A woman ditched her London houseshare and quit the rat race to live off-grid in a narrowboat - and says it saves her £6k-a-year.<br /><br />Shannon Lane, 29, was sick of paying £900-a-month for a room in a three-bedroom apartment in Clapton, East London.<br /><br />The artist said she was looking for somewhere "more affordable" with space for her and her pug, Gilbert, two. <br /><br />She took out a loan to buy a £24k 30ft narrowboat which she moved into in January 2023.<br /><br />She says she now saves £500-a-month and travels around the Grand Union Canal - moving every two weeks.<br /><br />But 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. <br /><br />Shannon, an artist, currently based in Hackney, East London, said: "I was paying £900-a-month for a room, I thought 'this is ridiculous'.<br /><br />"I was thinking of other options that were more affordable with space that me and my dog could live in comfortably.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"That is a huge difference to what I was paying back in my houseshare and this is something I now own."<br /><br />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. <br /><br />She was walking around the Kings Cross canal in October 2022 when she came across a narrowboat for sale.<br /><br />Shannon said it was a "no-brainer" to move onto a boat and is now saving thousands a year.<br /><br />She said: "I saw the boat and thought 'what if?'.<br /><br />"I texted the owner and we set up a viewing for the following week.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"That is a massive saving from what I was paying in my houseshare."<br /><br />Shannon moved onto the boat in January 2023 and said she was experiencing the "boat blues".<br /><br />"It was a huge learning curve, I like to call it my boat blues," Shannon said.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />Shannon said she loves the freedom of being on the boat and said her family weren't shocked by her decision.<br /><br />She said: "I am a spontaneous person, they were hesitant at first but they trusted my judgement.<br /><br />"That solidified when they visited and they said it was such a nice way of life.<br /><br />"I have made some of my best friends in the community, it is the freedom you get.<br /><br />"I love the fact I can travel whenever I want and the summers are absolutely amazing."<br /><br />Shannon said she would love to live on the boat for the rest of her life and doesn't like the idea of going back to paying traditional bills.<br /><br />Shannon said: "I don't like the idea of going back and paying traditional bills.<br /><br />"At the minute I am just filling up gas whenever I need and my electricity comes from my solar panel.<br /><br />"But, in order to live with my boyfriend I might have to as I am not sure he wants to move onto the boat.<br /><br />"In a dream world I would live to here forever but I am not sure that is what my partner wants."<br /><br />Finances while renting a room in a houseshare - <br />Rent per month - £900<br />Share of bills per month - £100<br /><br />Finances now living on a narrowboat - <br />Monthly loan repayment - £300<br />Gas - £40 every four months - so £10-a-month<br />Electricity - Free as generated by solar panels
