Category: Student life

Assessment Do’s and Don’ts!

Posted on by Roz Okatan

Here are some top tips from students on preparing for assessments.  Let us know if you have more to add! Student-comms@bristol.ac.uk 

 

DO 

Get enough sleep.  Yes, we know you’ve heard this before, but we can’t say it enough.     
Sleep is your best friend when it comes to performing well.  (Read the Sleep Foundation’s Guide to Getting Sleep During Exams.)

 

 

DON’T 

Forget to eat and drink.  You brain needs energy as much as your body does.   
See what the BBC recommends for breakfast on the day of your assessment.

 

DO 

Ask your friends and classmates what they are working on and how they are preparing.  
You will probably feel reassured – or realise anything you may have missed. 

DON’T 

Try to pretend you’re feeling ok if you’re not.  Talk to someone.  
A friend, a mentor, or JustAsk.  You are not alone.  

 

 

 

 

 

DO 

Give yourself breaks.  You are better off clearing your head and planning your revision in manageable chunks of time than trying to keep going for hours and hours and hours… 

DON’T 

Put off taking your assessment.  It may seem tempting to give yourself more time but in reality you are just prolonging a stressful situation.   The resit period in August is a safety net if things go wrong the first time round.  Don’t rely on that as your one chance to progress.  

DO 

Familiarise yourself with the format of your assessments.  For in person exams you can look at past papers, and for a lot of online assessments you will have a practice test in the Assessment, Submission and Feedback area of your unit on Blackboard. 

DON’T 

Forget that there is more to life than assessments!  Not everyone has the same idea about what “success” means and getting good grades is only a tiny part of that picture. 

 

Top 10 tips for being more sustainable

Posted on by Dan Cragg

Hello, my name is Lottie, and I am a first-year student, studying French and Spanish. In support of the Climate Emergency Day of Action, I have considered how we can slightly alter our daily routines so that we live more sustainably and ultimately combat climate change. Here are my top 10 tips for living an environmentally friendly life at university!

1. Natural toothbrushes

We can start helping the planet as soon as we wake up in the morning. Most toothbrushes are made of plastic, which is a material that does not decompose. This means that every single plastic toothbrush we have ever used is still on this planet right now! As a result, many people have started to use organic bamboo toothbrushes instead. These toothbrushes are biodegradable, and they also often arrive in sustainable packaging. As well as this, studies show that they can whiten your teeth and improve your oral hygiene. It’s a win-win!

2. Reusing in the kitchen

After brushing your teeth, you might be tempted to have a smoothie or an iced coffee to start your day. Although it is tempting to use plastic straws, many people do not realise that after using them, they often end up in oceans and waterways, harming wildlife as well as contributing to pollution. Metal straws are an excellent substitution because they are reusable which means they can help you save money, as well as combating climate change. If you get thirsty during the day, I would also recommend that you bring a reusable water bottle with you. There are lots of water fountains on campus and this is a money-saver as well!

3. How should we commute?

It is important to consider how we should travel to university if we want to live sustainably. The fuel from cars has a huge negative impact on the environment, which is why it might be better to car share with your neighbours if you are all heading in the same direction. However, the best modes of transport, which are environmentally friendly, are walking or cycling. Maybe you could challenge yourself and try to walk everywhere for a week? Who knows, you might enjoy it.

4. Sustainable studying

While you’re at university, I would recommend that instead of using Google, you use a search engine called ‘Ecosia’. Ecosia uses its income from advertisements to plant trees across the globe. Therefore, whenever you click ‘search’ you are essentially saving the planet! 

5. Go paperless

With the recent advances in technology, it is surprisingly easy to go paperless. Rather than printing out pages and pages of articles and readings, maybe you could create a university folder on your laptop so that everything is easily accessible? Paper waste takes up the most space in landfills (also trees are chopped down to produce paper) so it is especially important that we do not overuse it. We can easily implement this throughout our daily lives too – when was the last time you actually needed a shopping receipt?

6. Reduce waste

Next time you’re buying fruit and vegetables, perhaps you could buy them in a 0-waste food store! These are shops which were specially designed to reduce waste. In Bristol, you can find them on Regent Street, North Street, Whiteladies Road and Gloucester Road.

