A Hampshire gran saves £10,800 a year on rent after using her divorce settlement to buy a motorhome - and says it allows her to work 50 percent less.

Sherry Smith, 62, bought the motorhome for £20k after splitting from her ex-husband three years ago.

The cleaner, from Waterlooville, Hampshire, is now able to work 30 hours a week, instead of the 60 hours a week she would have to work to afford a flat - and uses the extra cash to treat her grandchildren.

She parks up for free on her wealthy clients’ driveways, and is able to put away £400 a month from her income, which she plans to use to travel around in her van.

She said: “I bought the van after ending my marriage and paid for it outright with the money from the divorce settlement.

“It was a means of escaping my trauma, and also to save money. I just didn’t want to be struggling financially.

“Rent in my area is about £900 a month, and I’d have to work 60 hours a week to afford that, instead of the 30 hours a week I work now.

“I clean the houses of lots of wealthy people that have huge driveways and let me park there for free at night.

“The savings I make allow me to put around £400 a month away, to progress towards my future, and to treat my grandchildren.

“I love the freedom it gives me to travel.

“If I have a quieter day at work, I can take my grandchildren down to the coast for the day.”

Sherry decided to purchase a motorhome, after going through a divorce, and moved into the van full time in September 2024, alongside her dog Remi.

She snapped up the ‘06 Eldis Autoquest for £20,000 from a local dealership, using money from her divorce settlement to buy the van outright.

Moving into the van was both a means to “escape” her “trauma”, and to save money.

“I thought 'do I want to live in poverty, or do I want to save money, and have a bit of a life?'”, she said.

The 5.5 x 2.1 m van has a fridge, a cooker, and a toilet in it, and Sherry showers at her local gym, where she has a £40 a month membership.

Sherry estimates that renting a flat in her local area would set her back £900 a month, but instead, she now pay nothing towards rent or a mortgage.

She also saves money by parking her van up at night on her rich clients’ driveways.

“I also use free 24-hour car parks, as long as they don’t stipulate no sleeping, and there’s a marina nearby where lots of motorhome's park overnight. I feel really safe there," she said.

Sherry spends £40 a week on gas to heat up her caravan, and is able to work less hours, due to the money she is now saving.

Sherry’s favourite thing about living in the motorhome is the freedom it gives her to travel.

However, she admitted there are some downsides to her lifestyle, such as the fact she can’t host friends and family for dinner and doesn’t always feel completely safe in the motorhome on her own.

Sherry hopes to save enough money to be able to take more time off work, to travel around in her van.

She added that although she takes things “day by day” she could see herself living in her “house on wheels” full time, as she’s gotten so used to it.

Around three years ago, Sherry set up her own business called Stay Bay, where she sells products specifically designed to tether dogs to the beach.

“I love taking my dog to the beach, but I became frustrated that I was never able to relax, as so many beaches require dogs to be on a lead," she said.

“I created a product to tether dogs to the beach, whilst you lie back, or go swimming, and it’s gone down really well so far”.

Sherry hopes to travel the country to promote her product during the summer, and you can purchase it on the Stay Bay website: www.staybay.co.uk.

Sherry's monthly costs: