A student lived in a tent for a year. How far have you gone to save money?

Eames spent a year living in this tent to save money - even during the snowy depths of winter. Photograph: Manchester Evening News Syndication

According to stereotype, students eat baked beans and super noodles to save money. One student in Manchester took things a little further.

Meet the "physics gnome": the student who lived in a tent to save on rent http://t.co/klobdOwhjV

— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) July 20, 2015

Evan Eames spent a year living in a tent because he couldn’t afford to pay rent on top of the £20,000 tuition fees for his astrophysics master’s degree. After appealing on various online forums, someone offered him a spot in their back garden in return for tuition. When asked on Reddit about the highs and lows of his experiences, Eames wrote:

Let’s see … Worst was definitely one time I came home after a snowstorm and the wind had pulled up the pegs of my tent and rolled it on its side. I was quite cold and tired, so sorting that out was the last thing I was in the mood to do. I turned it upright, tidied up the inside, and crawled in shivering. Was the only time I came close to giving up on tent life.

Best was one time I crawled in on a warm spring day, and it started raining just as I got inside. The pitter-patter on the top of the tent was so soothing and I felt so warm and safe in my tiny little sanctuary … It was quite a lovely experience that will stay with me for a while.

Now more than ever, students are trying to find ways to save money while studying. Are there more students like Eames who have had to go to extreme lengths to make ends meet? We’d like to find out.

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