I've known a couple people in similar situations who, instead of renting, bought mobile homes. It may not be a whole lot cheaper THIS year, but at the very least you can get something back from it by selling it when you are done.

You are still out the lot rental, but it's less -EV than renting a house or apartment...especially if you already HAVE the girlfriend.

Often you can find sellers willing to setup payments directly instead of needing a bank loan.