Can you do this on $1,000/mo.?

[IGBT]

Well, our Ford Transit came as a cargo van, so no seats or anything behind the driver/passenger, just 11 feet of cargo area.   A blank slate.

Plenty of buyers for a used cargo van with low miles.  I will agree that not many buyers will want some plywood contraption someone comes up with to sleep/store clothes, cook, etc.   Near zero value in whatever mods you do to the inside of a van, so why not keep it simple?

Our queen size bed support in our Ford Transit cost about $100 and is all metal, can be installed and removed in less than 2 minutes.   Our electrical system is a Goal Zero 3000 watt-hr YETI that can run a toaster, rice cooker, coffee maker or fridge and has a built in MPPT solar charger.  Takes 15 seconds to unplug and remove from van.   Storage is plastic bins under bed frame support.

We might add a little permanent desk/cabinet soon but other than that we are going for simplicity and utility.

When we sell or trade in the van, it will look just like a barely used white cargo van with 30,000 miles on it.

 

[bullfrog]

You guys make simple van life look pretty good and I am considering giving it a try. I still am having a hard time seeing someone being able to follow the seasons well enough to keep most people that live in insulated spaces with AC and heat comfortable enough. Yes I know a good sleeping bag is necessary but how many days is my wife going to be willing to stay in it till I drive someplace warm enough for her to get out! I saw a couple with two vans in the campground here a few days ago camped in the shade swimming most of the day in the lake but sweating trying to read in their lawn chair still in their swimming trunks all night while I went home to my camper with AC. Was it difficult to adapt or what concessions or changes did you make in order to do this in an uninsulated van.

 

[Elbear1]

Waking up in july and august and seeing your breath every morning and having perfect 70-ish highs is extremely easy. Probably the easiest thing about this life. View out my window:

 

[IGBT]

I guess if it bothers me enough I might eventually add a small mini-split air conditioning unit.   There are really only 2 months out of the year which are universally pretty bad for heat all over the lower 48, July and August.   By September you can find a place in the shade at high elevation where it is getting down to 50 at night.

The goal zero will run an electric blanket for several days even with no solar recharge and a electric blanket on a queen size 8 inch thick memory foam mattress is mighty comfortable in a van.

I wouldn't stay somewhere in the winter in the van where it was constantly below, say, 40 degrees F.

 

[Elbear1]

There are really only 2 months out of the year which are universally pretty bad for heat all over the lower 48, July and August.   By September you can find a place in the shade at high elevation where it is getting down to 50 at night.

The lows have been in the 40's and low 50's all of august here and im only 8,500. Pretty much most of the mountain west is like that.

 

[bullfrog]

So I would assume it costs a little more for fuel as you have to travel a little more to stay comfortable? Have you had to put more miles on the van and spend more traveling to stay comfortable. What would you estimate your average costs for that would be? Would you still be able to do it at $1,000 a month? If not could you estimate how much you have spent?

 

[Elbear1]

Fuel out here or up here is a almost $1 a gallon more than out east. 85 octane is $3 a gallon. You can reach these areas from sw az in 600-1000 miles. Some even stay in northern arizona but I have not yet.

Round trip from SW az to where i am in north east UT is about 1500 miles. Realistically about $30 a month in extra fuel to migrate back and forth.

You can do it under $500 easy. (Again not counting your special needs; fuel and food and reoccurring basic monthlies)

 

[SLB_SA]

that 1,000 a month does not reflect the deductions for medicare and medicare prescription coverage. That plus a supplemental insurance plan will whack off another $300 or so.  That rapidly begins to make it a lot less money available for communication devices, pets, food, clothing, gas, laundry, emergency savings, a little entertainment now and again, etc.

If you can think of a way to create a part time job for a way to supplement your retirement while living a nomadic lifestyle absolutely get started developing that immediately. It should be your number one priority for making such a thing possible.  SS does not keep up with inflation because the offset increases come no where near to covering the yearly increases in the medical cost that they keep tagging on to the automatic deductions that come out before the remainder is deposited into your account.  It is not a drag to need to generate some extra income, doing so can be rewarding, entertaining, fun, etc. Find something you think is a blast to do.

