due to the sweltering weather in Chichester at the moment, my friends and I decided to take a trip to West Wittering Beach.
We walked into town and picked up meal deals, snacks and drinks from Tesco. This cost me £15 with a club card – something I would recommend to Uni students is getting membership cards to the supermarkets in the area. It really does help!
We then got on a 20-minute bus to the beach – a return ticket cost me £6.
This was a really nice day, and we stayed till sunset, honestly, one of the perks of living in a seaside town.
Total: £21
Total for the week: £67.79
Other expenses
- Utilities+ Internet: £27
- Rent: £450