Dyane Connor (21), from Killeagh, Co Cork, is studying journalism at DCU in Dublin. Her total spend was £74.70, of which £24.60 was on alcohol.

She does not get a grant but gives guitar lessons as well as teaching speech and drama every second weekend, at home. This gives her £45 a week and her parents give her £70 a week. They also pay her fees of about £3,500. Her rent is £256 a month.

"I live on campus so I have no transport costs. And at lunchtime I can go back to the apartment and get lunch there. I'd get a toasted cheese sandwich or something. And of course I can go home every evening for dinner. I don't have to use the canteen which is so expensive. That's how I save money."

She shares with two other girls and between them they share the cost of such things as washing-up liquid and black bags.

Her most expensive day was Saturday, when she spent £22.95, most of which was accounted for by going out that night. She went to Zanzibar in Dublin's city centre, which costs £5 entrance charge and she then spent £9.60 on three drinks. Her taxi home was £6.40. She also went out for drinks after college with classmates in town, where she spent £15.

"Going out in Dublin is more expensive than in Cork. Bottles of Budweiser, which I drink, are £2.80 in Dublin and just £2.35 in Cork".

She also went out on Wednesday night, to the cinema to see Bridget Jones's Diary, "which was great". That cost £4.30, as well as £1.70 on buses in and out of town.

Like Simone, she appears to have spent little on groceries. Monday saw her spend £2.80 on "milk, bread etc" and that is all. Again, like Simone, she says she stocks up on groceries at home.

"My mother was up the week before and bought me lots of stuff. And I bring up things like chicken fillets and my mother makes up meals of spaghetti bolognese which I can put in the freezer. God I'm spoilt."

Some days she has spent very little, such as on Friday when she spent £1.65 on a roll for lunch and 55p on a newspaper. However, her aunt took her to dinner in Le Med restaurant in Temple Bar. Though she enjoys going home, to see her family and boyfriend, as well as to work, she finds the work tiring. She gets home on Friday evening and is working on Saturday from 10 a.m. through to about 4 p.m. without a break. And then she's back on the train to Dublin on Sunday morning.

Going home every second weekend involves expenditure of £29.50 - £22.50 on the train and £7 for taxi when she gets back to Dublin on Sunday evenings.

During the week Dyane spent £3.65 on newspapers, £5 on a Swiftcom phone-card, £5 on an 087 Go Card, £2 on the campus gym, £1.70 on cups of tea, £3.10 on chocolate and Coke and £2 on binding.

Having kept the diary for a week she says little things surprised her. "I didn't realise I spent so much on socialising, but I suppose that's as necessary as anything else there."