I live in a caravan for £394 a month because I couldn't afford private rent

30 June 2024 , 10:03
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Watch the video to see why one couple ditched a house for a van
Watch the video to see why one couple ditched a house for a van

A WOMAN has revealed how she ditched her house to live in a caravan and save a stash of money in the meantime.

Chelsea Nicholls, from the UK, lived in her touring caravan for over a year and a half because it was cheaper than renting, and she needed to save money to pay off her debt.

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Chelsea revealed how much it cost her a month to live in a caravanCredit: youtube/Chelsea Nicholls
The caravan Chelsea and her partner lived in
The caravan Chelsea and her partner lived inCredit: youtube/Chelsea Nicholls
Inside Chelsea's caravan where she lived for a year and a half
Inside Chelsea's caravan where she lived for a year and a halfCredit: youtube/Chelsea Nicholls

In a video posted to her YouTube channel, she revealed how much money she was saving each month by living in a caravan.

She said: "I'm actually going, to compare it to how much we paid when, we privately rented a two-bedroom Maisonette."

Chelsea revealed that with rent, council tax, water and energy bills she and her partner used to pay £1,035 every single month.

I'm a property expert - my guess for the cheapest time to buy a home this yearI'm a property expert - my guess for the cheapest time to buy a home this year

But when living in the caravan, all together, she and her partner were paying just £394 a month - giving them a saving of £641.

"So over a year we saved £7,552 pounds, wow," she exclaimed.

The amount they were paying each month had increased slightly, to £227 each or £454 in total, Chelsea revealed in a newer video.

"No council tax, or TV licence, or anything like that," she added.

Whilst the amount they were paying was still extremely low, Chelsea went onto explain why she was leaving caravan-life behind.

"As much as we have loved that [paying so little every month], living in a caravan is not ideal going forward," she said.

"I do not believe we could raise a child in this caravan," Chelsea noted, referring to the limited space inside.

But with some debt left to pay off, the couple couldn't afford to rent a flat or home privately - so put their name down on the housing association list, where they were lucky enough to get a flat.

This meant the couple got the best of both worlds - more room in a property and cheaper rent than private renting.

She explained: "Don't get me wrong, like we enjoyed living in the touring caravan for the first year but then we were just fed up with it.

Inside Camilla's £850k 'guilty pleasure' country pad - and Charles 'hates' itInside Camilla's £850k 'guilty pleasure' country pad - and Charles 'hates' it

"We knew we didn't want to raise a family in a touring caravan and it was the right decision for us at that time.

"But now we want an actual home and we cannot afford to privately rent again."

Chelsea and her partner have since moved into their new flat, and she gave viewers a tour following renovations.

The flat is a one-bed, ground floor and has "immediate access to the shared garden" via double doors in their living room.

Chelsea said she will be "forever grateful for the opportunity" to have a housing association flat.

And its "absolutely buzzing to share this next chapter of our lives" with her YouTube subscribers.

Leanne Hall

Renting, Money saving, House Prices, Homes, Home transformations, Cost of living, Bills

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