Couple shut business and sell home before moving into caravan to clear £45k debt
A couple decided to sell their home and move into a caravan to clear their £45,000 debt while being able to travel.
Juliet Owen-Nuttall, 48, from Sussex, and her husband, Daniel, were fed up with owing so much money and dreamed of being able to live a more minimalist life.
After financially struggling to make ends meet, they decided to sell their home and most of their belongings, liquidate their business and move into a caravan to live more nomadically.
Juliet and Daniel lived in an old silver bullet caravan, before buying an airstream motorhome and travelling through Europe, including Germany, France and the Netherlands.
Juliet said: "We owned a home that we rented out and we rented a house. Our rent was going up, and we were struggling to make ends meet properly anyway.
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"The debt around our necks was heavy, and we were both exhausted by it. We dreamed of financial freedom, and being able to travel while we worked on the road.
The couple's second, larger, caravan (Caters News Agency)"So we decided we'd move out of the house we were renting, sell our home, and move into a caravan. We also liquidated our cleaning business.
"It took us a couple of years to clear our £45,000 business and personal debt, however, a huge portion was gone when we sold the house and liquidated our business.
"I remember making the last payment on our credit card, it was the biggest relief ever and we were then able to move on to being able to start saving.
"After putting the house up for sale, it sold quickly and we initially took out a £20,000 short-term loan to buy our caravan.
Selling their home allowed them to live nomadically (Caters News Agency)"However, when the money came through from the house, we upgraded to an airstream motorhome because we'd had a bad winter in the caravan where we actually woke up with snow inside.
"The motorhome was vintage and lovely. We joked that we were homeless in style.
"Our outgoings went from around £3.500 per month to £1,000 a month, which was made up of the cost of pitches on campsites, fuel, and food."
The couple restarted their business and were able to work remotely and rebuild it while on the road.
The couple were able to cut their outgoings to just £1,000 a month (Caters News Agency)They fell in love with the simpler way of life and financial freedom that their motorhome provided them with.
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Juliet, who now works as a fertility wellbeing practitioner and helps women get pregnant over 40 naturally, said: "When we got together we had two homes with two lots of everything you have inside your home.
"And by the time we moved into the caravan we ended up with just two bags of belongings.
"We realised we didn't need all the stuff we thought we needed.
They travelled to various European countries (Caters News Agency)"We became much more aware of what we were using too. For example, because you have to fill up your own water, you start conserving the amount that you use.
"It was amazing.
"Being debt free was like a weight had been lifted after spending years carrying a huge boulder. Living without it hanging over us, was strange at first, and it finally felt like we could breathe.
"Beforehand, we were carrying around the shame of our debt.
"It changed our lives.
They have since relaunched their business (Caters News Agency)"There was a bit of stigma towards us for selling our home, and people didn't understand why we didn't just move into the home that we owned, but we just didn't want to.
"It wouldn't have made a huge financial difference and we were ready for a big change."
After the couple had cleared their debt, they began being able to save up to £1,500 for their personal savings.
Juliet says that they then managed to save enough money to be able to move to Costa Rica for a couple of years and buy a business out there.
The couple are now renting a home after the birth of their child (Caters News Agency)She added: "We were free to live our life the way that we wanted and it felt incredible.
"I eventually ended up falling pregnant with our daughter three years ago, and we decided we needed to be in a home with a newborn baby.
"With all the washing, cleaning and items we'd need, it wasn't practical for us to stay in the campervan.
"We'd cleared out debt, made lots of savings, and we were in a position to rent a home again for our family.
"So we sold the motorhome.
"However, it has changed how we live our life. We still have the rule that we don't buy anything unless we really need it now.
"We live more on necessity and are very conscious of everything we do and use, including water and electricity.
"We're also very conscious of not going backwards and getting into any more debt. If we want something, we will save for it until we can more than afford it, rather than just going for it.
"Although we aren't in a motorhome at the moment, we would definitely do it again.
"Beforehand, it was an enforced choice, but now we would do it out of choice to be able to travel again and be more free."
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