6 Month Van Living Expenses

[INTJohn]

My van living expenses for the 6 month period from Oct '23 thru March '24.
(All 6 mo totals have been rounded up to the next hundred)

I bought the van new 1 year ago to the day - 20 April, '23 for 50,000$ out the door and put 7000$ Into the build. For simple math I've rounded up the total cost to 60,000$; over 10 year period is 6000$/yr.; 3000$ for 6 months;
thus "housing & transportation" costs is 500$/ mo.

Credit Card purchases is limited to gas & food. Fuel was purchased at well known nationally known gas stations and 90% of food purchases was done at various Walmart Stores; remaining 10% was at Publix Stores. 6 month total for "Fuel & Food" is 3600$ ; 600$/mo.

Cash purchases totaled about 700$ For the 6 mo period; 120$/mo.

Housing & Transportation (The Van) 500$/mo
Fuel & Food 600$/mo
Spent Cash 120$/mo

Average Monthly Expenses = 1220$

jonny boi living the dream

 

[eDJ_]

About how many miles this year are you traveling ? Are you planning itineraries or enjoying freestyle drifting ? Just curious. I think you set a great example.

 

[bullfrog !]

^^^everything looks mathematically correct. Did you consider things like insurance, communication, general expenses and just lack of local knowledge. On the road many things tend to cost me more unless a friendly locals let me in on deals at local businesses. Just gas, food and in general a daily visit to a day use area or friends location or just general interest driving around to see sights costs me if I’m lucky $30 a day on average. As an example yesterday I made breakfast 2 eggs, 2 slices of thick bacon. Spinach and a piece of toast with butter and jelly for around $3. I went hiking with a friend in a remote location and used 2 or 3 gallons of fuel ( over $4 a gallon so $10 ) stopped at a road side Mexican restaurant and bought a burrito which I cut in half for lunch and dinner meals for $10. I usually use powered drink flavoring in my water as I drink a lot in the desert and things like this and toilet paper, tooth paste or sun screen probably cost me at least $1 a day. The handle on my topper broke opening it when I got home but I was able to fix it with some JB weld and probably used $2 worth. So $26 but will need to do some laundry and got a small hole in my jeans that will need to be repaired as well as hiking shoe soles replaced eventually. I’m pretty active and have lots of projects that all cost money and fuel to do on most days so this was a cheaper day for me at a little under $30. So I’m more like $900 a month just for daily expenses. Our camper trailer payment is $200 a month plus a few more dollars for insurance. Our fuel costs go up when boondocking due to propane and generator usage and hauling water probably about $60 plus probably they cost about $60 a month. When not boondocking lot rent is about $400 to $600 depending on electric usage. So housing costs are as little as $350 to as much as $800 a month. Communication, medical insurance, taxes, tow vehicle and insurance for it as well as general maintenance are all on top of that so it can get expensive but still cheaper than most any other living in my opinion as the “average” two bedroom apartment is several times what we spend on housing in the areas we stay in. We spend a lot more on transportation as we recreate driving off road and to remote locations just about daily. Walking or biking (electric for us) cuts those expenses dramatically.

 

[INTJohn]

About how many miles this year are you traveling ? Are you planning itineraries or enjoying freestyle drifting ? Just curious. I think you set a great example.

I put about 11,000 miles on the van over the 6 month period.

intjonny

 

[bullfrog !]

Correct me if I wrong but even if you spent all of your food and gas $600 for 6 months on just gasoline that would be $3,600. The average price of gasoline in the USA is about $3.60 a gallon so about 100 gallons to go 11,000 miles in your vehicle you would have to get much better than 11 miles per gallon in order to have much left over for food, right? Even if you got 22 miles per gallon you still only have $300 for food per month! All those pretty girls must be buying you drinks and you are eating a lot of free bar food, been known to happen in my younger days! Lol!!!

 

[INTJohn]

Actually i doubt i spent much over 200$/ mo for food. My estimate of about 50$/wk turned out to be fairly accurate. Actually I could go back thru the CC statements and determine exact fuel expenditures but to much time and I don’t really care but I could email you copies and you can knock yourself out with them since you’re so interested.

As far as fuel mileage goez. I rarely drive over 50mph and on interstates it’s rarely over 60mph.
And according to the miles per gallon reading on the van at 50ish mph its getting about 23mpg.

Are you audition ing as an accountant for the IRS?

 

[bullfrog !]

Nope just curious how you can afford to be around so many pretty women! Lol!!!

 

[INTJohn]

Nope just curious how you can afford to be around so many pretty women! Lol!!!

Hey, I sometimes wonder the same thing. But hell it’s not necessary that I know. Sometimes it’s best to just not know.

jonny boi livin the dream

 

[rruff]

Good to see you are breaking in the dance floor, Jonny!

 

[Frood]

What is the make/model of your van? I tried going through old posts but couldn't find it. That's
some good mpg... I like those numbers!

 

[frodo2222]

My van living expenses for the 6 month period from Oct '23 thru March '24.
(All 6 mo totals have been rounded up to the next hundred)

I bought the van new 1 year ago to the day - 20 April, '23 for 50,000$ out the door and put 7000$ Into the build. For simple math I've rounded up the total cost to 60,000$; over 10 year period is 6000$/yr.; 3000$ for 6 months;
thus "housing & transportation" costs is 500$/ mo.

Credit Card purchases is limited to gas & food. Fuel was purchased at well known nationally known gas stations and 90% of food purchases was done at various Walmart Stores; remaining 10% was at Publix Stores. 6 month total for "Fuel & Food" is 3600$ ; 600$/mo.

Cash purchases totaled about 700$ For the 6 mo period; 120$/mo.

