Study Task 6 - Cost of Living

Filling out the cost of living spreadsheet was pretty scary. I think I'm pretty sensible with money I dont go out very often and I buy most of my clothes second hand and being vegan is pretty cheap so my weekly shops are never too bad. but I do treat myself sometimes to some nice pencils or some food out (bakery 164 is dangerous). I do also spend a lot on supplies which I should budget more so I don't go overboard and actually fill all the half finished sketchbooks I have laying about but luckily my friend works at fred aldous and lets me use his discount which is very lovely and helps a bit with that sketchbook addiction expenses. That being said it can be very expensive buying things for my online shop eg packaging like the hard back envelopes and card and cellophane because i buy in bulk which is cheaper in the longer run but not a very happy number to go out of my bank account short term! I think I definitely need to start budgeting things for my shop better as I have little written records for what my expenses are and I should be less lazy because its very important to keep track of that. (I should buy myself less treat snacks too.)

I've been able to sustain myself this year doing commissions like wall / window murals as well as having student loan, but after graduating the thought of no student loan to pay for rent is very scary. My plan is to get a job towards the end of third year so I can stay in Leeds as I'm really not keen on moving back to Warrington. I have no desire to move down south which is a good thing for my bank account. I don't really like the idea of trying to be freelance straight after graduation because the uncertainty of income is daunting when paying bills. So having a job to ensure I'll be able to pay for rent sounds like the best option for me in the beginning, I hope that in the future I can lessen and lessen my hours as hopefully freelance work will be able to sustain me more and more. Its important to be realistic about money and not try and put pressure on trying to make enough money from my illustration to survive straight after graduation. I am getting better at pricing my work and being confident enough to know my worth and not sell myself short. I should aim for above minimum wage and not let commissioners take advantage of me. I've dealt with some pretty bad commissions this year that were absolutely not worth the stress of the £50 I got so I'm trying to be more aware of what I should take on and what I shouldnt. I also don't even want to think about paying off my student loan debts as that is a crazy amount of money.