First-time buyers who struggled to get a mortgage but didn’t want to rent spend £18,000 buying and decorating a narrowboat – and now save more than £500 a month on bills
- Holly Sharp, 25, and her husband, Noah, 24, both from Stockport, quit rat race and moved onto narrowboat
- Couple were trying to save for deposit to buy a house but were struggling while still paying rent
- They are now saving over £500 per month on bills thanks to solar panels used to power pumps and lights
A young couple who decided to quit the rat race is now saving over £500 per month on bills after moving onto a narrowboat.
Holly Sharp, 25, and her husband, Noah, 24, both from Stockport, moved on to their narrowboat last February after becoming fed up with spending all their money on rent and are now saving over £500 each month on bills.
The pair, who were previously renting a two-bedroom home, struggled to get a mortgage to buy their first home and instead decided to take a different route by moving onto a narrowboat.
Holly says that they were trying to save money for a deposit to buy a house but were struggling to save while paying the rent for their home.
Holly and Noah, a window cleaner, decided to call it quits and ditch the rat race for a narrowboat.
Holly Sharp, 25, and her husband, Noah, 24, both from Stockport, moved on to their narrowboat last February after becoming fed up with spending all their money on rent and are now saving over £500 each month on bills. Pictured, Noah working on the kitchen
The pair, who were previously renting a two-bedroom home, struggled to get a mortgage to buy their first home and instead decided to take a different route by moving onto a narrowboat. Pictured, the renovated kitchen
Holly pair were trying to save money for a deposit to buy a house but were struggling to save while paying the rent for their home. Pictured, the boat before renovations
The couple spent three months renovating their boat and spent a further £3,000 on the updates before finally moving in full time in February 2020. Pictured, the inside of the boat after Holly and Noah renovated it
The couple have spent a total of £18,000 buying and decorating the narrowboat. They had to downsize on all of their belongings to fit in the limited space after living in a two-bedroom house. Pictured left, before renovations and right, Noah and Holly’s bedroom
Holly and Noah (pictured), a window cleaner, decided to call it quits and ditch the rat race for a narrowboat
‘Since moving onto our narrowboat we are saving over £500 per month on all of our bills,’ she explained.
‘The things that we have noticed the most savings on are obviously rent, and things such as gas and electricity.
‘We just have a wood stove so we mainly just use coal and wood. We get wood for free a lot too as there is always people giving it away on Facebook or usually family and friends that have some to give to us.
‘We don’t have many outgoings at all compared to when we were living in a house.
The couple spent almost a year looking for the right boat and one that was affordable. Pictured, inside the narrow boat home
Holly says that since moving onto the narrowboat the couple (pictured) are saving over £500 per month on all of their bills
Holly says she could never imagine living in a house again. Pictured, posing out the window of the boat
Holly says living on a narrowboat has completely changed the way the couple live and their outlook on life. Pictured, a wardrobe in their bedroom on the boat
‘Noah is so clever and handy, he does all the maintenance jobs around the boat which also saves us a lot of cash.
‘But we do try to save money for any unexpected problems that might pop up.
‘We’d always wanted to own our own home, but we really struggled with saving while also paying rent on the house we were living in.
‘So when we realised we couldn’t afford a house and weren’t able to get a mortgage we thought we should try something different and buy a narrowboat.
‘We’d always be interested in tiny living and thought it would be a great way to change our way of life.
Holly says her husband Noah (pictured, painting the boat) is ‘clever and handy,’ adding that he does all the maintenance jobs around the boat which saves them a lot of cash
‘We spent almost a year looking for the right boat and one that was affordable.
‘In December 2019 we found a historic boat with a wooden top for sale for £15,000.
‘We had some savings from our attempt of saving for a house, but we also took out a loan to help us afford it.’
The couple spent three months renovating their boat and spent a further £3,000 on the updates before finally moving in full time in February 2020.
They had to downsize on all of their belongings to fit in the limited space of their narrowboat after living in a two-bedroom house.
Holly, who works remotely from the narrowboat as an admin worker said: ‘You can’t hoard as much when you live in such a small space. You only have the things you really need.
Holly says the couple had always been interested in tiny living and thought it would be a great way to change their way of life. Pictured, the couple’s breakfast on the boat
The couple have noticed the most savings on things like rent, gas and electricity (pictured)
Holly says that the pair are some of the youngest people in their area that are living on a boat and that living on a narrowboat (pictured) is usually associated with older generations
‘In December 2019, the couple found the historic boat with a wooden top for sale for £15,000 (pictured)
‘When we first moved in I actually really enjoyed getting rid of all the things that we weren’t going to use.
‘We have a lot more of a simpler life now and we don’t have to stress about money and bills.
‘We live a much happier life now with no money worries or stressing about little things in life.’
Holly says that the pair are some of the youngest people in their area that are living on a boat and that living on a narrowboat is usually associated with older generations.
The couple say they have a lot more of a simpler life now and don’t have to stress about money and bills (pictured, together)
Holly (pictured left, with her husband Noah) works remotely from the narrowboat as an admin worker
Savvy Noah has done the majority of the work on the narrowboat himself – saving the couple thousands
The couple have a limited water supply on board and use solar panels to power pumps and lights. Pictured, the couple’s narrowboat home
The couple think that living on a narrow boat is a way of life rather than just somewhere to live.
She added: ‘It’s very different to living in a house as we have a limited water supply on board and we use solar panels to power our pumps and lights.
‘We haven’t come across too many people our age that is living on a narrowboat but I do think the popularity is growing.
‘I could never imagine us living in a house again. It has completely changed the way we live and our outlook on life.
‘I can’t see us moving off a boat, we just love the idea of tiny space living.
‘It’s not always plain sailing and it does have its challenges but we wouldn’t change it for the world. I couldn’t imagine our life any other way.’
To read more, visit: @itsanarrowboatlife
The couple think that living on a narrowboat is a way of life rather than just somewhere to live. Pictured, the boat before Holly and Noah renovated it
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