No way is it healthy to live like that. I know how tough money is as a student, but doing those things the article says is simply existing, not living. Budgeting is extremely important, and there are plenty of decent, respectable and healthy ways to save more without going OCD about it. “I had a friend who lived in a flat of 10 people and for his meals he would wait around while everyone else cooked and ate what they left on their plate" WTF!!!