I was trying to be sardonic about my living costs. Perhaps this did'nt translate.
I don't think there are many post grad students who dine regularly at Rocha on their stip-ends & I certainly can't afford to. As for the Joseph trousers I believe they start at about £145, but I have only ever touched a pair in Selfridges during an exercise in self torture.
Interesting comment from jojo re logical Primark shoppers - please expand.

I am very glad I posted this. I think Jen & Zara should jointly set up a scholarship to fund another research student as they are sooooooo well off. As I started the thread it should be me.
I'll just jot down a quick break down of living expenses & research costs
i.e 2 over seas holidays a year / mortgage on 4 bed house / dinner at Yoatcha / Rocha / Ubon similar 2x per month / 4 pairs of joseph trousers....
Thanks gals. Yes you are lucky lucky lucky.

If only it were that easy. I made a new years resolution to consume more ethically in 2006, and to try and eat organic or locally sourced produce. Unfortunately this is turning out to me much more expensive than I had antisipated. Fair trade & organic foods are pricey.
As for the clothes thing, well I suppose you are right Crystal, but I don't have enough time to trawl charity & 2nd hand shops. In my experience this takes some effort and being prepared to set aside time to keep an eye on the stock, so I am there when those bargins ( & in my size) do pop up. You're absolutely correct about the quality of clothing though in these cheap shops sauch as Primark. They die in the washing machine, I am finding it abit of a false economy!

Ideally I would like to go and work for Jack Bouer at CTU.

This is a non-academic post, but I have noticed today there is a high rate of casual references to Primark on this forum.

As research and poverty go hand in hand I have come to rely on my local branch as the major source of my wardrobe updates, as I can splash out on a whole new outfit for £10. Someone recently told me that they are one of the most unethical retailers on the high street at the moment - in terms of dodgey production & sweatshops. Is this true?

I have gone from a high paid salary to being a self funded student &I just wanted to ask how do people cope with not having any money for "stuff"?

I would like to meet Karl Marx, Baudrillard, Jamie Oliver, Kiefer Sunderland (and play CTU with him), Madonna & Jeremy Paxman.

Mia agreed stongly re Sharleen. What an annoying face she has.

Check out Media & Communiations website http://www.cmis.brighton.ac.uk/Research/default.htm

Brighton University.

Just wondered are most of you hoping to stay within universities / academic life? I read a report somewhere that gave figures for this being the highest rating proffesion for people with PhD's?

How difficult is it to gain work at a new uni after wards other than the one you studied at, or travel abroad (esp) the US to lecture as the teaching system / standards are so different?

Stick with it Jen. I'm in my first year too & know just how you feel.
I have spent 9 months mainly reading, writing up a draft of my lit review & re writing my bloody propsal AGAIN & AGAIN. Though I have combined all this with a little teaching, I too am chomping at the bit to get on & actually do my research. It seems a really common experience from all the other research students I have spoken to @ my uni & am begining to see light at the end of the tunnel i.e I think my supervisors are prepared to let me move on.
Hang in there!

Oops you eat ELEPHANTS, not eggplants. Must be terrible on your tummy!

Poor you. I understand how you feel completely. I have just finished a first draft of my literature review, ( am 8 months into my 1st year) & I was ready to throw the f***ing computer or document out the window at one point before Christmas. That & my proposal which my supervisors get me to re-write every month, changing the aims & objectives to the point that I have almmost come full circle with a proposal pretty close to the one I sent them when I applied for an interview! It is very fustrating , but it seems to be normal. Lots of other people have told me similar storeis.
What I wanted to say Eggplant Eater, is that I took 2 & half weeks off at Xmas and did not touch the thing, nor read a single academic text. Perhaps give yourself a little distance even if it is 48hours. I came back able to proof read & make adjustments again & even found what I had written quite interesting!
Good luck.

Well at least it's not just me. Thanks guys: there is some comfort knowing we're all going through pretty much the same, I suppose. Neil - I have exactly the same problems as you. My boyfriend & I are rennovating a Victorian house & it always falls to me to take time off to wait in for workmen or deliveries. I had planned to work from home for a couple of days last week & was sat writing a major part of my literature review through the sound of floors being nailed down & sanded for 7 hours! I had tried to impress on my boyfriend that I was going to need peace & quiet for a few days as I had an important deadline, but he still went & arranged for the work to be done, because " I was going to be hanging about".

Has anyone else got a partner who isn't involved in academia or research & has problems getting their head around the fact that you are constantly bogged down with a heavy work load, yet appear to them to be not doing very much with your time? My boyfriend thinks I have loads of spare time on my hands at home when actually I am readig, writing or even just thinking.
Also my boyfriends family are really disapproving of my PhD and see it as I have given up work to go back to uni to do a little course. Despite trying to explain what I am doing, they show little or no interest and have not understanding, nor respect for my project or the qualification I am trying to gain. They see me as a bit of a lay about I feel.

Unless you are contracted to the university to work a specific set of hours then it should be totally up to you. You are an adult and the PhD process is supposed to be (in the main) self directed learning. At my university research students are in charge of their own schedule and athough it is expected that this will be run passed supervisors, the final decision is down to me. I am taking two weeks off to go to Canada to visit famiy over Xmas. I plan to leave all my work behind and ..gasp...take a novel to read. We all need a break from time to time in order to recharge and be more productive in the long run. As a fellow human being, your supervisor should acknowledge this and respect you & your decision.Sorry you're getting a hrad time over it. Relax & have a break!