Hollie's blog

I am sitting on my new absolutely amazing double bed, with my purple butterfly bedspread as I write this blog, looking out of my massive sun filled window. That overlooks my incredible long, festival size garden!! Yes I have moved in to the new house now and I'm so happy it's so pretty. I wasn't attempting to start writing this blog as if it was a lame £2.99 novel but I needed to demonstrate how I finally live in a bedroom I am happy with, in a house I am happy with on a street I am happy with and so on. For people who haven't read all of my intelligent life changing blogs before (which I'm positive that there isn't many of you!!) - I was very desperate to find a house with a double bed after living in halls and banging my head on the wall quite often in my sleep. Also, my house last year was awful and I only had a little prison type bed, which had dents and dips in many different places. My room had a window so small, I'm not sure if it just wasn't a crack in the wall! Hopefully now you can understand my euphoria about having a double bed and large window. It is the simple things in life which bring a smile to my face.

Living with seven other people hasn't seemed to have any problems just yet but it is early days. It is a bit more work to keep on top of the cleaning but we all are getting there and I'm really enjoying living with and getting to really know the new people. One thing that is really new to me is gas cards and electric keys! What are these devices? You put money on a key and just watch it disappear in a few days. I'm still not sure if I prefer this system to the other house where we would just get the bills. I think it helps us to be more economical and careful with our money but when the electricity and gas runs out midway through washing your hair, you end up in a little pickle.

The most important part of these two weeks was waiting for my exam results! I had to wait till the day they were put on line because every time I went to the student office they were closed for one reason or another, which was rather irritating when I was desperate to know if my course transfer was possible. But yes I passed the modules I needed to change my course. So by August the 15th I will be a Forensic and Investigative Analysis student!! I'm so happy and aiming for a 1st well maybe not too much pressure!

This Summer to stop me going insane I have decided to try many things that I've turned my nose up to before in the past. So far this has included signing up to twitter! I was the biggest twitter hater and now I'm slightly obsessed with tweets from Katy Perry and David Mitchell. He hasn't tweeted me back so twitter was one of those things I wish I hadn't tried! I have also watched my first Star Wars film, eaten sushi which included two of my biggest fears, touching seaweed and eating fish! And I have even attempted to play football manager and I do mean attempted. All I seem to do is press buttons and hope to win a game. Who knows what could be next for me!? I may even of ridden a horse by the time of the next blog. To be honest that will never ever happen, horses are too evil to trust......

My last blog must of bored you to death and I'm sorry about that but without my blog to vent my frustration and panic, I may have crawled in to a little hole and stayed there while my money problems slowly spiralled out of control. I stuck to what I said and I'm now back on track much quicker than I thought possible. I have almost collected my next three months rent for the new beautiful house that I am moving into on Friday. Arrrgghhh I'm so excited, I feel like Christmas is coming. I was hoping to write this blog from the house so I could show you my new room. You will just have to wait for the next blog, (just pretend to be interested in seeing it please!).

The last two weeks have gone so fast I'm not really sure what has happened. I've been trying to work lots and I'm hunting for a dress for my sister's wedding. No I am not a bridesmaid, I don't like the idea of someone picking a hideous dress for me and then forcing me to wear it all day! Due to having to work I had to miss out on going to my first festival. I was so hoping to go to Sonisphere with the boyfriend but my bank balance and boss would not allow it.

The plan for this week is going to Birmingham to see Corey Taylor do an acoustic set!! This week is jam packed with excitement and I thought I would just brag about that gig. Then I move back to Kingston on Friday!!!! I desperately need to get out of this house, I do love my mother but I hate being her baby. I am the youngest and whenever I come home it is like her maternal instincts going in to overdrive and she has to smother me with love and food. I'm trying to eat healthily but I'm spoilt with sweets and treats and I miss looking after myself.

After I have moved in I am going to pick up my results for the second semester. I am only waiting on one result. Without a pass in this module I will not be able to change from Forensic Chemistry to Forensic Science and Investigative Analysis. So I'm desperate to know how well I've done, fingers crossed! I sympathise with those who are waiting for their A-level results waiting to know which path their life with go, all down to their results. I hope everyone gets the results they need for their first choice but I've said many times before, if you don't maybe you were meant to go down another path.

So the next time I write to you I will be in my new house with my new housemates and I will hopefully know which course I will be on in September. I hope your all enjoying your summer and I will tell you how brilliant Corey Taylor was.

I am thinking everyone has probably finished exams by now so it is time to celebrate. And celebrate is what I have been doing, and doing it hard. It seems like my diary is booked solid for the next few months with parties and events. Now that uni is over I have nothing else to take up my time. This isn't exactly keeping my bank balance to a healthy figure. With a deposit to pay on a new place and three months' rent till my next loan instalment, this isn't exactly the most sensible way to spend my summer. I should really be working hard to make my rent. I can see how some students quickly spiral in to an awful financial situation and I'm going to have to rein in my spending if I'm hoping to survive the summer scar free.

Oh I sound dull but looking after your pennies is one of the most important lessons to learn at uni and for some people it is so difficult. I thought it would be the main topic of this blog because I wasn't very aware of how important penny counting is before I started university and I've always been good with money and now I'm in a little bit of trouble. So here is my plan to get back on track and hopefully you can use it as a plan to keep afloat.

Budget budget budget budget, such an over used and ill advised word to all new students. OK maybe not, but it is a dreaded word which maybe is the god of words, our law which we should abide every day of our lives. It is easy for people to tell us to budget and I'm sure the majority of us try to set one up. I've had many which I have used these past two years and one I have particularly liked but that still has its flaws. I'm very thankful of mine – maybe with out it I would be in a lot of trouble and not just a little!

My point is I didn't design my budget a financial advisor did. My budgets were worthless in comparison. So it is all good and well me telling you to budget, teachers telling you to budget, every web page for students telling you to budget – but if you have no idea how to create a good budget it will be no good. They always give us an example of how to budget and I'm sure it probably works for some but I found it was no good because it was just assuming your spending pattern will be constant throughout the whole year, when this just isn't realistic. I said mine has flaws and that is because it works on my outgoings and incomings on a monthy basis. I recommend sticking to weekly and that is how I plan to help myself this summer. Also if you go off budget one week it makes it easier to bring yourself back on track the next.

Now I've got the boring stuff out the way, the best tricks for a party loving student with no cash to fuel the fun is prioritise – don't say yes to everything if you can't afford it. Pick the most important events to you and miss out on the others. Nah, that doesn't sound like fun to me at all, who wants to spend all this time off sitting at home doing nothing? The trick I have become a fan of is saying yes to everything. The only compromise I make is sometimes I don't drink, alcohol isn't necessary for a good night out, it should be about your company. I've had brilliant cost free nights out by just drinking water all night. I didn't feel the need to drink, I spent the night dancing and having a laugh with friends. I spent less than five pounds that night and it was one of the best nights.

As this is most possibly the most dullest and preachiest (if that is even a word, probably not but I'm a scientist and that's my defence) blog I've ever written to you, I sincerely apologise but money is all I have on my brain at the moment as I'm snowed under with bills. To try and liven myself up and to hopefully show you my life is not as dull as it seems, please enjoy my photograph of me working hard for the war effort.