To live in a Travelodge

Compile a list of Travel Lodges and the like that also have kitchenettes and laundries. Research widely and try living in some in beautiful places. You might be able to find a place to buy in your travels. You will not be spending more than you do now.

Regarding when you want to buy. Could you go back into rented the. Apply for a mortgage

I used to work away from home, living in travel lodge ect for a few months at a time. Fun at the begining after a couple of months its horrible and really gets you down.

Especially when you are unfortunate to have really bad guests the are visiting venues in the area and you will also get times where you get the inevitable drunk ect banging about in the corridor and it can feel quite intimidating with only a door between you.

These places also are in no hurry to fix issues, so leaky taps, smelly drains in rooms ect will not be quick fixes.

Not sure if this has been mentioned but have you looked at over 55s housing with the council. These are the only flats available without bidding / waitlist in my area. Rent is really low and although they tend to be small it’d save furniture s
storage and you’d have a kitchen.

I feel like I saw a tv program where someone did this. The travelodge put a plaque on their door. It was an older couple. They did have a home though and went back to check on the place / pick up the post. I think you’d need to have a mailing address somewhere.

Thats assuming average cost of room is around £30 per night. Then you would have food/toiletries and laundering of clothes. That 11K is an unrealistic forecast of costings of living in Travelodge for 1 year.

Is there a link to the other thread (luxury hotels) please? 🙏

We’ve been in a desperate situation before and got sorted by buying a tourer caravan and awning and siting it on a seasonal pitch. It was about £400 month plus electric . Some have laundry facilities, or use laundrette. It would get really expensive not being able to cook.

Not a FA, @lateatwork? Doesn’t show at all… What an absolute crock! You think someone on a £50k salary can get UC just because they put their own money in to secure savings? Hey, perhaps I should put all my salary in my pension and just scrounge off others when I’m actually perfectly capable of paying my own way. Hey, why don’t we all do that? FFS 😡

Could your DH get work as a carer in a residential/nursing home as he has experience in that situation?
You said he hasn’t worked for 25 years. That’s unfair if he has been caring for your disabled DS. He will have transferable skills.

Its a different matter if he’s had enough though.
Could he find work doing odd jobs or gardening for elderly residents? Most need shelving put up, sinks unblocked, curtains re-attached to rails, etc. Lifts to and from hospital. Shopping, dog walking, help filling in forms, writing letters of complaint etc.

You need to think outside the box

@ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea I posted about this but think they should rent over55 as no service charge - and posted some links. The OP earns quite well so even if they didn't do it forever it would enable them to save and maybe then do a shared ownership and buy the share outright ( no mortgage needed) -not necessarily over 55 either - it also means if income was tight at any point you can claim towards rent on UC - itsall far more sensible and logical at this age than living in travel lodges etc - for around the same money .

I don't think the OP is looking to travel around in the UK or move to Europe - she has a job in an office which presumably she needs to keep in order to pay the rent / mortgage / savings.

I agree with the poster who is suggesting looking for properties aimed specifically at the over 55s. Often can be cheaper than other housing, whether to rent or to buy (although there is often a high management fee with buying).

I remember reading an article a few years back about a couple who lived in a Travel Lodge, I think they had a microwave in their room for heating food up. And yes local authorities do use travel lodges for housing homeless families, although this is intended to be short term.

I don't think you would get the £30 room rate all year round unless they were prepared to do you a special deal.

It would be hugely expensive and repeating when it comes to food, laundry and other costs.

Also, it will probably trash your credit raring as you wouldn't have a fixed address for credit checks.

I would seriously think of renting a one bed flat or studio apartment. That way you'd have permanent address, privacy, kitchen, washing facilities. In any hotel, it's like renting a room in a shared home. No cooking facilities, visits to launderette, then things need ironing. In summer no fridge. I'd look at renting as I say 1 bed or even studio apartment. If you did go down hotel route I don't think it would be as cheap as you think, plus postal address, maybe a relative or friend would let you use their address but don't think it would be ideal for 2 years, hotel prices will rise and so will storage prices.

Have you looked at shared ownership?

Look at house sitting. I know someone who did this for a year and saved a fortune. There are websites you can sign up to and some properties are for say 6 months and you have to feed the cat. Im not sure i could stomach a travel lodge for more than one night. It would be very depressing. There are better options.

I think it’s worth looking into in more detail. In the finer months you could bbq on your way home or at a local beauty spot, ready roast chicken/french bread/salad type supermarket meals/ supermarket cafe meal/ community cafe meals if there’s one near you.
In the winter where I live holiday cottages are often let out cheaply from new year to just before Easter to cover the winter bills for the owner and to prevent burst pipe or similar cold weather issues that occur in empty houses.
Pet sitting is a good idea as well

As well as the van life groups on Facebook there are also traveller groups (some people in the groups come from traveller backgrounds; others are New Age travellers or just starting out). Lots of advice and many people living in different situations (vans, buses, camping, caravans, horse drawn, hand carts and more), quite a few pitch up on farms/small holdings etc in exchange for a bit work.

A combination of different accommodation could work well but I’d sell all but my most treasured possessions first.

Can you sneak an air fryer, a microwave or a crock pot in? If not it’s a boring diet of cold or kettle food. That’s ok if you’re happy living on ploughman’s lunches and pot noodles. The launderette is a fact of life for lots of people so I guess that’s no big deal. It would be a change of scenery too. Bear in mind youre basically living like a refugee though.

Article is from 2007 but I vaguely remembered the story....

22 years living in a Travelodge!

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/sep/11/longtermcare.travel

Good to read your contribution, coming from someone who knows this subject really well is very useful.
Whatever the OP's intentions, it just wouldn't be viable in the long term.

Are u near a canal or similar.
You could buy a boat and use the mooring address for legal purposes then sell the boat when you’ve bought

What about renting a studio flat. Small and cheap. Less cramped than a hotel room, fixed address and kitchenette. It would also mean using bed, wardrobe and sofa, so renting a smaller unit.

A one bed council flat would probably cost you £300 a month depending on area, with £300 bills. £7,200. As you're older there is dedicated properties for the over 55s in nicer areas, usually in your current council borough. Also try a housing association for assistance.
PS if you end up living in a hotel, sell your possessions instead of spending money for storage. You'll never get them out and you'll save £2k a year and raise funds by selling them