I LIVE IN MY VAN!

Save Money : Live in Your Van and Become a Van-dweller

When you see the word Van what comes to mind? Do you see, a plumber or a painter? Maybe you think of a teenager in a giant boom box with an airbrushed paint job. Perhaps you see a family with all their kids and dogs stuffed inside. You may also see a fancy $ 40,000 recreational vehicle with a deluxe kitchen, bathroom, and all the comforts of home. Vans are all of these things. There are people that actually live in their vans full time. Let us call these folks Van Dwellers.
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.

DISCUSS!

LOL

My father always warned me about those guys with vans (especially those who had wall to wall shag carpeting)...

Sounds nice! I asked my cat if he wanted to do the Van-living thing, and he said "eFff that!". Soooo, next life perhaps.

This one's really cute.

And clearly beats shagging on the shag in the back of a van 😛

Posted by lildol
This one's really cute.

Omg! Hearts @ the little wild flowers on the roof! 🙂🙂

All these little houses are adorable 🙂

does anyone else dream of living on a private beach? is it feasible? is it costly? do i have to move to Thailand?

The title of this thread made me think of Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live when he did the motivational speaker skit. "I live in a Van, down by the River!"

lol!!!!!

I have an intense urge about once a year, to just leave, without a word and live as a nomad. Just traveling around in an RV, doing God knows what. I think it's more of an escape fantasy, than some desire to experience the world or wanderlust.