Hi my name is Bailley and I am a cheap bitch

I have been excited about this issue for many weeks. It was first pitched back in first semester, but we decided to hold onto it for later down the line, when your wallets (and our ability to create original content) were stretched. But hell, this week is my time to shine. I am cheap as hell (yes in more ways than one) and have spent many years living on a budget of fuck all. I have no shame in admitting that I am cheap because making your own way is hard and my student loan is more than enough debt as it is. 

Budgeting is bloody hard, especially if this is the first time you are responsible for your expenses. It is something in the long list of things we should have been taught at school but probably weren’t. I especially feel for those of you who never really learned how to cook and have to scrape together a vaguely nutritious meal in a dwindling budget after finding out Uber Eats is not a sustainable meal plan. For you, we have included basic recipes that do not involve 2-minute noodles, so please enjoy the reduced-sodium alternatives.

Auckland is stupidly expensive, and if you are unlucky enough to flat here you are already kissing half your income goodbye on sub-par housing, let alone having some spare money to actually do something to give you a break from the stress of uni. So this is where we come in. This week, we have loads of content to help you survive and have a meagre social life in spite of the crippling debt you are accruing. Don’t worry, we aren’t going to tell you to start scrimping on things that should be paid for (for the love of god please don’t start skipping the deodorant). However, there are actually affordable things to do and consume in Auckland if you know the right places. So go take a break in between assignments to do something with friends before exams. You are in the home stretch, so stretch your money (and motivation) just a little bit further and you will be done before you know it.