I ditched my house for life on a boat - it saves me £6k a year but here are the four things that I was not prepared for

Shannon Lane, 29, was sick of paying £900-a-month for a room in a 3-bed flat  She took out a loan to buy a £24k 30ft narrowboat and  moved in January 2023 READ MORE: I left London to live in a three-bedroom villa in Thailand

A woman from London ditched her house-share and quit the rat race to live off-grid in a narrowboat – and says it saves her £6k-a-year.

Shannon Lane, 29, was sick of paying £900-a-month for a room in a three-bedroom apartment in Clapton, East London.

The artist said she was looking for somewhere ‘more affordable’ with space for her and her pug, Gilbert, two.

So, she took out a loan to buy a £24k 30ft narrowboat, which she moved into in January 2023.

The Londoner says she now saves £500-a-month, which is more than £6k a year, and travels around the Grand Union Canal – moving every two weeks.

A woman from London ditched her houseshare and quit the rat race to live off-grid in a narrowboat – and says it saves her £6k-a-year

However, it’s not all been smooth-sailing and Shannon says she experienced ‘boat blues’ as she grappled with freezing weather, learning to move the boat, emptying the toilet and refilling her water.

The artist, who’s currently based in Hackney, East London, said: ‘I was paying £900-a-month for a room, I thought “this is ridiculous”.

‘I was thinking of other options that were more affordable with space that me and my dog could live in comfortably.

‘As soon as I saw the boat advertised I knew it was one for me, I spent £24k and I worked out that my loan repayments are £300-a-month.

‘That is a huge difference to what I was paying back in my house-share and this is something I now own.’

Shannon was living in a shared house with two friends – originally paying £900-a-month until her landlord upped her rent to £1,000-a-month.

She was walking around the Kings Cross canal in October 2022 when she came across a narrowboat for sale.

Shannon said it was a ‘no-brainer’ to move onto a boat and is now saving thousands a year.

Shannon Lane, 29, was sick of paying £900-a-month for a room in a three-bedroom apartment in Clapton, East London

The artist said she was looking for somewhere ‘more affordable’ with space for her and her pug, Gilbert, two

She said: ‘I saw the boat and thought ‘what if?’.

‘I texted the owner and we set up a viewing for the following week.

‘As soon as I saw the boat itself I saw it was £24k and I worked out that paying my loan from the bank to afford it would be £300-a-month.

‘That is a massive saving from what I was paying in my house-share.’

However, there were things Shannon was not prepared for and she found difficult within her new home.

She explained: ‘It was a huge learning curve, I like to call it my boat blues.

‘I thought it was going to be amazing and I would have all this freedom but when you come down to it you have all this hard work.

‘It was January too so I was freezing, I didn’t know how to move the boat, empty the toilet or fill up the water.

The Londoner says she now saves £500-a-month, which is more than £6k a year, and travels around the Grand Union Canal – moving every two weeks

‘The best thing about boat life is the community, it is so nice to each other – if it wasn’t for them I don’t think I could have done it.’

Shannon said she loves the freedom of being on the boat and said her family weren’t shocked by her decision.

She said: ‘I am a spontaneous person, they were hesitant at first but they trusted my judgement.

‘That solidified when they visited and they said it was such a nice way of life.

‘I have made some of my best friends in the community, it is the freedom you get. I love the fact I can travel whenever I want and the summers are absolutely amazing.’

Now she’s had a taste of this way of living, the 29-year-old revealed she would love to live on the boat for the rest of her life.

She said: ‘I don’t like the idea of going back and paying traditional bills.

‘At the minute I am just filling up gas whenever I need and my electricity comes from my solar panel.

Shannon explained: ‘I was thinking of other options that were more affordable with space that me and my dog could live in comfortably’

‘But, in order to live with my boyfriend I might have to as I am not sure he wants to move onto the boat.

‘In a dream world I would live to here forever but I am not sure that is what my partner wants.’

And Shannon isn’t the only one swapping land for water – Amy Cross, 28, from Nottingham, and her partner, Wes Arthur, 30, were sick of their 40-hour working weeks in Sheffield.

In June 2021, pair quit the ‘rat race’ to live off-grid and travel full time in their boat – to ‘take control’ of their lives.

Set on choosing their own hours and avoiding overtime, they decided to overhaul their lifestyle – ditching their rented £675-a-month three-bedroom home and changing their jobs to have ‘less responsibility and stress’.

They now work remotely from their boat and sail around the UK – having travelled through Wales, the Midlands, and down the entire length of the River Thames.