Can you actually live for a weekend on a tenner and have fun? Let’s find out with some ideas to make sure things go with a swing.

The £10 Weekend – Can It Be Done?

Ok – here’s the deal. Let’s take a minute to think about things. Can we have a fun weekend for a tenner (or thereabouts)? Many people who write blogs like these have huge caveats, such as buy a 16 kilos of rice at the start of term so every serving of rice will cost 3p. That’s not how this works. This is one evening and two days of fun for a tenner.

We will assume that there is electricity, heating, hot water and the basic electrical equipment that you can find in most student flats. We shall also presume that this weekend will not see you enjoying that party to end all parties, with champagne fountains, finger buffets to die for and fire eaters – unless you happen to be invited to one……..

So, Friday night. I know that this is going to sound a bit harsh but you could *whispers* study. I know that you have been hard at it all week, but it is mainly free and you could stay in the uni library to do it. Keep a quid for a cuppa and a choccie in the library café and you can enjoy heating, lighting and company for free. Libraries are also amazing places to meet new people…!

Or, if you are totally wiped out, have an early night or a TV sofa session while your flatmates are out. Catch up on your guilty pleasures of Downton, Top Gear and Cash in the Attic in peace and quiet.

Saturday morning and the budget is looking pretty healthy at £9. Sometime you are passing a supermarket in advance of your weekend, pop in and ask the butcher at the counter for a sausage and two bits of bacon, get a basic loaf and value eggs and that’s breakfast/brunch sorted for Saturday for about £3.

Spend Saturday enjoying the world around you. Walk to your nearest free museum, or take yourself down to the beach. Students in great cities, like London, Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Glasgow are blessed with the country’s greatest museums and galleries – use them. Coastal universities offer great seaside walks. Whether it is blowing a gale or the sunlight is glinting off the rippling water, you have an amazing natural resource on your doorstep. You may never live by the sea again, so take advantage of it while you can.

If you are in a smallish-town, spend the afternoon people-watching. Spending time in your university community may not seem that interesting now, but it will bring some great memories after you graduate. Find a reasonable coffee shop and spend £1.50 on a cappuccino and a diverting afternoon. Sociologists – this should be right up your street!

Right – under a fiver now. Back to the supermarket for a pizza base mix, a tin of tomatoes and then to the deli counter for a few slices of chorizo and a request for any ends of cheese they may have at the counter. When it comes to deli counters, fish and meat counters in the supermarket – it pays to ask. You can pick up amazing bargains and if the people behind the counter get to know you, it can really help. You could be putting together a pizza for £1.50.

£3 left – well, I didn’t say it was possible but let’s carry on. Saturday night is tortilla and classic film night. Join the local library for free and rent a box set for £1. Basic tortillas come in at a whopping 17p and sparkling water is 35p for two litres. Not very glamorous but it’s a reasonable night in for £1.52.

Sunday morning and you are having a well-deserved lie in until lunch-time. You can tuck into a splendid lunch of eggs on toast, from yesterday’s eggs and bread.

Take time to get ready for an afternoon stroll. Have a bath, deep condition you hair, paint your toenails, pluck whatever needs plucking and head out for a pint. Almost every high street has one – yes, it’s time to find your local, budget-priced pub where you can get a pint for under £1.50 and a glass of wine for under £2. This, sipped, will take you through to the late afternoon.

And so we are down to nothing. Nada, zilch, zero. It might not have been the most happening weekend on the planet but you may have learnt something, had a break from the normal hectic routine and had a bit of a break. The trick to the Ten-Pound weekend is to have one before you need to have one, then you still have the luxury of knowing you have something in the bank if you need it.