Money is never more precious than when you're at uni, so some savvy students have come up with a hack to avoid paying pricey renting costs.
With lectures and seminars taking up potential paid working hours, and friends constantly tempting you to go out with calls of 3-for-£5, trying to manage money in uni is a real challenge. Would it be dramatic to say it's harder than your degree? I don't think so.
Add into that ever-increasing costs for food and rent, and it's a wonder how any of us make it through those few years. But in a bid to save money, some students have decided to avoid renting altogether.
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You could always choose to stay at home when you're at uni, but the commute isn't always feasible. That is, unless your contact hours are in your favour.
Tigerlily Taylor, a 20-year-old student at the University of Northampton, went viral after she revealed how she's managed to avoid filling a landlord's wallet while at uni.
In her TikTok video, she explained that she was only in uni for two days a week, so she skipped out on student accommodation and instead opted to travel from her home in Hertfordshire to stay in a Travelodge.
The hack might not work for those with more demanding schedules, but Taylor's contact hours meant her two days were back-to-back, so she only needed to stay in the area for one night.
Explaining her decision to Vice, Taylor estimated that her regular stays work out to £260 per month - hundreds less than some other students have to pay for rent.
“Commuting seemed like the best option for me," she said. "COVID-19 didn’t really impact my decision – I’m simply glad I didn’t spend money on accommodation when all my lectures ended up being online.
“I don’t think I’ve missed out on the university experience – I’ve made amazing friends at university and I’ve also got a friendship group at home.”
Taylor isn't the only one making use of hotels while at uni, with Jack Train, a student at Newcastle University, choosing to commute to classes from his home in Yorkshire for the past academic year.
“I’ll normally go up on Wednesday and stay overnight so I still get the sports socials,” he told Vice.
Train believes he saved £70 a week by staying in hotels, saying he would typically pay £400 per month for student accommodation.
But while Taylor's TikTok shows her enjoying a double bed in a spacious room, tenants’ union ACORN has noted that living in hotels is more a 'temporary fix' than a resolution to the real issue - that there isn't enough affordable housing.
“It’s absurd that living in hotels and commuting to study is the cost-effective option for students, but not surprising," a spokesperson said.
Emily Brown