We bought 'tatty' static caravan for £6,000 to live mortgage-free - it's helped us save 90% of our income

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
A couple from Leeds bought a "tatty" static caravan from a scrapyard for £6k to live rent-free - and now save 90 per cent of their wages every month.

Inspirational video shows how a couple of supersavers have managed to given their bank balance a massive boost - after moving into a ‘tatty’ caravan that cost them £6k.

Rudi Smith, 27, and his partner, Lauren Smith, 28, found themselves struggling with rent for their £750-a-month home in Leeds - despite both working full time. They decided to look for an alternative and decided to buy a 25m by 100m plot of land for £8,000 and a second-hand caravan for £6,000 - and now Rudi manages to put 90% of his monthly salary into a joint savings account.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The couple spent around £2,000 ripping out and renovating the caravan but now live mortgage and rent free - spending less than £100-a-month on bills. They say they save £13.8k-a-year on rent by living in their caravan.

Rudi, a stone mason, from Leeds, Yorkshire, said: "I save 90 per cent of my wage a month. There is so much breathing space financially. It's less stressful."

Rudi and Lauren, who works in hospitality, struggled to pay their £750-a-month-rent when the living cost crisis hit, and said it put them ‘in a real hole’. "It was £500 on top for bills. We had a couple of hundred left a month.”

So they bought the plot of land which was ‘rough and overgrown’ with ‘10ft high’ brambles, and found a second hand static caravan for £6,000 and have spent the last two years ripping it out and decorating it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Inside Rudi Smith and his partner Lauren Smith's static caravan.Inside Rudi Smith and his partner Lauren Smith's static caravan.
Inside Rudi Smith and his partner Lauren Smith's static caravan. | Rudi Smith / SWNS

Rudi said: "We bought it second-hand at a scrapyard for older caravans. It was a little tatty and just needed updating. The couple have been able to afford nicer materials - including herringbone wood flooring - as it's such as small space. It looks old on the outside and lush on the inside.”

The couple spend just £48 on a gas bottle to warm their home - and say it lasts three to four months. They have solar panels and off-grid electricity and pay just £30 for Wi-Fi. Lauren uses her wages to pay for bills and outgoings so that Rudi can put 90 per cent of his into a saving pot.

The couple have spent the last two years being in "militant savings mode" but are looking forward to travelling more in a campervan they bought in November 2022.

He said: "It's definitely not been easy. The winters are cold. It takes a lot of work at the beginning."

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1854
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice