Hi! I am new to the van life. Right now, I'm living in an apartment, and on weekends, am working to get my van turned into a livable RV.
I went through the experience of "owning" a big house with a big mortgage. I felt the pressure of being able to pay my mortgage payments. I learned through this experience that I never want any form of debt. There is no such thing as "good debt" - as far as I am concerned. I want to own my living space, and I want more control of my expenses. Also, I don't like owning a lot of things. I hate the instinct to buy a large house and fill it full of stuff. The typical life plan of the suburbs makes me sick. Lets buy a 4 bedroom house and fill it with equipment. Then, when things in life change, I have no ability to make adjustments to my career/downsize due to my obligation to make mortgage payments.
So for me, van life means
1. Electricity is almost free (after initial investment of solar).
2. Heating/natural gas is just gas money.
3. AC is just gas money/free electricity
4. Food is whatever I feel like cooking on propane
5. instead of 800/month property taxes, I maybe pay 200/month for parking/rv parks (if not free)
I see a clear better way of living. Van life has its stresses, and especially in a chevy express, things will be cramped. But I am willing to make any sacrifice in order to give the banks, as well as my employer, less power in the decisions I make. I demand more adventure at any cost, and something needs to change in my life.
I want to become lighthearted and excited for adventure again. I am getting into van life. I love building things and problem solving, and I am happy to be a part of this thriving community. I also love motorcycles and stunting. With a big enough solar system, I could charge my electric dirtbike, and ride when my battery capacity allows it to fully charge, and just be a stubborn bastard that refuses to grow up. I take the optimization of my initial solar setup very seriously considering I also want to power my work and gaming laptops in my van. I am excited to see how I can make this lifestyle work for me.
With all that negativity out of the way, I am very thankful to have a chevy express and limitless possibilities, and I love that I can do whatever my imagination comes up with.
What's up ya'll!?
I went through the experience of "owning" a big house with a big mortgage. I felt the pressure of being able to pay my mortgage payments. I learned through this experience that I never want any form of debt. There is no such thing as "good debt" - as far as I am concerned. I want to own my living space, and I want more control of my expenses. Also, I don't like owning a lot of things. I hate the instinct to buy a large house and fill it full of stuff. The typical life plan of the suburbs makes me sick. Lets buy a 4 bedroom house and fill it with equipment. Then, when things in life change, I have no ability to make adjustments to my career/downsize due to my obligation to make mortgage payments.
So for me, van life means
1. Electricity is almost free (after initial investment of solar).
2. Heating/natural gas is just gas money.
3. AC is just gas money/free electricity
4. Food is whatever I feel like cooking on propane
5. instead of 800/month property taxes, I maybe pay 200/month for parking/rv parks (if not free)
I see a clear better way of living. Van life has its stresses, and especially in a chevy express, things will be cramped. But I am willing to make any sacrifice in order to give the banks, as well as my employer, less power in the decisions I make. I demand more adventure at any cost, and something needs to change in my life.
I want to become lighthearted and excited for adventure again. I am getting into van life. I love building things and problem solving, and I am happy to be a part of this thriving community. I also love motorcycles and stunting. With a big enough solar system, I could charge my electric dirtbike, and ride when my battery capacity allows it to fully charge, and just be a stubborn bastard that refuses to grow up. I take the optimization of my initial solar setup very seriously considering I also want to power my work and gaming laptops in my van. I am excited to see how I can make this lifestyle work for me.
With all that negativity out of the way, I am very thankful to have a chevy express and limitless possibilities, and I love that I can do whatever my imagination comes up with.
What's up ya'll!?