7. Shopping bags

Did you know that all plastic bags in the supermarket cost at least 25p? This law was introduced in 2015 to reduce litter and general pollution and studies show that this has been successful so far. If you want to help the environment, whilst saving money, you can use your own bags to carry your shopping home. I would recommend foldable shopping bags (which you can find on Amazon) because you can easily store them in your university bag during the day.

8. Where to buy clothes?

Fast fashion is a huge problem for the environment. Brands such as Zara, H&M and New Look all contribute to the pollution of water and produce waste, due to the manufacturing process of clothes. Therefore, as students, we can easily buy our clothes elsewhere so that we can live more sustainably. As well as apps like Depop and Vinted, there are various vintage and charity shops in Bristol which sell clothes which are in great condition and relatively cheap. I would recommend the Vintage Thrift Store on Park Street and Shelter in Clifton.

9. Reusable makeup wipes

At the end of a long day, if you’re a makeup user, it is always very tempting to use a wipe to remove that last bit of makeup off your face. However, due to the plastic packaging of these products, wipes can become very harmful for the environment. I would personally recommend using reusable makeup pads, which are made from organic materials, such as bamboo cotton. These can be found in the Body Shop and Boots – they are also great for your skin! 

10. Sustainable shower products

Before going to bed, we must be mindful of the products we use. It has been scientifically proven that most shampoo bottles are not recycled correctly. Companies, such as Lush, have created products, like shampoo bars, which do not use plastic. According to the Lush website, almost 6 million plastic bottles have been used due to these shampoo bars! In 0 waste stores (mentioned earlier) there is also sometimes the option to refill your own shampoo bottles from home.

Thank you so much for reading my top 10 tips today! I hope that you learned something new! What are you going to implement into your daily routine to lead a sustainable lifestyle at university?

Written by Student Champion – Lottie Aikens

Assessment tips from someone who knows…

Posted on by Roz Okatan

It’s Week 23 and you are probably either buried in revision or planning your summer break.  Student Comms Officer Roz caught up with Dom who is in his fourth and final year of a Masters in Mechanical Engineering to ask him how he’s feeling about coming to the end of his course, and what assessments have meant for him.

So Dom, you’re working on your final dissertation which for you is a group industrial project.  Is that right? 

Yes, we’re doing a design and build, and building a product is always notoriously tight for time for engineers.  But it is coming along nicely.

Do you find it easier to meet deadlines when working in a group? 

Working in a group always comes with its challenges. You lose efficiency when you’re working in a team because there’s so much more to coordinate and so much more ground to cover. It can be hard to get the ball rolling, but the more you practice the better they tend to go.  By the time you’re in fourth year, group projects are going a lot more smoothly than they were in first year and that’s kind of the point of having them in first year because it’s a skill you have to learn as an engineer. 

If you’re managing deadlines just for yourself, do you have any tricks up your sleeve or tactics you rely on? 

A technique I use is creating your own calendar and then filling in all the time that you can’t be working, assigning time that you can be, and then dividing up the workload. You end up with this big A3 wall calendar with all the time divvied up how you need it, which is useful when you have, for example, five quite substantial exams.  It really helps to make sure that nothing’s being neglected. 

What’s been the main challenge of online exams? 

The biggest issue is time management as it appears you are set five hours’ worth of questions to do in three, and it’s simply not possible.  You also don’t have access to the years and years’ worth of previous papers so you’ll be going into online exams with less resources to prepare from than in person. 

And how did your experience of in person exams compare to the online assessments? 

So in person you would have a lot more “prove this, show this, derive this” questions that you could only really answer if you’d rote learn that technique.  Obviously, being open book and online, that’s no longer a thing that can be asked because you can just look up the solution. So it’s shifted away from those rote learn questions and more towards things that you’d have to actively think about a bit more, which is good, the way it probably should be. 

Is there anything you know now that you wish you’d known as a first year and might have done differently? 

