Frustration setting in

[mothercoder]

This won't be my only frustrating time in the process but it's the beginning.  As I research and learn and imagine my van build, I can only go so far in the planning because I don't have my van yet.  While I kinda sorta could buy something now, I'd rather have a healthier cash buffer so I can look at a range of options and have cash at the ready for immediate mechanical needs.  Plus the northeast winter weather is setting in and I hate to buy a van just to look lovingly at it and do nothing to it.  So I'm waiting until spring while I keep accumulating ideas and continue to add to the cash box with items purged in my downsizing. 

What is even more frustrating is seeing all the items being offered free on CL and FB that would be PERFECT for my van build.  Just today I saw a small formica countertop, a shallow stainless steel sink, a cabinet that would work well for a kitchen and a cargo carrier.  All free.  If I had a vehicle big enough to haul these things I could go pick them up.  But I don't and none of my friends do.  And I live in a 3rd floor apartment and I'm not hauling everything up and down those stairs.  I guess if I could figure out how to haul the items I could get a storage locker to put everything in until I have the fan but then that negates the amazing free-ness of the items. 

I find that I have to do something every day which furthers my goal of being a nomad.  Even though it's only 7 months away (27 weeks and 5 days to be exact), until I get the van and have all that work to do, the time will drag.  For those of you who had time between the concept and the departure, do  you have any suggestions on what to do with that time?

 

[Almost There]

Use that time to make a list of all the places you want to see! Seriously! I know plans need to be made in jello but you can still explore where you want to go.

Oh, and don't quit looking for a van just because winter is setting in and you'd have to "just to look lovingly at it and do nothing to it".

The minute you stop looking the perfect for you van will come up for sale and you'll miss it. I know it's hard, it took me six months to find my van. Then when I did and ever so wanted to get started on it, it took the mechanic 3 weeks to look at it to do the mechanical certification inspection it needed to title it. It was moose hunting season... In the end it took him a half hour to inspect it and 20 minutes to fix the things that needed to be fixed to certify it.

By the time I got it back from him it was starting to snow. Lady Arabella sat right outside my living room window in full view all northern winter long. The most I got to do to her on the mildest days was to throw a small heater in there so I could work and spend my time ripping out the absolute horror of an interior that the previous owner was so proud of...

I bought her in September and didn't get to do any install of the new interior until April.

 

[mothercoder]

I hear you on the "right" van coming along and passing on it. The problem right now is that I'd be looking at vans in a very narrow price range and I don't want to limit myself that much. If I do, then I might regret it if 2-3 months later the "really right" van came along but I had already purchased the "almost right" van. I'll be in a very sweet position in March.

I have started making notes from other people's travels with GPS coordinates of good free boondocking sites and the time of year they visited. I'm a list maker and organizer -- otherwise known as OCD. I have a 5 section spiral notebook that is my closest friend right now. I have a section on downsizing (keeping track of what I am selling things for, how much they sold for, a running total of cash as well as lists of what was donated and donation receipts for taxes); a section on van build ideas; a section on costs for various scenarios (cheap option, mid-range option, dream option); a section on places to visit; and a section on logistics (residency, vehicle registration, apps, important dates).

 

[sassypickins]

Do you use Excel?  You could start a 'Van' workbook.

I started one when I knew I was going to buy a van.  It kept me very motivated between then, the actual purchase, and get-in-and-go time, and I still use it cuz I'm not done.

Some of my worksheets include:  

Design (I used the 'Insert Shapes' function to 'build' my design ideas/storage needs over and over.  Way fun!)
Insulation (lots of info to sort through at first)
Power Consumption/System
Shopping (purchased vs. wish list, priced and sourced)
Notes from others (links and comments)
Van tools and parts to have on board/misc tools/hardware

Since purchasing the van, I also have a workbook for maintenance and another is a trip log.

It is tempting to grab up free stuff, but you may find, like I did, that knowing the exact dimensions of your space first will help you find the RIGHT free stuff ha ha.  Thankfully, the walls in my van don't start curving inward until they're 2 feet high, so I was able to fit in some things easily, but other things I thought would work didn't, and went back on CG Free.

On the other hand, like Almost There, I had some 'wait' time after I bought my van, and just seeing it out in my driveway brought a BIG grin to my face every time I looked out there, so there's that!  Plus, you might be able to get out there to measure and dream.

Sassy

 

[sassypickins]

...oh, too funny! I see you posted about your organizing system as I was describing mine. Yay for notebooks, right? I melt into a puddle without systems of some kind.

Sassy

 

[rvpopeye]

When I bought my first truck I just moved right in !
All the planning and modifications came after........

It's not a bad thing to wait till you have the budget to start looking for the right van,,,,but you could still look a little !
You never know , the perfect one may turn up at a price you can afford now!???
Your lists and planning aren't a waste of time , keep at it.

If that free stuff is something you know you want offer to pay to have them bring it to you.
You probably can find a willing (for a price) local teen or someone else with a good back to lug it all up to the 3rd floor too.

Do you have any space that you could clean out the size of a van interior and do test set ups to see what will fit and rearrange till you get a good idea of how you want to make the real van look?

 

[mothercoder]

Sassy:

It's really funny but for someone who is on a computer all day and has been studying web development, I prefer my paper and pencil notebook over things like Excel. Maybe it's because I use that stuff all day long or maybe it's because I like printing things off and putting them in the pockets. Or maybe it's just because drawing my ideas and making lists by hand is more intimate to me and if creating my home on wheels isn't as intimate as something can get, I don't know what is.

Yes, I'm really holding off on buying anything right now. I've purchased a few things that I know will be needed no matter what my mobile house ends up being: bungee cords, funnels, etc. Nothing reliant on any particular layout or even any particular type of RV because who knows what might drop into my lap! But mostly because I want to save the bulk of my funds for the vehicle itself. I can skimp on the other stuff but not on what I will rely on to get me around.

 

[Gadget728]

Be picky about what you eventually buy for a vehicle. Chose the features that are important to you, then keep your eyes peeled for a "keeper".
I wanted an extended Van with a hi top. I found one I love, but getting it mechanically sound drained my finances. The van is in great shape now, but I need to save up for the only part i don't have money for right now - Solar panels.

good luck - gadget