Berkhamsted student goes viral on Tik Tok after her living arrangements go against the norm

A criminology student from Berkhamsted has gone viral after sharing her money saving tips on social media.

Tigerlily Taylor, 20, who is studying at the University of Northampton, received more than 700,000 views on Tik Tok after she posted a video of her staying in a Travelodge on the days she needs to be at university, rather than paying for university accommodation.

Tigerlily said: “I’m not sure why I've gone viral but it may be because my style of living arrangements differs from the norm.”

Tigerlily attends university on consecutive days during the week. Therefore, she stays over on the night between those days. She also commutes again on a separate day.

She added: “On average the university accommodation is £620 per month. My hotel room usually costs around £35 for the night and I only need to stay once a week so every month I spend £140, on average, for a double room at the Travelodge.

“Petrol costs around £20-£30 a week as well. Overall, I save around £380 a month.”

After Tigerlily’s last year of learning being mostly online due to Covid-19 restrictions, she was rarely at university. This year, her teaching is mostly face to face, so she decided to start staying over once a week at the hotel.

Tigerlily said: “It is nice to know I have inspired some students or soon to be students. I just wanted people to know there is another option instead of just moving away.

“My advice to any university students wanting to save some money would be to keep an eye on what you’re spending and what on.

"If you don’t want to move to university, definitely consider commuting. It is a great option and you are still able to make friends.”