OK, so I would say problem sheets and past papers is definitely the way to go because it’s very easy to find that you understand the topic, you’ve gone through all the lecture content, you’ve read the notes, and you’re like, I’m happy with this and then can’t answer a single question on it!  That’s a very common thing that can happen. You understand all the theory, but to actually get an answer and apply it is an entirely different level that needs to be practised through the problem sheets and past papers.  

When it came to online assessments, did you ever use a Blackboard practice area? 

Yeah, absolutely.  You want to know what the setup of the paper is and what’s expected of you before you go in.  It was good to have access and be like, oh, I’ve got ten of these questions, four of these ones, six of those, and two of the big ones at the end.  

Are there any other resources that you’ve used, for example exam stress workshops? 

I don’t think so. I think the only thing over the four years that I had used might have been some general study skills workshops in first year, but nothing exam specific.  

Do you find you get stressed about exams or are you quite relaxed? 

Obviously they’re stressful for anyone, but I think I’m a lot more relaxed than most.  I find it’s important to remember that if you’re getting yourself stressed out about it, you’re only going to make it harder to actually remember things in the exam. If you can just take a breath and relax it’s only going to help.  So long as you’re preparing for a good time beforehand and you know your stuff sometimes it’s good just to take a break just before going in and make sure you’re calm and relaxed. 

And how do you personally relax if you need to step away from your work? 

It would be just do something that’s not uni related, get a drink, go do something else, just not think about engineering for a little bit.

I know you’ve had Alternative Exam Arrangements and I just wanted to ask whether it was easy to arrange additional support and were you well informed about how it was going to be set up? 

So I’m dyslexic and after the age of 18 you need your adult diagnostic assessment. You need to get your psychologist report and then arrange an appointment with Disability Services who are fantastic. They’re really, really helpful. They’ll explain everything to you very clearly. They take you through your report and what arrangements can be made within your particular school.   

This can be a huge variety of things, like what extra time would be appropriate for you, what working method would be appropriate for you, if you’re in person, would you still be allowed to use a PC to do your exam?  It can also be making sure you’re in low distraction exam rooms, or making sure the exam room is near bathroom facilities or a whole range of different things that they can run through with you and see what can be altered to make it more supportive for students that need that extra support. 

And lastly, how do you plan to celebrate when it’s all over? 

Oh blimey.  After four years – two years in person, two years online – it feels strange to be coming to the end. I genuinely don’t know and I’ve just been so busy with the project work and also trying to think ahead.  For a

 lot of people that’s applying for work, but for me I think it’s going to be looking for a PhD.  I haven’t really thought about it too much yet. I will probably get to the stage I’ll just need to crash out and do nothing for a while. A holiday would be well needed by that point, I suspect!  But equally it will be good to celebrate with friends after four very, very tough years of both the course and COVID. 

I hope a well deserved break is on the horizon. 

Definitely.  I think that’s what the plan will be – chill out!     

 

Don’t forget that you can access a range of study skills and support to help with your assesssments. Good luck!

 

War in Ukraine: past, present and future

Posted on by Laura

This blog post was written by Tom Tokovyi, a final year biochemistry student. Tom was brought up in Bila, Tserkva , Kviv region, Ukraine, and spoke at a recent event – War in Ukraine: past, present and future –  held at Bristol SU in March 2022. The aim of the event was to help us understand more about Ukraine, the current situation and how we can offer support.

“Perseverance – this is the first word that comes into my mind when I think about my home country.”

Tomas Tokovyi holding a microphone during his talk
Tom Tokovyi

It is hard to find a person nowadays who has not heard about the current situation in Ukraine. Nevertheless, not everyone knows about the deep-rooted history of the Ukrainian nation and the major events that led to the full-scale war with Russia. As a Ukrainian studying at Bristol, I felt a strong sense of duty to inform my friends and peers about the current situation at home, and share my knowledge of Ukrainian culture and history.