While I pay $504.30 per month for Medicare Parts B & D this year, I will only pay (about) $135 per month starting in 2021.  My Medicare Advantage plan charges no premiums and seems to cover most things; I had an endoscopy a few months ago and have not seen any bills but the dental coverage leaves me with co-pays, deductibles, etc.  I think $150 per month is a more reasonable figure.

 

[SLB_SA]

$300 per month for proper coverage sounds pretty good to me. I'm paying over $600 for private insurance and the coverage is crap.

I agree.  I went from paying $1300 per month for private health insurance before turning 65 to $500 per month on Medicare and it will go down to $135-$150 in 2021.

 

[RoamerRV428]

for us a family of 3 when hubby took early retirement in his early 50s the cobra would have been like 1800 per month for coverage. We went with Christian Health Ministries and pay $450 for wonderful coverage now....something we could afford to take this early retirement. Knock on wood, no med troubles here or any on going situations so we haven't used it yet and hopefully never will but affordable healthcare is insane out there truly.

 

[bullfrog]

I am turning 68 in a few weeks so medicare part A and B plus my pension provides a Medicare Advantage plan for less than $100 a month out of my pocket. My wife at 62 was paying around $600 a month for health insurance until she landed a job with the National Park Service which is the same provider and better benefits for $224 a month year round even though she is furloughed the four winter months. We get to live in a national park, travel 4 months to warmer weather and save over $4,500 a year on health insurance. As my grand dad used to say "Nothing prettier than a woman working!"

 

[Riverman]

I pay zero per month for my Medicare Advantage plan and zero to see my doctor. You might shop for a better plan.

I do pay a small medicare part for A and B, but I guess everyone has to pay that.

 

[SLB_SA]

I have a friend who pays nothing for her Medicare Parts B, C & D (and (FYI) Part C is Medicare Advantage).  Her income is low enough ($1000/month?) that she gets assistance from Medicare.

 

[Riverman]

That's good

 

[SLB_SA]

That's good

Yeah.  She would love to convert a bus, sell her house and get on the road.  She attended the University of New Mexico for some of her college years and loves that area.  She also loves astronomy and misses the clear skies in Arizona, New Mexico, etc.

 

[RoamerRV428]

bullfrog, loved your post cool beans!!

 

[1shemp]

It's not realistic to expect to live on $1000 a month.Well,maybe in rural Mx or central America.

 

[geogentry]

It's not realistic to expect to live on $1000 a month.Well,maybe in rural Mx or central America.

Except for those already doing it, like me. And I am not living in a foreign country, just the good ol' US.

Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk

 

[SLB_SA]

Re a job. It Sounds like you as not working, now, and are living of you EBay trading. So, get a job. Definitely. Get two! Work until you are 70 if you can. It absolutely will have a serious effect on your SS. SS is calculated on a formula that weights your last year's of work.

"SS is calculated on a formula that weights your last year's of work."
This comment is "mostly" incorrect.  It only has validity with respect to the computation of your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME) and only as illustrated by the sentence "We would consider any earnings in or after 2017 at face value, without indexing" in SSA Benefits for a worker who turns 62 in 2019; the paragraph from the SSA is quoted below.  A person's earning after age 62 are not reduced because inflation which occurred after they turned 62 "ballooned" their earnings.  So your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) might increase if you earned a lot of money in your last few years and any earnings after age 62 are not reduced because of high inflation (after age 62).  

"An insured worker becomes eligible for retirement benefits when he or she reaches age 62. If 2019 were the year of eligibility, we would divide the national average wage index for 2017 (50,321.89) by the national average wage index for each year prior to 2017 in which the worker had earnings and multiply each such ratio by the worker's earnings. This would give the indexed earnings for each year prior to 2017. We would consider any earnings in or after 2017 at face value, without indexing. Then we would compute the AIME and use this amount in computing the worker's primary insurance amount for 2019."https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/Benefits.html

 

[bullfrog]

It took me a lot of study to try to understand this and I never have entirely. Looking at the furnished yearly figures supplied by social security helped. The fact I could stop full time employment and still have about the same amount of money coming in which we needed to survive was a big influence. Also as I had medical insurance furnished through my pension helped. So I took Social Security at 62. My wife with her medical insurance dependent on continued employment and the fact that we make enough to get by without additional income from Social Security chose not to at 62. We both have months off so unemployment also comes into play. We are still tying to decide if we are doing the best possible things. It really is an individual decision and no one way seems to be clearly best.