STUDENT, Tigerlily Taylor, stays in a hotel, in what some might think is the height of luxury – but it's actually cheaper than her splashing out on halls.

The 20-year-old shared how she saves £4,300 a year by ditching uni digs for a Travelodge instead.

She posted a TikTok video to explain her dwellings to other students, as she explained the alternative saved her money now that she doesn't need to attend daily in-person lectures. 

Instead of living on campus, Tigerlily lives at home which is in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.

Her studies, however, take place at the University of Northampton which is just under an hour away by train. 

But because she only needs to actually visit the physical campus at most a handful of days in the week, she pays for a hotel for the one night she's there.

Most students have been forced to take up virtual learning since the pandemic struck, so visiting the uni buildings comes once in a blue moon to some.

But Tigerlily has encouraged that, in the video saying: “This is your sign to commute to uni and live in a Travelodge on the days you need to."

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It's racked up over 10K views as others rethink their own living situations too.

She explained how she only goes to uni two days a week, so instead of paying for student accommodation, she stays in a Travelodge.

She revealed to MoneySuperMarket that the uni accommodation she would have opted for is roughly £620 a month for a large ensuite room.

But the Travelodge that's become her firm favourite and offers near the same amenities, charges only £35 a night.

"Every month I spend £140, on average, for a double room at the Travelodge,” she disclosed to the comparison expert site.

There's another £30 that Tigerlilly has to fork out for travel costs though on top of that, as she has to commute from home to uni through the week.

So in total she'll spend £260 a month on her travel and stay, which is a £360 jump from the privilege of sharing with other students, and fighting over who has to do the dishes that night.

In total it saves her a whopping £4,300 a year on rent she would have been paying to her halls.

MoneySupermarket found that other students could be benefiting from the thrifty hack too, as they said that students in London would save the most by packing their bags and moving out of halls and into a discount hotel instead.

Jo Thornhill at MoneySuperMarket said: "Students in London with 5 or fewer days at University would be better off paying for a hotel than student accommodation.” 

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