Together with my friends, I organised a large-scale event War in Ukraine: past, present and future which was attended by more than 250 students and staff. The event was divided into several parts which consisted of the talk – Past and present of Ukraine –  a discussion panel with professors about The future of Ukraine as well as a Q&A with the audience. (more…)

How to be a good neighbour

Posted on by Tyesha

We asked our student champions for tips on how we can be better neighbours and better engage with our local communities, here is what they had to say:

“In order to create an engaged, supportive community, it is essential that everyone contributes to being a good neighbour. As students, we must consider the needs of the people around us, whether they are our flatmates or other members of the public, and we can easily do this through small acts of kindness. For example, we can keep the noise down at night, take out the bins and maintain cleanliness within shared spaces. These tasks require minimal effort but they can drastically improve relationships with our neighbours, allowing the community to become more close-knit and understanding.”

– Lottie

“Being a good neighbour involves a few things that I would consider necessary. The most important thing first is respect. Showing and having respect for your neighbour is a fundamental aspect of building a good relationship with them. Once respect is established, the next step is being understanding.  Remember everyone has different personalities and lifestyles and therefore you have to be open to interacting with them. Lastly, I would say establishing boundaries to me is also key to being a good neighbour. When you establish healthy boundaries, you are less likely to then have future problems with your neighbour.”

– Marvin

“A good neighbour is not just about the person but the personality & the authenticity. If the neighbour is caring, aware of the surroundings, and thoughtful, it describes how the neighbour is good. Similarly, if the neighbour is being the best and the most authentic person of themselves, it also strengthens the fact that the neighbour is good. A good neighbour can also be tangibly seen when you are around them. If you feel warmth, comfort, and you can be yourself without sugar-coating your personality, that means the neighbour is good because there is no such burden for you to feel.”

– Alessandro

A good neighbour is considerate of noise: Do you play loud music or talk loudly in your garden/whilst walking down a street after 11pm?

A good neighbour is tidy: Do you always put your rubbish in a bin? Do you organise the recycling into the right bins and put it out the night before?

A good neighbour is respectful and helpful: If you see someone struggling with something, do you offer to help them? Do you smile back at the sweet old lady sat at the bus stop? Do you make sure not to push past people if overtaking them whilst walking down a narrow footpath?

– Josh

Spring vacation ideas if you’re staying in Bristol

Posted on by Roz Okatan

By Victoria, Student Champion for Student Communications

Coming at you again with ideas for what to do to enjoy the spring vacation in Bristol. You’re sure to catch me at more than one of these!

Cannonball Cabaret at Zed Alley on 1 April

Start your break at Zed Alley for a cabaret night at Zed Alley. Check out the line-up and get your tickets here for an unforgettable night featuring a diverse range of acts from humour to Drag acts.

Catch an ethical Circus Show 7 to 24 April

Look at all the available dates here and join the Revel Puck Circus for an animal-free, ringmaster free and clown-free circus experience. Expect comedy, jaw-dropping acts, and an all-ages inclusive experience in the art district of Bristol. This new circus explores and celebrates fear in ways you have never seen before, so prepare to be amazed! And equally amused!

Dreams of Small Gods at Circomedia on 7 and 8 April 2022.

Book your ticket here for one of the two showings (Thursday 7 or Friday 8 April) and catch this unique live performance. It explores the triple nature of being a woman, blinding aerial circus, performance and masked ritual while exploring how myths, fairy tales and ancient culture create our conception of womanhood and reality. A one-of-a-kind experience!

Reggaeton Boat Party at  Thekla on 8 April  

As a Latina, I must commend Bristol for having such a great reggaeton scenery. I enjoy these events to the max, whether it’s at iconic Intirave events, the throwback parties at the Lanes or the great boat parties at Thekla. Happening on Friday April 8, you can get your tickets for one of the best reggaeton parties in the country. Take my word for it, it’s bound to be a night full of fun and dancing. The upstairs area tends to have some nice Afrobeat tunes as well, if you ever need a break of the hardcore reggaeton vibes. Make sure you get these tix on time, as they tend to sell out pretty fast on the days coming up to the party.

Funderworld Theme Park from 8 April daily until 2 May  

Get tickets for this fun-filled theme park hosted in the Downs. It will be full of rollercoasters and rides, Game Stalls and a delicious selection of food and beverage at the event. Your wristband gives you access to 4 hours of unlimited rides, and you can stay for longer enjoying the food court and independent games afterwards. The Theme Park is open until 9 pm every day, but make sure to check opening times for your desired day. Have fun and be safe!

