Thinking outside of the housing box...

Dharma_Bunny

Due to various things in our circumstances, we find ourselves in the position of not really being able to afford to rent a house, pay bills, eat good food and generally be suburban as is expected of us.

If Dh went and lived with his mother, there'd be no problem as I'd get IS, HB etc.
This is not the best route to married and familial bliss however. :rotfl:

So I'm trying to come up with some lateral thinking strategies for staying together while keeping body and soul together too.

So far, I've been thinking about living in a campervan, living in a yurt, communes/eco-communities or inflicting ourselves upon semi-reluctant family members.

We would be working, but just not earning enough to pay the bills as they stand.

We live in quite a cheap part of the country, so just re-locating is unlikely to make any difference unfortunately.

Hope this was the right board to post this on!

Cyril

Firstly as a conformist kind of person I would say that you need to increase your income so that between you you can afford rent. To live outside of the normal places of abode would not sit with me long term.

If however I found myself homeless short term I would be looking at these kind of options,

Lady Magazine for live in positions, carer for you, gardner for OH.

Put ads in newsagents for cottage / mobile home in return for labour on farm, equestrian yard etc

Maybe do charity work that maybe comes with overnight accommodation ie homeless shelter / soup kitchen / drop in centre.

Seasonal ie summer could buy a tent and shower in swimming baths.

Prob other ideas but can't think of any right now.

Choc-addict

Is both of you living with mother until you sort yourselves an option? Perhaps you could give us a brief financial summary to see if any help/advice can be given?

Dharma_Bunny

I'm sure we could live with his mother if we had to, but it's my least preferred option at this point though.

We certainly could increase our income to stay renting, but at this stage I want to adjust the housing to our lifestyle and income, rather than the other way round, iyswim.

Some very good suggestions though there Cyril.

barshamhillbilly

Dharma_Bunny wrote: »

I'm sure we could live with his mother if we had to, but it's my least preferred option at this point though.

We certainly could increase our income to stay renting, but at this stage I want to adjust the housing to our lifestyle and income, rather than the other way round, iyswim.

Some very good suggestions though there Cyril.

Houseboat?

Also using your mums address as you 'official' place of residence - get a huge tow caravan and just change sites every 28 days .... Join the caravan club and they have loads of small cheap sites. Round here you could have a different one every week of the year and still be within 10 miles of work, but obviously depends on your location.....


Good luck
BHB

Cyril

If you search the forum here DB there was a fantastic blog by someone and his wife who lived in a campervan for a year as they had set themselves a goal of living as cheaply as possible for at least a year.

I will try and find the link.

determined_new_ms

I think living with fam while things are tight & then working on changing your situation is probably the best option. Not ideal but to me with winter on our door outside living wouldn't be the answer. hth

Cyril

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3013560


Read this - very inspirational I think.

Tixy

Is this a short term issue because of wanting to use your income to pay off debts? Or is it a longer term issue that you can't afford to rent somewhere based on your incomes and the lifestyle level you want to live at?

If its short term then living with family members is definitely an option to consider and something quite a few people on this board have done whilst they clear debts/ or are studying so that there income will improve in the long run etc.

If its a longer term plan then him going to live with mother doesn't sound ideal. And you need to think about what you will do in the future or what you expect to change that would mean you could then afford to live together and independant.

bugslet

Cyril, just want to say thanks for that link, what a great post. If i didn't live with a grump, I'd love to do that, more for the freedom than the cost issue ( small mortgage).

Dharma_Bunny

Yes, thanks for that link, exactly what I'm after.

The situation may be short-term, it may be long-term.

Of course it's possible to combine these options, stay with parent in dead of winter, caravan for the warmer weather, so all ideas helpful.