Living in a Caravan – 4 years to the Good Life

Longships

It is time for the six figure debts to go! For 10 years now we have lived one step forward, two steps back again. It’s bad enough getting older but getting poorer at the same time is no fun at all. So we (me, oh and cat) have taken the drastic step of getting rid of the (rented) house and moving in to our little, old but good, touring caravan.

With no rent, council tax, water or electric bills to pay, oh’s full-time job (on a caravan site conveniently ) is more than enough to keep us so that means every penny I can earn is surplus. I intend to use half my income to pay off debts – starting with our £2,000 overdraft – 10% to save towards getting another car as our previously reliable old jalopy is slowly dying – and the remaining 40% into building up my part-time antiques business.

My intended sources of income are:

• Selling affiliate products on the internet – I have been doing this for years but the income varies a lot and could vanish all-together without warning. This month I am expecting it to make around £300.
• Cleaning – I have taken on a part-time cleaning job on the site which should bring in around £50-£80 per week.
• Buying and selling antiques at fairs etc. – I have quite a bit of specialist knowledge in this area and hope to turn a profit.

The majority and the biggest of our debts (totaling over £100,000 :eek:) are 6 to 10 years old and have been accepting token small payments every month so I am hoping to be able to negotiate a much smaller full and final settlement figure.

The target date is 4 years from now because that is when oh starts receiving a liveable armed forces pension. The goal is to clear all our debts and buy a small-holding somewhere in the West Country to live a long happy retirement surrounded by chickens and our hopefully numerous grandchildren.

Living in a caravan is not the hardship you might imagine, especially on a sunny afternoon in Cornwall! There are excellent on-site facilities and it is for the most part stress-free living. However come November we may have to think about a short-term rental hibernation for the winter months and return to the caravan next spring.

I am hoping this diary will not only keep me on track but help me when the rain is pouring, the wind is blowing a gale and the awning is leaking!

maggiem

Good luck with your plans to sort out debts once and for all. Fingers crossed the weather stays kind for you.

Lots of help advice and support here too.

elantan

Have you lived in a caravan before? I ask as I did so many years ago and wouldn't recommend it, good luck to you though that's one way to defeat the debt

CIS

If a caravan is being used for long term residential use then the pitch should be reported to the VOA and council tax would become due.

Rosso

CIS wrote: »

If a caravan is being used for long term residential use then the pitch should be reported to the VOA and council tax would become due.

My thoughts exactly.

Nymphadora

Good luck. I think as long as you and your OH are happy then you do what needs to be done to get you where you want.

suburbanwifey

CIS wrote: »

If a caravan is being used for long term residential use then the pitch should be reported to the VOA and council tax would become due.

And the Council Tax Police turn up everywhere *sigh* is there no escape from the same old, same old .... I'm sure they are aware!

CIS

I'm sure they are aware!

Obviously not...

With no rent, council tax, water or electric bills to pay

If your not keen on advice being given on an advice forum then perhaps this isn't the place for you ?.

suburbanwifey

CIS wrote: »

Obviously not...



If your not keen on advice being given on an advice forum then perhaps this isn't the place for you ?.

Or you if all you can do is bleat on about Council Tax

elly68

most people who work on the caravan sites as poster oh does get the pitch free for the season and the site owners as in his employers pay the council tax ,i've looked as part of my future keep fit retirement plan we have a tourer and love it .good luck longships we went to devon last year for 2 weeks and kents caverns was the driest place we found lol

lindsaygalaxy

I know a couple that did this for 2 years. They rented out their house and lived in their caravan on a holiday site. They actually quite enjoyed it, though the winters were hard.