Immersive Van Gogh Experience – Opens 9 April

Secure your tickets here, and quick, this is a must-see attraction brought to Bristol until September. The Immersive Van Gogh Experience is one of the most iconic exhibitions in the world, giving you a 20,000 square foot light and sound show in 360 degrees. Get to know the artist like never before, his life, his inspirations, and stories behind his art pieces, all in the iconic Propyard.

 

Lakota On the House Rave – House and Techno on 16 April

Lakota is a Bristol staple, and this rave with Bristol-based house and techno talents is sure to be one for the books. It will be free entry before 11 pm, and only a fiver after that. Secure your ticket here.

Visit the Grayson Arts Gallery – Any Tuesday through Sunday

Have you been to the Bristol Museum yet? In the heart of campus, it is one of those things we tend to not take the time to explore, but I’m telling you, it is such a fun afternoon. Especially with the Grayson Arts Gallery show, which is open between 10 am and 5 pm every day except Mondays. Book your slot here and go spend a day seeing one of Grayson’s most heartfelt creations. This exhibition shows people’s different experiences and coping mechanisms during the pandemic and lockdown periods, through creative and artistic pieces spread across the three floors of the museum.

A Day in Spike Island – Wednesday to Sunday

Spike Island has been refurbished and reopens in full swing after the pandemic. Visit exhibitions and galleries between 12pm and 5pm, Wednesdays to Sundays. You can find a full programme of what’s on here and book your slot to visit. My personal favourites include Candice Ling’s Pigs and Poison and the Oba Nosferasta, both of which will be on until early May so make sure to catch them before they’re gone.

 

 

 

 

Comedy Cabaret every Saturday at Pryzm

Join talented comedians and stand-up UK legends at Pryzm literally any Saturday. Book tickets here and check which shows catch your eye. With three hilarious acts and a cozy cabaret-style seating arrangement, this is a great option to do something different on any given Saturday.

 

Thank you to Victoria for these brilliant ideas.  If anybody needs more practical help during the break please see our Spring vacation opening hours and services webpage.  Wishing you all a Happy Easter from the Student Comms team.

 

Red Nose Day 2022

Posted on by Dan Cragg

It’s Red Nose Day! You know what that means – a fun night of watching short sketches and performances on the BBC, whilst everyone wears fun (but uncomfortable) fake noses. It’s one of those days that we all get involved with every year when we are children, because schools always hold fundraising events, but stop getting involved once we leave secondary school.

For that purpose, I have created this guide of some fundraising ideas. Remember that when it comes to Red Nose Day, the sillier the idea, the better it is. Why not hold a Bake Sale or Open Mic Night? Or maybe you want to do a charity run or cycle – and why not dress up to do it? There’s always the standard option of having a bath of baked beans. Or you could cash in on primary school nostalgia and hold a Sports Day – and it could feature a Red Nose and Spoon race.

So, what are you waiting for? Go out and raise some money – Comic Relief accepts donations all year long so don’t feel like you’ve missed your chance if you can’t get involved today.

By Student Champion Joshua Littleford

 

 

 

Food Waste Action Week Challenge – Lottie

Posted on by Dan Cragg

Hello! My name is Lottie and I am a first-year student here at the University of Bristol. I was given a challenge in support of the Food Waste Action Week campaign, to spend only £15 on all my food for 5 days!

I must admit that I am not usually the kind of person who budgets. I normally go to the supermarket without a list and buy whatever I like the look of, often gravitating towards the bakery section or the pre-prepared food like grated cheese packets or overpriced smoothies. Therefore, I knew that this task would be a real challenge for me.

As well as this, I am a vegetarian, so I still had the objective to eat a balanced diet and make sure that I was receiving all the nutrients which I need.

Shopping for food

The night before the big shop, I created a list of everything that I intended to buy. I normally claim that I do not have enough time to plan my meals, imagining it to be a long, laborious task with little benefit to my life. However, after writing a shopping list and planning my meals for the next 5 days, I soon realised that this in fact saved my time.

