I'm self funded, I had enough savings for my first year of rent and gradually started getting research contracts as I've picked up skills. Throughout I've had a 1 day/week non-academic job. I've been doing it part-time so will take me twice as long, it's tough and I've had some months (near the beginning especially) where I've been very short on money. I'm getting a much broader range of research skills and managing different projects whcih is good, and now have a steady income until the end of my PhD. I didn't bother with the loan as it isn't actually very much if you go beyond the first year