Student Survival - with a Student Cookbook

Advantages: cheap recipe ideas, helpful for beginner cooks, informal style
Disadvantages: no pictures, some recipes are a bit too adventurous

...Student life . . . takeaways, alcohol, nightclubs? Never really my cup of tea - I don't mind fish and chips but I was too careful with my money for them to be more than an occasional treat. No, when I went to uni, I cooked proper meals - maybe I had too much time or maybe I was more organised than I realised - so a few weeks into my first year, I was in the nearest Waterstones looking for textbooks and somehow moved to the cookery section. And why did I buy this book when there were several other "student" recipe books? Two reasons, really - at £6.99, it was the cheapest option I could see, and it had a recipe for Yorkshire pudding. (Which I'd always wanted to master.) It's a roughly square book, about 2cm thick, with a glossy cover - the sort of thing you'd just be able to wipe over with a damp cloth if food was spilt (provided...

KateHurst 03.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Student Cookbook - Hamlyn

Student Survival Guide

Advantages: Your student years can be the best of your life and following these tips may help
Disadvantages: But managing your student funds is always hard!

...to leave hundreds (or even thousands) of pounds lying in a current account though. Create an investment portfolio - spreading your money to make the most of high interest whilst keeping plenty liquid (i.e. easy to get at in an emergency). Because you can never be sure when you might need money, be extra wary of accounts where you might have to give a month's notice for withdrawal. As an example of how you might keep your money, I'll describe my savings: 1 I have my principle student account. Despite the advice given, it isn't actually overdrawn yet, but I'm getting it there (I'm trying to be more subtle than just taking out £1,000 for the sake of it). 2 My second bank account (Barclays) is chosen for convenient cash points near college. I use it frequently, but mainly for small cash withdrawals (usually £10 as I need it). 3...

a-true-ben 23.08.2001 (27.08.2006) · Read review
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Review of Student Thrift Tips

Frugal Fun For Students

Advantages: Save money
Disadvantages: Takes a bit of effort!

...As a recent PhD graduate, I have completed 8 years of university: three of those were spent as an undergraduate, one doing my master's degree, and the rest on completing my doctorate. I am also very proud to be in the small minority of ex-students who are not in debt (and I'm hoping it will stay that way now I've joined the Real World). Given this situation, I think you might agree that I have picked up a thing or two about thrifty student living over the years! I am writing this review to share some of this advice; it is aimed at those who are students now, will be students soon, or who have children who are/will be students, partly because this is where my experience lies and partly because the location of this category implies that the "thrift tips" are for those of a scholarly disposition. I hope that they are of use to someone out...

Collingwood21 26.01.2007 (27.01.2007) · Read review
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Review of Student Thrift Tips

'Free' Money For Students

Advantages: Low application requirements, sensible credit limit, various ways to bank, accepted worldwide
Disadvantages: Only for students, not a super low interest rate

...every 6 – 12 months or so. If I need to check details in the meantime, I just do so online. Almost all students are given the card with an initial 500 GBP credit limit. This is the maximum, and a few students will get less. Not much, but sensible given the spending habits of some of my fellow university goers. This is, however, negotiable after a while. I went shopping in New York for a week and remembered 2 days before that the hotel costs would be coming off my card, leaving me not quite as much as I would have liked for my Barnes and Noble expeditions. I gave them a quick call and, after bringing up my credit details and seeing that for the previous year I’d used my card a lot, but also paid it off in full each month, they happily agreed to increase my limit, giving me pretty much a limitless choice of how much I’d...

zoe_page 09.04.2003 (02.05.2003) · Read review
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Review of HSBC Student

The Student Support Centre tuition

Advantages: Might help some children over a short period
Disadvantages: Very expensive; parents tied into agreement;; very short trial period

...I received a leaflet from this company - the Student Support Centre - in 2006. As a parent with a child of 7 I was very interested. I felt help with Maths and English would probably benefit him. This is despite the fact that he was doing pretty well already. I telephoned the company and arranged a vist from on of their salesmen. The cost of the tution was not mentioned in the leaflet nor during the conversation by phone. When the salesman came I discovered he was a local man, a family man, He had beena teacher or lecturer who had dropped out of teaching because he thought there was a better way of educating children. He created an environment in which I was persuaded that the tution was an essential product for making sure that my son would make the best progress possible. He was very plausible. Having spent most of his time...