When shopping, I was always conscious of my budget. Rather than buying pre-cut vegetables in packets, I was buying raw carrots, onions and courgettes which proved to be a lot cheaper. I also had to erase some items off my shopping list, such as lotus biscuits, because my priority was to buy ingredients for nutritious and filling meals.

My total was thankfully £14.96 so I was just under budget. If only lotus biscuits were 4p!

Breakfast

For breakfast, I simply ate bananas. I am not a huge ‘breakfast person’ so I luckily did not feel the need to buy cereals or toast!

Lunch

On Day 1 of my challenge, I cooked what I like to call a ‘pizza wrap’. Essentially, it is a pizza, but the base is a wrap! It is ridiculously easy to make, and I chose spring onion as my topping.

I decided to branch out on Day 2 and have a jacket potato for lunch. The secret to an amazing jacket potato is to microwave it for 6 minutes first and then pop it in the oven. Trust me – it makes a world of difference! On top of my jacket potato, I used cheese, fried courgette, and chilli flakes.

On Day 3 I tried out a new recipe which I had found on BBC Good Foods: vegetarian enchiladas.

Although, due to my budget, I could not follow the recipe exactly (I could not top them with low- fat yoghurt), I was still incredibly happy with the outcome. As a result, I kept some in the fridge and had them for lunch on Day 5 too!

Finally, for lunch on Day 4, I created some omelettes with cheese and spring onion. I know it does not sound particularly appetising but as far as omelettes go, it did not taste too awful!

 

Dinner

On Day 1, I cooked one of my favourite dinners to make, which is a Kidney Bean Curry. This consists of frying onion and then adding chilli flakes, followed by chopped tomatoes and kidney beans. The best thing about this meal is that you can make lots of portions and then refrigerate them for another day. Therefore, I ate this meal on Day 3 and Day 5 as well! I always add cheese and eat it with either rice or a wrap.

Day 2 was nice and easy because I made a quick stir fry. I fried carrots, courgette and onion and combined them with rice, chilli flakes and soy sauce.

The meal on Day 4 was rather similar to stir fry but this time, I added egg to make egg fried rice. I had also used up all of my carrots by this point so had to use solely courgette and spring onion. As you can probably tell, this meal was a combination of the ingredients which I had not used up yet!

 

Snacks

I love a good snack so during this challenge, I had to be inventive with the ingredients I had. If I ever got hungry between meals, I had a cheese wrap, spicy egg fried rice or ‘banana ice cream’ (frozen mashed up banana). These snacks were actually healthier than what I normally go for!

Did I face any challenges?

Although I successfully completed this challenge, it is true that I did struggle in some areas.

I found that my meals were lacking variation. The only fresh vegetables that I bought were onions, courgettes, and carrots so I found that I had to incorporate them into most of my meals so that they were nutritious. This soon became repetitive.

I am also going to put my hands up and say that I am not a good chef … at all. The omelette that I ate on Day 4 for lunch was actually my second attempt. The first time I tried to make it, it was somehow raw and burnt at the same time. I did not feel good about this mistake because it completely went against what Food Waste Action Week stood for!

Another challenge for me was being in the university environment. On campus, I was so tempted to buy a snack in between classes, and I also missed the social aspect of going out for meals with friends.

Conclusion

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this budgeting task, despite the challenges which I faced. I believe that from now on, I will always look for cheaper alternatives when shopping and I will also make sure to write a list in advance!

I think it would be hard for me to only spend £15 every week on food but after this experience, I will make sure to cut down on any unnecessary purchases (including lotus biscuits!).

Written by Lottie Aikens, Student Champion

Food Waste Action Week Challenge – Adam

Posted on by Dan Cragg

The Challenge: To prepare three meals a day for the next five days on a budget of no more than £15.

Hi, I am Adam, and I normally spend around £30 on groceries a week. This challenge meant that I had to reduce that to half. Probably the best piece of advice to start with is planning. A meal plan with a shopping list makes the whole process much more efficient. It minimises the number of times you need to go shopping, reduces the time you spend there, prevents you from buying unnecessary things, and helps you save money. You will also not have any leftovers that you would have to throw away.

