Yes, it’s a little bit expensive to live and study in Russia, because you spend a lot of money practically for everything: for your meal, for going outside, for museums, for travelling. But, fortunately, most of at least cultural places give discounts for students.
Good way for the economy is cooking meal by yourself. The only reason why I spend much money for food and ingredients is that I really like to eat, eat and eat! I enjoy spending free time on kitchen! When I have free time, I often think about new dishes and new menus.
About my sources of money. Some of it I get from the academic scholarship and Russian government scholarship for international students. It’s not much, but better than nothing. Also I have some money from my parents. They send it to me every month. And some money I get from my part-time job – I have English teaching class for kids every Sunday. And I have some savings as well.