A STRUGGLING student swapped instant noodles for steak dinners thanks to his lucrative side hustle.
Henry Wallace raked in almost £45,000 by doing part-time coding work alongside his degree.
It meant the 22-year-old didn't have to live off cheap, plain meals like his housemates - and he was later able to move into his own flat.
He had enough cash to pay 12 months in rent up front, and he's not too concerned about rising energy costs.
Henry, who recently graduated from the University of Lincoln with a degree in economics, said: "I was in my second year and was strapped for cash as most students are, especially with inflation and food prices the way they are.
"I was eating ramen noodles and it just wasn't cutting it for me. I wanted something more, I wanted to be eating steaks.
"I had taught myself to code over the previous few years and came across the platform Fiverr.com where I could use my skills.
"I signed up on a bit of a whim and before I knew it I was one of the top-rated sellers in my niche.
"I was making really good money - more than I would make if I graduated and went into a nine to five job - but also had the independence of waking and working when I wanted. It was amazing."
Henry, a Ukrainian national from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, soon started raking in some serious cash - a staggering £42,555 in two years.
"I could go out when I wanted, buy what I wanted, all without denting my bank account too much," he said.
"And if it did start to impact my savings, it only motivated me to take on more gigs and work harder."
Though balancing Fiverr with his studies was "a challenge at times" - attending lectures in the day and coding in the evening - Henry said it was all worth it.
It funded his move into his very first flat, even paying £10,000 in rent up front.
"It was amazing because it's really difficult to be self-employed and get somewhere to live in the UK as landlords see us as a massive risk," Henry, whose bills come to around £1,500 a year, said.
"Paying so much in one go stung, but I wouldn't have been able to do that if it wasn't for the money I'd earnt on Fiverr.
"I am eternally grateful for that opportunity. Being able to live by myself is a dream."
I wouldn't have been able to do any of this if it wasn't for the money I'd earnt on Fiverr.
Henry Wallace
And his side hustle has even led to henry landing a full-time job.
"One thing about Fiverr is that you meet lots of different and cool people from all over the world, and I became friends with a lot of them," he said.
"I met this one guy who is a director at a hedge fund in the UK and he decided to list my services.
"He has now offered me a remote working position and we are launching a business together, readFX.com.
"It allows people to take control of their financial independence and trade their income with carefully curated and designed trading algorithms that provide market-beating returns.
"I think it's going to be pretty big."
Next on Henry's list of big purchases is a car to help him visit friends and family more easily.
He had to take a short break from Fiverr to travel to help his family in Ukraine who have been "severely" affected by the war, but he hopes he should be the proud owner of a new motor in no time.