Every Sunday, therefore, I try to plan my weekly meal plan. With this challenge, it was basically essential.

Once the plan was done, I wrote down things I needed. For the list, I use the NOSH book app. I genuinely recommend buying a cookbook as it really helps with ideas on what to cook. NOSH is also very student-friendly, and it comes with an app in which you can browse recipes and automatically add everything to a shopping list. The ‘Broke but hungry’ chapter of this book with affordable recipes was particularly useful for this challenge.

With the shopping list done, it was time to head to Sainsbury’s to do the shopping. My tip here is to use their Smart Shopping app that not only makes the shopping more efficient because you can scan as you go with your phone, but it also helps you to save money as you get some personalised discounts with your Nectar account.

When shopping, my tip would be to look for reduced stuff. Things like bread that can be frozen can often come at a fraction of the price. Another tip is to look at the bottom shelf for cheaper brands or own-label products. Marketers often put the products that are premium or have the highest margin on the eye level, leaving the more affordable brands at the bottom. Also, fresh vegetables can be quite expensive so look out for the Imperfectly tasty series that is more affordable.

<-This is what my shopping looked like at the end.

Note: As I was not able to use any things I had at home, I had to include the cost of things like oil, salt, curry powder, pasta and rice – things that last for longer once you buy them so shall I continue the challenge the next week, I could buy more different products.

With the shopping done, it was time to start cooking.

Day 1

Breakfast

SUPER QUICK PORRIDGE

Ingredients: Milk, Oats, Peanut butter, Banana

1.     Combine some milk and oats, and simmer until it thickens. Remove from heat.

2.     Add sliced banana, a spoon or two of peanut butter, and your breakfast is ready. You could use plant-based milk too!

Lunch

POTATO HASH

Ingredients: 4 medium diced potatoes, 400g baked beans, Oil, Cheddar cheese, Ketchup (optional)

1.     Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling water and simmer for 8 minutes. Drain, return to the pan and squash them a little with a fork. Do not mash them.

2.     Stir in the beans.

3.     Heat some oil in a frying pan and tip the mixture in. Don’t stir, allow it to dry and brown on the bottom. Once browned, using a spatula, stir all the browned bits up from the bottom, leave again to allow the rest to brown. Stir in the browned bits again.

4.     Serve with some cheese on top and optionally add ketchup.

Dinner

FRIED RICE

Ingredients: a mug of rice, 4 eggs, 3 chopped spring onions, half of the pepper, chopped carrot, soya sauce

  1. Cook rice and let it cool.
  2. In a wok, heat some oil and on high heat stir-fry 2 spring onions, carrot, and pepper for 2 minutes.
  3. Add rice and stir-fry for another minute.
  4. In the meantime, fry eggs in a separate pan.
  5. Add soya sauce to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute.
  6. Serve the rice and put the fried eggs on the top. Add some finely chopped onion on top. You can add some more soya sauce if needed.

Day 2:

Breakfast:

CHEESE ON TOAST WITH TOMATO

  1. Put some slices of cheese on to bread and put in the oven.
  2. Allow to melt
  3. Add some fresh tomato and spring onion on top

Lunch:

POTATO HASH LEFTOVERS

Dinner:

FRIED RICE LEFTOVERS

Day 3:

Breakfast:

SUPER QUICK PORRIDGE

Lunch:

CHANNA DHAL

Ingredients: Oil, 1 onion, finely chopped, 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, Freshly grated ginger, ½ teaspoon, Curry powder, ½ x 400g can tomatoes, 2 tablespoons coconut milk, 400 g tin of chickpeas

  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions and garlic until they begin to brown. Stir frequently. Once brown, add the ginger and curry powder. Cook for 1 minute.
  2. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk and chickpeas. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken.

Note: the leftover coconut milk can be used to make some sauce

Dinner:

CHANNA DHAL LEFTOVERS

Day 4:

Breakfast:

TOAST, CHEESE, TOMATO

This was the same as before, but I added two fried eggs.

