A YOUNG COUPLE ditched their three-bedroom home to live on the water to save their cash.
Newly engaged Ellie Jones, 28, and Harry Barker, 28, from Cheshire knew they had to find a way to save money after energy bills increased.
The couple were spending £750 for rent and around £370 a month for bills living on land.
Worried about the cost of living crisis and paying for their wedding, the pair decided to ditch their home and their furniture to live on a boat and save money.
The answer came to them when Ellie's dad Chris, revealed that he was selling the family's narrow boat, ‘Shirley’.
Ellie and her partner haven't yet moved onto the boat but are preparing to set sail in their new home to save money for their own house and dream wedding.
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"It is a lot cheaper to live on a boat, especially with the rising cost of energy,” Ellie, who works at John Lewis, told NeedToKnow.online.
And the pair expect to save a whooping £800 a month in their tiny new home.
She said: "Currently we spend over £1,120 a month on bills for the house, and then we need to factor in food and entertainment.
"To keep costs low we try to use as little electricity and water as possible and walk as many places as we can.
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"On the boat, we will do the same, not just to keep costs down but we won't have to fill up the water tank or charge the battery as often.
"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."
But the couple's tiny home means the pair are having to sell off most of their furniture.
Ellie said: "There are 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.
"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."
Ellie and Harry had often joked about living on a boat but didn't expect it to become a reality.
She explained: "We had always joked about living there together but it was never seriously considered until my dad said they wanted to sell the boat.
"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.
"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."
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The couple gave the boat a trial run over Christmas to ensure living there was comfortable enough.
Fortunately, it was a success and now all the pair need to do is find new tenants to take over their three-bedroom property
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