Field notes · Est. 2026

Surviving — and occasionally thriving — in Britain on a budget.

Honest, practical writing on benefits, bills, housing, food, and the small moves that add up when money is tight.

UK remote jobs that aren't a scam: where to find them in 2026

Real fully-remote UK jobs still exist — they're just buried under "hybrid roles" pretending to be remote and "earn £5,000/week from home" scams. We mapped the boards British remote workers actually use, plus the filter words that surface real listings.

17 May 20265 min read

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This week

Living in a van or car in the UK: the real costs, where you can legally sleep, and the free-vehicle myth

A van can drop your housing cost to under £300 a month — but "free van living" is mostly a myth, and the cheap version runs on a thin line of legality most people only learn after a 2am knock on the window. Here's what it actually costs, where you can sleep, and the rules that keep it legal.

5 min read

Living on a boat in the UK: the real costs, the free moorings myth, and how people do it for £400 a month

A narrowboat can house you for a third of London rent — but "free living afloat" is mostly a myth, and the cheap version has rules most people learn the hard way. Here's what it actually costs, where the free bits genuinely exist, and the licence that makes or breaks the budget.

4 min read

Camping in the UK for free: where it's legal, where it's tolerated, and the apps that find a pitch

A campsite pitch runs £15–£40 a night in 2026. Most of Britain still lets you sleep outdoors for nothing — if you know where the law is on your side, where it's merely tolerated, and where a free roof comes with the deal. Here's the map, country by country.

4 min read

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