Housing & Transportation (The Van) 500$/mo
Fuel & Food 600$/mo
Spent Cash 120$/mo

Average Monthly Expenses = 1220$

jonny boi living the dream

So where is the insurance costs and the cell or internet costs or do you drive without ins and go to the free wifi places only?

 

[INTJohn]

What is the make/model of your van? I tried going through old posts but couldn't find it. That's
some good mpg... I like those numbers!

The van is 2023 promaster 1500 136”wb high roof.
Yeah hiway cruise speed of 50mph is about 23mpg. At 60 it’s about 18/19. Over 60 drops off significantly.

So where is the insurance costs and the cell or internet costs or do you drive without ins and go to the free wifi places only?

Insurance & cell are both on a family bundle thing my Dr Dawter worked out & pix up. Part of the payback to me for the 50,000$/yr med skool expense yrs back.

jonny boi livin tooo good

 

[INTJohn]

The average price of gasoline in the USA is about $3.60 a gallon………..

Entire time I spent in Florida which was about 41/2 months, i guess, of the 6 month total gas prices were around 3.25$/ga even in the Keys. I remember paying 3.40 as a high a couple times.

Rarely have a drink in a bar but when I do I pay cash.

Food, I basically never eat in restaurants; never buy food prepared by sum1; never buy fast food. Prepare my grub in the van; eat in the van.

Had 2 big dinner restaurant meals all 6 months; with Dr Dawter n Son n Law while in the Keys that they pikt up the tab.

Typical day: breakfast: bowl of oatmeal or similar maybe 75 cents?
Peanut butter whole wheat sandwich for lunch; 50 cents? Sometimes pop tart stead of bread.

Dinner: can of mixed veggies 1$ish or mixed veggies salad.
8 oz can of beans 1.5$ish
13 oz Premium chicken breast 2.50$ish or
Skinless, boneless premium salmon 5$

Total days food. 6.50 to 8.50 bux / day. 45$ to 65$ ish per week.

jonny boi sayin.

 

[rruff]

jonny boi living the dream

Just some comments, that don't necessarily apply to you... mostly it's a rant about the "Rent's too high? Live in your van!" meme...

To be fair, if you want to tally the total living cost... vehicle expense should be depreciation, maintenance, repairs, insurance, and fuel. Best expressed as an amount per year and an amount per mile. All the items you carry and use need to be depreciated as well... they won't last forever.

They didn't have enough data for Promasters I guess, but here is an estimate for a Transit... $57k for 5 years. That's probably high, but you can adjust parameters to your mileage and insurance cost. An old POS vehicle would have little deprecation and cheaper insurance, but higher costs to keep it running and the lack of reliability are a concern. https://www.edmunds.com/ford/transit-van/2019/cost-to-own/?style=401779774

Too many people seem to think that the cost of a vehicle is the price of gas. That isn't even close to being true. If they do the math honestly, they may find it actually costs more to live in a van and travel than live in their apartment! For people who have trouble with money or the disparate things you need to pay attention to and deal with when living in a vehicle, the apartment is a far simpler, easier, and secure place to live... usually.

 

[Gr8ful]

WOW that's near $1000 per month.

 

[rruff]

When I take a trip with someone and we use their car, I buy all the gas. They think I'm being generous, but I'm definitely not...

 

[frodo2222]

Just some comments, that don't necessarily apply to you... mostly it's a rant about the "Rent's too high? Live in your van!" meme...

To be fair, if you want to tally the total living cost... vehicle expense should be depreciation, maintenance, repairs, insurance, and fuel. Best expressed as an amount per year and an amount per mile. All the items you carry and use need to be depreciated as well... they won't last forever.

They didn't have enough data for Promasters I guess, but here is an estimate for a Transit... $57k for 5 years. That's probably high, but you can adjust parameters to your mileage and insurance cost. An old POS vehicle would have little deprecation and cheaper insurance, but higher costs to keep it running and the lack of reliability are a concern. https://www.edmunds.com/ford/transit-van/2019/cost-to-own/?style=401779774

Too many people seem to think that the cost of a vehicle is the price of gas. That isn't even close to being true. If they do the math honestly, they may find it actually costs more to live in a van and travel than live in their apartment! For people who have trouble with money or the disparate things you need to pay attention to and deal with when living in a vehicle, the apartment is a far simpler, easier, and secure place to live... usually.

While I agree with most of what you say,,,In Portland a small apartment is 1000-1500 a month and you can't take it to the Grand Canyon lol and as far as the POS cars I have several friends that drive newer diesel trucks to pull their 30 foot fifth wheels that have spent thousands on turbos etc etc on top of the 10-30 grand for the purchase..My POS Dodge 1993 was 1000 and I've spent about 2200 on required items like Injector pump and new front end which over the 11 years and 100,000 miles I've put on it works out to about $22 a month for repairs and depreciation..granted it's a Cummins

 

[Gr8ful]

5.9 Cummins, 12 valve, pre computer IMHO The Very Best! I had the last month they made. When the 24 valve started numerous issues, Cracked Brazilian blocks, most all the inj pumps went bad right after the warranty was out, etc.

 

[rruff]

The recent "depreciation" scene for vehicles has been strange. I expect that to correct itself, which means something bought now isn't going to do so well.

I've lived really cheap in a Toyota pickup for 13 years (starting in '90). Still ~$15k in depreciation in today's money, ~$100/mo.

 

[frodo2222]

5.9 Cummins, 12 valve, pre computer IMHO The Very Best! I had the last month they made. When the 24 valve started numerous issues, Cracked Brazilian blocks, most all the inj pumps went bad right after the warranty was out, etc.

Yep..got it barely broken in at 270000 miles now at 372000 and still running great! Now the wiring..well different animal altogether lol