Find somewhere to live in Edinburgh for next year

On the Grassmarket area for now; it’s affordable and in a brilliant location for me. Lots of one bedroom flats floating around, I can walk there from my current flat (makes moving easier), pretty much every window has castle views and we’re bang in the middle of town.
Plus, my friend, who fancies himself as a bit of a spiritualist said, the first time we walked past it together, “You’d suit living here. I can see you living here.” He even pointed out a flat that I’d been gazing wistfully as since I moved up here.
It’s yet to become available, but you never know ;]

Going to have to save up about £1000 to cover deposits and the first month’s rent, but we’ll be fine. Just need to stop spending!

Trying to do research into flats and stuff but all that’s available at the moment are Christmas holiday lets.
It’s driving me mad.

Naturally, flats around the Royal Mile and in Old Town, where I want to be, are mostly holiday lets, because there’s where all the tourists want to be too.
I think Grassmarket is always going to be a safe bet; everytime I’ve done a proper search, a new one there has cropped up. They’re close enough to Old Town and just about within budget (I don’t really want to spend more than £500 a month on rent).
I’ve got to get this sorted before the end of May, because that’s when student accomodation kick me out and much as I love my friends who are letting me crash on their floor for a couple of weeks, I need my own space sharpish.

I’ll be staying in Edinburgh for most of the summer, crashing on a camp bed on my friend’s floor.
From the end of May, right through till the start of the new term, I have to concentrate on finding a flat, as well as booking two weeks to Australia so I can go along with the big move and working pretty much full time.

It’s going to be a hectic summer.

That as a full time student, I don’t have to pay council tax.
That’s a good £1000 I can keep!

That this is going to be an expensive venture. I’m probably being silly thinking I can afford to pay rent, bills and council tax when all I really have is my loans/grants and a part time job, but I truly believe that if you want something enough, you’ll get it.
I’ll be living well and truly below my means, that’s for sure, but I can feel that this is right for me, that living on my own in an Edinburgh flat is where I need and want to be.
We’ll see; fingers crossed, yeah?

Start work next week, can’t wait to get some money coming in again!
Going to try and put about £100 a month away towards the flat next year.

Well, everyone’s getting into groups to find flats for next year, but I’m thinking about striking out on my own and trying to find a tiny little place somewhere in Old Town.
It’ll cost me a small fortune and probably makes me look ridiculously anti-social but much as I would love to save money and live with my beautiful new friends for a year, I want to be in the middle of all the action, be able to look out of my window and see the city I love staring back at me. I’m looking at about £400 a month, at least, so having a job now is a bit of a lifesaver; I can put away so much money a month so I can pay my deposit and a few months rent without having to touch my student grants and whatnot.
Also, living alone means I can try and find somewhere that will let me start there in the summer so I can be about for the festival and don’t have to spend any longer in Preston than I have to.
With the family moving to Australia and with a bunch of Preston friends that love to travel, there’s no need for me to be there.

Going to start looking now, to see what’s available but I can see myself ticking this off next summer, when I’m more aware of my financial position and know exactly what country I’ll be in and when xD