A couple who were fed up with high rent spend $307 a week to live in a hotel room — and save $12k a YEAR.
Maranda Bowers, 47, and her husband, John, 40, lived in a two-story, three-bedroom home for $2,300 a month.
But in 2023, John had an accident at work where his right hand was crushed by a steel beam, so he was unable to work.
Maranda, who runs a cleaning company, could not foot the rent herself, so she lived with family for two weeks before moving into a hotel.
The pair have been living in a hotel for two years now, and pay $307 a week for a one-bed hotel room — which includes power, water, internet, and free parking.
Maranda said the couple has saved $12k a year on average and hopes to use the money they have saved to buy a tiny home and some land.
Maranda, a business owner from Pensacola, Florida, said, “The biggest positive about hotel life is you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on rent.
“You don’t need to put together a security deposit or pay a month’s rent in advance.
“When I book a six-month stay in this hotel, I know the max my bill will be is $307 a week.
“Getting $307 a week together is a lot easier than coming up with rent and utility bills every month.
“On average, over the last two years, we have saved around $1,000 a month.”
After John had an accident at work, Maranda was the sole provider, but struggled to afford the $2,300 monthly rent.
The pair decided to move out of their two-story, three-bedroom home and stay with family for two weeks before moving into a hotel.
“By the time John’s compensation kicked in, we could not afford the inconsistency to see whether or not we have money to pay the rent,” Maranda said.
“It was too hard with what I was making to pay the rent on my own.”
Maranda and John started living in a hotel in November 2023.
Now, Maranda will reserve her room for six months at a time.
Maranda said, “We have a kitchenette with a two-stove burner, and a full-size fridge so we can cook our own meals.
“Included in our weekly payments are power, water, trash, internet and free parking.
“They offer to clean your room every two weeks if you want them to, and they will provide you with fresh bed sheets every day.
“I like the convenience of it, it is one bill a week. I don’t have to worry about running the water or turning on the air conditioning.”
Maranda and John have saved around $1,000 a month by living in hotels over the last few years.
They hope to use that money to purchase a plot of land and a tiny home for them to own.
“We want to live simply, go on vacations and live our life rather than put all our money into a huge home,” Maranda said.
“Our kids are grown, we don’t have any little ones anymore, communal living doesn’t bother us.
“I would love a tiny home, we no longer want a big house — we like the simplicity of living simply.”
Maranda confessed it isn’t a luxurious lifestyle, but said their hotel room is like a mini apartment.
She has been able to put dividers up, so she has a private space to work.
Maranda said, “It isn’t luxurious, but it is worth what we save.
“We don’t have to worry about covering rent every month.
“A lot of people also think living in a hotel room means we have to spend lots of money eating out, but that is not the case. I cook all the time. I cooked Thanksgiving and Christmas for half the hotel.”
Costs before
- Rent: $2,300 a month
- Bills: $840
- Food shop: $800
Costs now
- Hotel stay (including bills): $1,228 a month
- Bills: $0
- Food: $800
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