A couple are leaving behind their three-bedroom home for life on the water – a move that is set to save them hundreds of pounds each month.
Amid the cost-of-living crisis, the young couple from Cheshire have decided to save money by moving into a boat.
Newly-engaged Ellie Jones, 28, and Harry Barker, 28, were previously living in a three-bed home, which was costing them £750 for rent and around £370 a month for bills.
But the pair started to find the rapid rise in energy prices an issue, so they thought about different ways to save money.
Little did they know that their answers could be found with Ellie’s dad, Chris, after he told them he was selling the family’s narrow boat, ‘Shirley’.
The couple jumped at the chance to rent it, and now are nearly ready to move in.
‘It is a lot cheaper to live on a boat, especially with the rising cost of energy,’ Ellie said.
‘Harry proposed to me on the December 7 2022, in Paris, which was a trip for my birthday.
‘The wedding has definitely played a big factor in our decision to live on the boat.
‘I recently found out the average UK wedding costs £28,000 and I can’t justify that on one day.
‘I am very crafty and love DIY so I am hoping that living on the boat will help us to save some money.’
Currently they spend more than £1,120 a month on bills for the house. But, to keep costs low, they use use as little electricity and water as possible – and walk where they can.
On the boat, they plan to do the same – but the living situation will be considerably cheaper.
Ellie added: ‘It doesn’t cost much in fuel to run a boat but we’ll be saving costs by staying in the marina as much as we can.
‘We haven’t moved there yet but we aim to save an extra £800 a month.’
The couple had thought about living on a boat in the past, and decided to consider it more seriously as a way to save money.
‘It’s always been a little joke of ours about living on the boat, whenever we stay there for weekend trips, it is so relaxing and peaceful, we never want to leave,’ she said.
‘We really didn’t want to give up the boat so decided we would rent it off my parents and find a tenant for the house.
‘My dad was thrilled and we were both very excited but equally nervous.
‘I can see the move being very peaceful and quiet, less stressful and more calming. Hopefully a lot more travelling and adventures.’
They trialed working from home and found it to be a success, confirming their decision.
All the couple need to do now is find a suitable tenant to take over their three-bedroom property.
They then plan to travel on the boat on the weekends, and stay put on the weekdays.
However, despite the excitement of the big move, the pair have had some issues with Shirley.
Ellie said: ‘We have had a couple of scrapes and bruises when we’ve been travelling so it’s bound to happen again.
‘One of the light reflectors on our last trip scraped against the wall in a very narrow tunnel.
‘My dad has managed to fix it but we have a temporary hole in the bedroom wall.
‘We have been grounded occasionally and had a glue gun in a plastic bag wrapped around the propeller.’
The boat has two bedrooms, a double bed and one single bed.
‘My handy dad is currently in the process of making a foldable desk for the single bedroom so I can use it as an office in the week,’ she said.
‘The sofa in the lounge also converts into a double bed.
‘We are a little bit concerned about the lack of space and we are having to sell and give to charity the majority of our possessions from the house.
‘However we can’t wait to hopefully feel more relaxed and I hope that every day will feel like an adventure.’
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