Save Money : Live in Your Van and Become a Van-dweller
In many of the big cities in the United States, apartment rents are soaring. Many people pay more than half of their salary for rent. Some people have decided to abandon living in an apartment and struggling to pay the rent. Van dwelling becomes their new option to save money. These people are not the wandering homeless. They just see things differently. To be frank, when your eyes are closed it doesn't matter where you are sleeping. Does it really matter if you are in a $5,000 a night suite in a fancy hotel? You can sleep just as comfortably on a bed inside your van.
Most van dwellers are single. There are some couples that manage. You would be surprised to find out that people actually live in the vans in the winter. Insulating the floor, walls, and roof makes van living bearable. Also, small heaters can be installed. One enterprising fellow uses bottles filled with heated paraffin wax.
Saving money by living in your van can give you more time to travel and see the country. Some van dwellers only work part time to sustain themselves. When they tire of one place, they just drive off for a new adventure. Living in a van requires some sacrifices. Van living requires getting rid of some of your possessions. You would be surprised to find out what you can do without.
You might ask, where do you park your van to go to sleep at night? These Van-dwellers park in friend's yards. Some pay people to park on their property. Some stay on the streets. They arrive when it is dark and leave early in the morning. They call this "stealth camping". If you use your imagination you will be able to find lots of places to stay undetected.
All you really need in a van is a bed. Some people make fancy raised platforms, complete with drawers, for storage. Others use a sheet of plywood supported by milk crates with a mattress on top. An air mattress with a small electric air pump works quite well.
Bathroom facilities can be a 5 gallon bucket with kitty litter and plastic bags for waste disposal. A wide mouth beverage bottle works fine. A better option would be to buy one of the Port-a-potty units found in camping departments. Another option is to use public facilities like restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores.
Some ingenious van dwellers attach hooks to the walls of the van and hang net bags for storage. Some use bars to hang their clothes on. For privacy they use dark cloth pieces, secured with Velcro, on the windows. A piece of stout cord can be strung behind the front seats. Then some dark curtains are hung to prevent anyone looking inside the back of the van.
Showering outdoors can be a problem. Some van dwellers resort to simple solutions. A quick shower can be a couple of 2 liter bottles with some holes punched in the bottle caps for spraying. Others use a solar shower that you get in camping stores. Long-term van dwellers get memberships at health clubs and shower there. Beaches and parks often have free outdoor showers. With a little imagination you can find bathing facilities.
Cooking can be done on a camping stove. One burner butane stoves work well. Some use steel thermos bottles that will slow cook a meal. Other van dwellers eat all their meals in restaurants. Cooking meals in public parks that have picnic tables is an option. Use your Imagination.
A van can be a mini recreational vehicle. There is no loss of dignity living in a van. No one has to know that you live in a van. Keep a low profile. It's a state of mind. Consider living in a van as being an adventure. The next time you see someone in a library or at a park you might be in the presence of a van dweller.
Published by Glen Morris
I am an internet marketer and article writer. View profile
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14 Comments
Post a CommentIm a 50yo male,,got sick and when i got out of hospital my wife left me cause i wasnt able to work and dying so i ended up in a 24ft motorhome i had used when down in NOLA after Katrina when i was helping with cleanup and have never recovered,,am on ssdi and it doesnt allow me to live in an apartment,house etc and have any cash left over to b able to do anything like a movie,dinner out or even extra gas to go out of town so ive decided to sell everything i have left,,,after ex took what she wanted and bank took the house it wasnt much!!,, but figure i can live in my camper van and travel and live better and atleast do something with whats left my life than just laying around waitin for the last day!!,,so call it forced or choosen im gonna be a van dweller and b happy!!
I have 2 vans, 1. I use for work-ladder rack & 1. is nicer I stay in.camping gear galore.
I plan on buying a 6 x 10 v-nose trailer sometime in the next few weeks and living in it full time. I pay $800 a month in rent and would much prefer that money to go towards paying off debt. The problem is that I live in Atlanta, GA and I can't figure out how to keep cool without spending thousands on a big enough solar system to run a 5,000 btu a/c unit. any ideas?
Hi, I see a lot of people saying "I plan on doing this soon..." I hope you all get the chance.
My wife and I were forced into van dwelling, and we are both so happy it happened, It's always exciting. Everyday is a different adventure.
hi im 47 and have lived in vans for the past 20 years, it started after i was divorced i had a camper van on the drive so left with that i now have a 25ft box wagon converted full kitchen and a wood burning stove i would never move back in a house
Here is a Yahoo group about living and camping in your van....
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VanLivingAndCamping/
huuby and I just did a 13 night road trip in our Pontiac Mini Van...it was great...the money we saved on lodging allowed us to eat fresh lobster overlooking the Maine Coastline, enjoy a wine tasting in the White Mountains and morning coffee along the Battenkill River in Vermont...
I have been researching vandwelling for a while. Mainly to be able to travel on the cheap. Love the article!
I found this article to be very informative. I would love to become a Van-Dweller in the near future. There is a difference between choosing to live in a van and being forced to do so. Imagine: no utility bills, rent/mortgage or yard maintance. You can go anywere and don't have to pay for a hotel, you are home no matter where you drive to and nothing is holding you down.
I am so tired of feeling restricted by this world's rules and expectations, I can't wait to be free.
I'm a junior in college in the midwest. I spent my first four semesters in a dorm, it was a good experience, but very expensive. This past semester I've been living at home and commuting to school two days a week. One of my friends, who lives in his station wagon full time, takes what money he would normally spend on rent, and uses it to sponsor children through compassion international. He inspired me go give van dwelling a try. I've been spending on average probably 1.5 to two nights in the van per week, and as many as four consecutive nights. Mostly parking in unrestricted lots at the library or the commuter's lot. I've long held a fascination with vans, and will probably try to live in a van full time in the future. I guess it's just a matter of finding "the right one..." ...my criteria are somewhat specific.