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Student Accommodation

Student lives in tent to save on rent

Every now and then an amazing student money saving story pops up. This one doesn't disappoint.

student in tent

Source: Reddit

Our latest National Student Money Survey showed that students spend an average of £439 on rent every month. When you consider that the Maintenance Loan is, on average, about £496 a month, you can understand why some turn to drastic measures.

We've reported on a student who lived in a boat in order to save money, and another student who lived in a van to graduate debt-free. Well, these trailblazers have now been joined by Evan Eames, an astrophysics student at the University of Manchester.

He decided to camp in a tent in a back garden in Manchester for a year to save himself a bit (well a lot) of cash.

After Evan, who is from Canada, discovered the whopping cost of his £20,000 international student tuition he turned to Reddit. All he asked was for a small spot in someone's backyard in exchange for cooking and washing up a few dishes.

The 24-year-old Canadian camped in a back garden in Manchester for an entire year after he was unable to afford rent after paying his £20,000 international student tuition.

A helpful woman named Charley responded to the post and asked that Evan could tutor her in maths.

Reddit-post

We're not sure if anyone told Evan how cold Manchester really is but he kept himself warm, even through a few snowy days. Legend has it that he even managed to have an in tents session with a female friend...

When I get back to the tent I'm warm from biking, so I change into fresh clothes right away (doing it in the morning isn't much fun), around which I wear my onesie pajamas. Then thermal socks, gloves, a hat, wrap a scarf around my face, and then roll up in my thick blankets.

Cold-tent

Eames also said:

When I learned there was a way to travel without money I got totally hooked on hitchhiking, and that has lead to increasingly crazy experiences. My goal in life is now to be the best dinner table conversation, which is coming along slowly.

We think that this may just be the beginning for this super money saving addict. We tip our hat to you sir. And if you're keen to see how it all panned out, here are some updates on Reddit.

What do you think of Evan's money saving tactic? Has it inspired you?

Jake Butler

WRITTEN BY Jake Butler

Jake joined Save the Student in 2010 and is the COO. As an expert across student finance, Jake has appeared on The BBC, The Guardian, Which?, ITV, Channel 5 and many other outlets. He particularly enjoys sharing tips on saving money and making extra money with opportunities like paid surveys and part-time jobs.
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