Student Spending.

Since being at university I have come to terms with the fact that the saying 'A girl can never have too many clothes' in completely incorrect unless you are Paris Hilton and have about 15 rooms to put them in then it's a different story. The idea of having many different outfits to wear day and night is great, but realistically, how many pairs of leggings do you need in your life? Lets be honest. Now,  I'm not going to lie, I'm defiantly a fan of a Topshop purchase. Probably not the best place to be shopping on a 'student budget', but somehow I always manage to avoid Primark and magically end up in the more expensive shops. Lets just say budgeting isn't my strongest point. But anyway, back to the point. When packing up my room to go home for the summer, I realised how many clothes I had that I never actually wore. Stupid I know. I'd buy maybe 2 or 3 jumpers at a time, telling myself I'd get lots of wear out of them, and by the end of the year, it seemed I had only lived in 1 of the 3. Ridiculous! If there's one thing I've learnt, (after a big clear out of all the many clothes I have and never wore, or completely forgot about' it's that, half the time, at University, unless your going the extra mile for a night out, is that no one actually pays any attention to what you look like. 

Before coming to my senses and realising I had far too many clothes, half of my problem was that I had far too many, and I didn't think I had enough. It wasn't until I came home and unpacked that I realised that I'd wasted far too much money on clothes that I'd hardly even worn. Silly mistake. 

Lesson learnt, my wardrobe is now cut down to clothes that I love and wear all the time, which is a lot easier to decide on what to wear when I'm in a rush to my 9am lectures. 

 Tips to save money as a student - 

Make Primark your new best friend - it may be known for 'cheap' clothes, but you can buy 3 jumpers for £30 or 1 jumper for £30. Easy decision!

Ask yourself the same question - 'Do I NEED it?' Most likely the answer will be no. And if you choose to buy it, give it a week and you'll wish you saved the money for that extra night out on the town.

If you've seen something in Topshop, chances are the same thing will be in Newlook, River Island and most likely Primark, so try and save yourself that extra £5.

Get wear out of things. It's so easy to get bored of a item of clothing, (I'm guilty of this one) yes, you may of worn the same pair of jeans to uni 3 times in a row, but if you know you have had good wear out of something, you won't feel as guilty when its time to buy a new pair.

Accessorise. A few pieces of jewellery, studs or some sequins can instant change an outfit. So instead of chucking it away or to the back of your wardrobe, think of a few ways to jazz up your top or shirt. Cut off the sleeves, add a few studs to the shoulders, and you have a brand new top. 

Are you guilty of having too many clothes? Does your student loan burn a hole in your pocket? 

Rachel

Student Summer

After a long year of studying, endless amounts of referencing, and not to mention a few nights out on the town, your left with a lecture free summer, plenty of lie ins, no horrible 3am fire alarms, and most importantly, your home comforts, but what the summer does hold, is plenty of time to explore, travel, work, party, and have an incredible time. But what better to do than work and party at the same time? Sounds fun eh? Which is exactly what I decided to do this summer, on the amazing island that is IBIZA! For many student, working abroad is always a fun way to travel the world, gain experience, meet new people and most importantly earn money, which was why I saw it as a great opportunity. So, with my location decided, flights and accommodation booked for the month, I was all set to go on what was yet to be the most amazing time of my life.

Little did I know, finding work in Ibiza wouldn't be as easy as I had imagined. I found myself skipping through various jobs, from Ticket selling, to PR, to Shot Girl, which all sounds fun, but commission based work can be hard work. 

The West End in Ibiza is the party strip in San Antonio, with a few smaller clubs near by, it is flooded with promoters, ticket sellers, face painters, and many 'looky looky' men selling knock off Ray Ban sunglasses (If you look closely it actually says 'Ray Beri', rather amusing I know)

Although working could be tedious at times, with split shifts, long hours, and many un interested passers by, patience was a huge requirement when it came to PR'ing on the west end. 

With some of my evenings being taken up from work, I was able to live by the saying 'Work hard play hard' and that I most certainly did! 

In the month that I was there, I went to Amnesia once to see Calvin Harris, and by that performance, once was definitely enough. With it being a pricey $55 for a ticket, it was definitely worth every penny, and I would 100% go again! 

Ants at Ushuaia was held on a saturday, and was more of a workers event, as that is the day workers have off. An outdoor event, where you can dance in or around the pool, listen to house music, and be in the company of dancers around the pool.

David Guetta, now, everybody knows him, and everybody loves him, and this has to be one of the most craziest nights of my entire life (apart from Avicii because that was INSANE.) I've never been to an event where I physically couldn't not even move. I found myself in a mosh of people, being pushed around, stood on, elbowed numerous times, but I didn't mind, because I was watching David Guetta perform, and I was in Ibiza. so there was not much I could complain about. Here in the picture is 2 of the glowsticks I managed to grab in the crowd, and I made a wise decision of going round to the back of the stage, with a perfect view of him and the crowd. Amazing!

Zoo Project - The body painting in Ibiza is incredible, and even if its not a Zoo event, people still walk around half naked in body paint, its pretty much the norm. This was one of the main things I wanted to do out here, which was why I chose to splash out $35 on body paint. Expensive I know. 

And finally, Ocean Beach Club, known for its ridiculously expensive beds, amazing cocktails, famous people, and of course the man himself, Wayne Lineker (also owner of Linekers bar) Now, if you know me, you'll know I love meeting famous people, people in the public eye, or what ever you want to call it, and a picture opportunity makes it 10x better. Lets be honest, its just extra proof when your telling some one the story that you met them. Wayne was really chatty, offered to have a picture with me, and was chatting away about Towie, his tattoos, and how he loves the island. 

Overall, It was the best month of my life, and working made it that much more enjoyable. I recommend Ibiza to everyone, and encourage you to work, as it builds up contacts (free guest list) that was the best advantage.