. >> reporter: contestant lori thompson, a senior at utah state, has also learned to embrace simplicityally is a shameless thing. everyone's jealous of a cheapster. >> reporter: she lives in a cheap basement apartment. is an obsessive couponer. >> if there's a problem, we can fix it. >> reporter: and does her own car repairs. >> we are all paid for for school, for our cars, everything. no debt at all. >> reporter: with average college tuition skyrocketing, the $35,000 a year, room and board topping $8,000, and a dismal job market on the horizon, it's not just the cheapsters who are coming up with inventive ways to save. like many college kids, university of north carolina senior will thomason eats constantly. >> that's the bad part. >> reporter: but he doesn't pay a dime for any of it. >> cutting corners every chance we get is almost necessary. leftovers from rehearsal. >> reporter: i feel a little embarrassed to go up there and take food. >> that's exactly what they want. >> reporter: his goal, eat free for an entire year. each day, he checks an online listing of campus events offering