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.
Source: Reddit
Our latest National Student Money Survey showed that students spend an average of £540 per month on rent. Considering the average Maintenance Loan for students from England in 2023/24 was, on average, about £600 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.
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.
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?