 

Lunch:

CREAM CHEESE PASTA

Ingredients: 300g of spaghetti, Cream cheese, ½ of 400g tin of tomatoes, Broccoli, Cheese, grated

  1. Put the pasta on the cook.
  2. Boil broccoli until soft.
  3. In a saucepan on medium heat, combine the cream cheese, tomatoes, and cheese. Season with salt. Simmer until it thickens and combines.
  4. Add broccoli to the sauce and squash it a little.
  5. Add pasta and toss.
  6. Serve with some grated cheese on top.

Dinner:

CHANNA DHAL LEFTOVERS

Day 5:

Breakfast:

SHAKSHUKA

Ingredients: Oil, Onion, chopped, ½ of 400g tin tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, finely chopped, 2 eggs, ½ of pepper, chopped

  1. Heat oil in a frying pan put onion, pepper and garlic and cook until soft.
  2. Add tomatoes and stir until thickens.
  3. With a large spoon, make 2 dips in the sauce and crack an egg into each one.
  4. Put on a lid and cook for 6-8 mins on low heat.
  5. Serve with a toast.

Lunch:

CREAM CHEESE PASTA LEFTOVERS

Dinner:

CREAM CHEESE PASTA LEFTOVERS

Conclusion

I was positively surprised how much I could buy and how many dishes I could make while sticking to £15. Most importantly, at the end of the week, I was left with almost no leftovers which was the idea of the whole project. Utilising the things we have and not throwing out anything.

Written by Adam Balazi, Student Champion

National Student Money Week – 21 to 25 February 2022

Posted on by Laura

Does managing your money feel daunting? It doesn’t have to be if you develop skills and adopt easy ways to spend in a more sustainable way.

Plan your meals

Remember, yellow stickers are your friends!

Did you know….?

…that the University’s catering service also offers a food waste option where you can get your hands on quality, fresh food for low prices and do your bit to reduce food waste at the same time. We have joined ‘Too Good to Go’, an app that lets customers rescue unsold food at reduced cost and save it from going to waste. So far, this has helped us reduce our waste – saving 1092 meals from landfill and reduced our carbon emissions by 2.73 tonnes.

You can find a food swap pop-up at Senate House on 10 March too – as part of Food Waste Action Week.

Make better choices

Fashion

  • Buy less and buy better – move away from fast-fashion and invest in good quality sustainable brands that will last longer.
  • Read student Marvin Karenzi’s post about what you can do to fight fast fashion.
  • Head to Park Street for charity shops and reduce the environmental impact of your wardrobe. Have a look at a Guide to Vintage Shopping in Bristol by Beyond Retro.
  • Move away from false-economy. Buying a cheap white t-shirt a dozen times is not as cost effective as spending a little more on a quality t-shire that lasts a long time.

Make a change

Travel

What else could you do?

We’re sure you have other ideas so why join the discussion about sustainable spending on social media using #nsmw22.

Useful info

If you run into difficulties you may want to read our money saving tips. If you’re experiencing financial hardship we have some emergency funding options that may be able to help.   Find out more about keeping on top of your finances and financial wellbeing.  You can also check out these useful websites: Moneyhelper  and MoneySavingExpert’s tips for students.

Portrait image of Professor Sharon Collard
Professor Sharon Collard, Personal Finance Research Centre

Professor Sharon Collard, Chair in Personal Finance from our Personal Finance Research Centre, said: “Research shows people who feel on top of their finances are much more likely to be satisfied with life, so it really does pay in more ways than one to look after your budget. Financial wellbeing isn’t just about how much money you have, but how you manage it daily, plan for the future, and create some contingency for the unexpected.  

“Although it may be tempting to put money issues to the back of your mind, tackling them proactively and seeking out advice will help ease the worry and put you back in control. With the rising cost of living, affecting food, energy and fuel prices in particular, it’s even more important to be budget-savvy, reaching out for guidance and support when needed.”

Remember if you have any funding enquiries or money worries the Student Funding Office is here to help. You can email us at student-funding@bristol.ac.uk or call Student Services on 0117 428 3000 to book an appointment with a Student Funding Adviser.