Arthurjones 27.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Student Support Centre

Budgeters guide to being a student

Advantages: More money for booze.
Disadvantages: Bigger hangover in the morning.

...I hope this can help students and people that are just moving out and starting a new home. I have learnt how to save more after my student days, since moving out that's when money becomes tighter. Student life is fun, and all students have to scrape by and will learn how to live off little to no money, however it can be done. Budget your money, it is so easy to get into debt, and you will be paying it off for years after if you are wise with your money you should be able to avoid getting yourself into huge amounts of debt. Work out how much money you have to spend and what needs to be paid - make a list so you know how much money is left for food and socialising once all the bills are paid. When you are a student you can have long lay ins - this is a good way to save money, you can't waste money while you sleep. Sleeping is free...

Autarkis 16.12.2008 (20.02.2009) · Read review
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Review of Student Thrift Tips

Student customers beware

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Bad customer service, scrapping interest free overdraft on the bank account

..., and that the interest free limit would gradually decrease over 3 years. This would basically give you 3 years after graduation to pay back your overdraft. HSBC have now changed the terms and conditions of their Graduate account, which affects anyone who currently has a Student account with them, or any new accounts which are opened. They have pulled the interest free overdraft on the Graduate account, so anyone who graduates from July 2007 with a HSBC Student account (which will automatically be transferred to a Graduate account) will either have to pay all their overdraft back (I think they give you a 2 month period in which to do this before they start charging interest, aren't they generous!), pay interest on the overdraft of 9.9% per year or open a Graduate Plus account, which retains the interest free overdraft as per the previous terms but...

botanybod 27.07.2007 (28.07.2007) · Read review
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Review of HSBC Student

Single Parent students

Advantages: Knowledge gained, wider range of employability.
Disadvantages: The money

...So here I am at the end of my four years of my BA Hons Economics and Social Policy at UWE. What else have I gathered in this time?, well along with a wealth of knowledge, another child (he's 2 now) and a mountain of debt! Around £8000 to be precise, whilst on a full grant and child care bursary. Child care alone costs £3,500 for the university year. Many single parents now think about going to university, and whilst I applaud this, serious thought has to go into this. In essence the government is playing us a bit of a con. After coming off Income Support I also lost the majority of my Housing Benefit, because my income had gone up by £2.50, yes £2.50 a week I now had to pay a third of my rent. So income goes up by £2.50 outgoings on rent are now £140. Instead of having money weekly, you get it 3 times a year, try making that last! Oh...

Emma1973 16.09.2001 · Read review
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Review of Student Loan Company

The Student Cookbook which Saves Hunger (and money)

Advantages: Clear, Comprehensive, Easy, Great Selection
Disadvantages: There's no pictures :(

...I thought a student cookbook would be my best option for me as a young busy mum who's husband is a chef and always seems to have a mind on this months food budget. I love to cook and have done for years but I'm not very good at coming up with recipes off the top of my head, and I wanted recipes which were good and would impress even the husband! This cookbook has completely rocked my world and I love it! The recipes are so straight forward and taste brilliant. They are easy to adapt to your own taste and can be made to look really posh and nice for a meal with mates or just been thrown together for yourself. My one year old son has loved everything I've made from it so far as has my husband and my mum and believe me, that's a tough crowd to please!!! The bonus of this book is that there are smoothie recipes and cocktail recipes...

chris_tyke 09.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Student Cookbook - Hamlyn

Gears Of War 2

Advantages: Fantastic Gameplay and Playability
Disadvantages: Not your typical 3rd person shooter (taking cover is required!)

...The heavy hitting "Gears Of War" was a giant step into the world of future gaming, it's mind blowing in-game graphics and fantastic gameplay gave birth to a game which was not only playable once..but endless! times."Gears Of War 2" packs a much larger punch.With a lot of hours placed into the making of GOW:2 to guarantee fans of the original be satisfied, they have managed to make a game which will not only test your skill but will force you to think up a cunning strategy..or a thousand.Computer A.I (in game characters) will react to your every move,which is good if your pinned down behind a blown up vehicle with constant fire and need a hand from a comrade.However this can also be reversed in the way that if you have a enemy locked down your iron sight...he is going to call in his "friends" to help get you out his path.Gears 2 is all...

kiero23 25.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)