Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers

Places that are cheaper to live in than a traditional house.

1. A CANAL BOAT – this is dependent on where you live in the world as canals are not available globally.

If there are canals near you it is possible to buy a prime inner-city residence for less than £20,000 (GBP). Canal boats are compact and easily moveable to sites around the country, which may allow you to work part time or for short periods or indeed follow trade or craft fairs. There are canal rules to abide by and opening and closing locks can be quite physical. One problem that may occur is a drunk may untie your mooring rope during the night and you will drift.

If you do not want to move around too much the other option is to moor your boat and pay mooring fees, however these can cost thousands of (GBP) pounds a year.Moorings in city areas are more expensive and there can be a waiting list. In more rural areas the fees fall dramatically and you can find some marinas include sewage removal, drinking water, wi-fi and plug-in electricity.

Other expenses to consider are a safety certificate for your vessel, a boat license, insurance, upkeep costs and possibly council taxes.

2. A FLATPACK HOUSE

These compact houses are for one or two people to live in. They are eco-friendly in miniature, complete with composting toilet. The smaller houses can build it in 4 hours. These are not tiny houses sited on trailers, as such but are bought as a literal flat pack. This enables you to build your home but of course some expertise is required. If you are a super handy-person then it should not be too difficult. Finding a plot of land to build it might be the biggest headache.

There are several companies specializing in these type of houses including IKEA. So with a weekend (or 3-4 days) you can build a new home. Some are modular so you can add to your original house at a later stage.

Which of these options would you like?