Back in 2010, studying for a PhD in the UK meant I got an EPSRC stipend of £13500 per year. I was fortunate to find rooms to rent in houses with other grad stud

Back in 2010, studying for a PhD in the UK meant I got an EPSRC stipend of £13500 per year. I was fortunate to find rooms to rent in houses with other grad students for around £350-400 per month. I didn't go out much, cooked my own food, commuted by bike, and made use of free or low cost uni services like gym and therapy. On some weekends I drove ~100 miles to visit my girlfriend, but I was a pretty lousy partner at the time and didn't do that as much as I wish I had. Also petrol was a fair bit cheaper back then. The only time I remember coming close to worrying was when my stipend cheque got put in the wrong place and I didn't get it for a few weeks.