Hi, I have a lot to learn

[BookCollector]

Hi, as the title says... I have a lot to learn about this lifestyle.. I just got Bob Well's book and have started reading. I know nothing of vehicles but really want to start learning and learning the questions I should be asking. As someone that has lived in so many places and most of them being quite small (for quite a large fee), I find this particular lifestyle interesting. At this point.. it is probably the most ideal option to save up money anyway.

My hubby and I took a bit of a hit financially a year or so ago and it's been hard to make headway back to saving ever since because of NY's increase of taxes. I want to sell the house, get rid of all the crap and get out. I dream of getting out on the road and out of New York, but I realize I definitely have a lot of reading and watching to do. It's a bit overwhelming but the idea of being more free is highly appealing to me. It would be myself, my husband and my baby. I doubt it is something we'd do forever but it would be extremely helpful to be able to save up. I hope to make some friends and get some advice

 

[bullfrog !]

Welcome! Many come here in a much worse position financially and by learning to live simply improve their lives.

 

[maki2]

I do strongly recommend you join a “Skoolie forum”, or a “bus life forum”. And add the word “kids” to your search as a keyword. In those forums there will be a whole lot more people with children who are living the nomadic life than you will encounter in this forum which has very few members traveling with young children. It does not mean you must choose to live in a bus, the reason to go there is to find younger families such as yours. You need not just advice about Van life in general, you absolutely will need particular advice about a nomadic lifestyle with young children on board. A young working family’s needs are very different than that of adults who are not traveling with a child. There are very few young families hanging around in this particular forum. It is still viable for general questions about Van life but you need a lot more advice geared towards your daily life as a young working family that needs an income and is living with a baby who will soon be a toddler and then become a school age child who needs playmates to socialize with. All those changes happen within just a very few years. So if you are going to invest in a vehicle you are better off starting with something that will work with that quick progression of changes in your baby’s life.

 

[INTJohn]

 

[eDJ_]

With winter coming, you'll have plenty of time to read books on this subject and browse this site for more information to fill in any gaps that the books didn't cover so well. This will help with so much of your vehicular needs and outfitting it. Other advice here is worth considering too.

All the best

 

[Tony's Dream]

It can be as wonderful as you make it. Regardless of the amount of planning you do, things will go wrong. Don't let the failures get you down, instead look at them as challenges and learn from them. I have been to places where the weather forecasts showed good weather and it ended up with rain/snow. I made the best of it, rather than complaining. I always look for the positive and have had a lot of good times on the road.

 

[twomountainlions]

Just don't sell your real estate, bad, bad financial move in America, rent it out if you hit the road. Don't listen to the kool aid. Keep in mind most folks on here own property, and most youtubers got moms and pops big rural properties to lounge on when they are not filming. So people with money and property or inheritance will tell you to dump a house and sink money into depreciating asset, to get their youtube revenue. If you let your home go you might not have another shot at it. Its not 1970s anymore. Filter internet stuff heavily, talk to financial advisor about RE and dont drink anyone's kool aid about life on the road, lots of them aren't even fulltiming. Bad financial decisions can cost a future.

 

[rruff]

It's a bit overwhelming but the idea of being more free is highly appealing to me. It would be myself, my husband and my baby. I doubt it is something we'd do forever but it would be extremely helpful to be able to save up. I hope to make some friends and get some advice

Just make sure you get some practice and are comfortable with your setup, and have a solid way to make money. And don't be broke when you leave, either! Having your "home" break down and need repairs is annoying enough when you can afford to have it fixed... and a big problem if you can't.

Regarding RE, I sold a house in Glendora CA for $112k in the 80s that is supposedly now worth >$1M. I don't regret selling it, because I hate dealing with crap I'm not using. Even though I can't buy that one, I wouldn't want to live there anyway... and there are plenty of nice places where the RE is affordable, and that will always be the case if you are flexible on location.

 

[afblangley]

It is not financially wise to use the proceeds from the sale of an appreciating asset to buy a depreciating asset. If keeping your house is an option, unless there are extenuating circumstances, you should probably do so. Selling your house will not make you free. Just ask any of the non homeowners living on the streets in NY. Or staying in shelters. Or living in their vehicles. Selling your crap will not make you free. Neither will leaving the big city.

Consider renting out your house and using the income to pay the mortgage or your other expenses. Consider replacing your car with a van that can also be used as your daily driver. Do a minimal DIY build, which will allow you to try out van life by escaping from the city whenever your job allows.

I've got numerous houses, a dozen mortgages, and a bunch of crap. None of it weighs me down. Buying a van didn't make me free. Traveling didn't make me free. If you want to be free, figure out how to more efficiently trade your time for money. If you can go from taking 60 hours a week to earn $1000 to taking 10 hours a week to earn $1000, you'll feel more free. Three books I read growing up were foundational to my financial life: Your Money or Your Life, The 4 Hour Work Week, and Rich Dad Poor Dad.

 

[rruff]

Selling your house will not make you free. Just ask any of the non homeowners living on the streets in NY. Or staying in shelters. Or living in their vehicles.

What makes a person free would be an interesting philosophical discussion. IME having way less stuff and living in a vehicle in the wilderness helped a lot. Getting my external environment in sync with the internal. Also, a house isn't necessarily an appreciating asset.

It's true that a lot of people become vehicle-dwellers for the wrong reasons, though....