Path to van dwelling?

[michele0203]

The question marks were supposed to be hearts!

 

[wagoneer]

Make less money spend less money get doing something you enjoy doing to make money spend every waking hour planning your escape your making now money needs to go towards that end. Do not wait,put it off, back burner, procrastinate.

 

[Yogidog]

I work in a toxic environment and have felt like its quite similar to an abusive relationship one is afraid to leave.  I keep sticking it out thinking I can fix it...talk about codependency!  

But the pay has been good and that's largely why I've stayed, I'm afraid to say.  I have placed my financial trust in this large corporation out of fear of not being able to make it as a single female and outbox a deep seated fear of winding up homeless, penniless,  and destitute.  Van dwelling confronts my fear smack in the face...if i can live in a van i will have a new set of survival skills and don't have to play by the rules society has set out for me to continue following blindly!!!!  That freedom alone is priceless!

I have PTSD as well and the job has certainly exacerbated it.  I've used FMLA quite a bit and have wondered if I will need to apply for disability. I also have an autoimmune disorder that causes mostly arthritic symptoms but can make standing and walking for long painful.  However, I'm hopeful that a decrease in my stress and living more simply will result in improved health.

I am so glad to have found another social worker who 'gets it'!  I've looked for support groups for burnt out social workers but haven't found anything.  The field is in need of so much impovement.

 

[SoulRaven]

Now that I've got several medical conditions I'm evaluating what's important to me.  I've been a caregiver for so long, it's time to put me first.  I'm good with my money and have lived without Internet and cable for the past 8 years.  

I know that I will likely need to shower daily depending on how hot it is outside as a matter of personal preference, but i can adjust to a portable shower and toilet, and be just fine with my hair in a pony tail, no makeup, and a weeks worth of clothes!!!!  Hell, I'll probably stop shaving too!

Thanks for sharing your experience with me!

 Please read what Almost There wrote in answer to a post I made recently. It will give you some food for thought and some real good advice before setting out on this change you are considering. It was an eye opener for me, and helped me put things into perspective.
 https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Which-size-cargo-trailer-is-best?page=5

 

[michele0203]

Thanks wagoneer, very succinctly put! Keep it simple, earn less money, spend less money. And you hit the nail on the head...I want to spend every waking minute planning my escape from this prison

 

[michele0203]

Yogidog, I'm soooo going to start packing! Love that about old ladies doing whatever the heck they want...this mid age woman is right there with them!!!! I do think I'm ready for this and I will pm you about SSDI..thank you!

 

[michele0203]

Stevesway, thanks for the link...great questions for me to ponder so I can evaluate what's really important and what's not essential. Thank you!

 

[Goshawk]

You can live very inexpensive in van dwelling. But consider a few examples of what you run into for BIG EVENTS before you go. 1) vehicle engine blows up literally. Costs $5000 to replace. What will you do? 2) family loved one gets deathly ill with cancer and has no money. How will you help? ($1000 flight). 3) you get injured and require months of rehabilitation. How are the bills paid? (Know your way around indigent care system) ----- yes this society sucks out your soul in many ways. To escape you need to plan with three options for each BIG EVENT (what ever you know will happen), and have the resources to handle them. Emotional resources. Financial resources. Physical strength resources (being healthy). This is no Peter Pan lifestyle. It requires work, being clever, not giving up. You can do it for significant freedom increase. -- hope this makes sense as encouragement. PLAN PLAN PLAN. Then jump and make your choices as you go.


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[michele0203]

Yes, Goshawk this does make sense as encouragement! Thank you for pointing out BIG EVENTS. I had been wondering what the biggest expense on a vehicle might be, I had assumed it would be the engine blowing up and hadn't a clue the cost of repairs but figured it was big. That helps me when thinking about what year of a vehicle I want to buy. Thank you for taking your time to reply, I really appreciate it.

 

[Goshawk]

For vehicle BIG EVENTS have seen four situations. 1) engine or engine components. 2) vehicle accident 3) transmission. 4). Rear Drive train/suspension /front end steering destruction. Any of those start at $1000 for repair and go up to $5000 and can happen in combination. Many have the blessing of a credit card ownership to use before they go full time vagabond.


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[Cheli]

Welcome Michele,

Everything you said is exactly how I was feeling before deciding that van dwelling is what I need to do. I am doing everything I can to make that happen.

I also feel that I have been abused at my job for many many years. I feel exhausted and trapped, I've been here for 14 years and it's always a love hate relationship but I make really good money and have fantastic benefits so I stay.

You can do this, you will find a way to make it happen and then you will feel happy and free just like I know I will once I make it happen.

You've received a lot of great advice here and I'm excited to watch your progress and see you do this.

PS - My full name is Michele, also spelled with one L.

 

[becida]

.We bought a van and camper last winter and decided to work this summer to replenish our savings.Good Luck.

I'm just starting this thread (after I read Bob's blog), I don't get to the forum much.. I was wondering where you're working (worked) this summer? Just curious..
If it's answered later in the reading then 'never mind'... I'd forget if I didn't ask now.

 

[michele0203]

Thanks, Cheli! And you're a Michele with one "L" too...we are a rare breed! ;-) Yes, I CAN do this. I am feeling more hopeful over the past few months than I have felt in a very long time. I'm gaining confidence in myself and in my ability to dare to take the road less traveled....

 

[Cheli]

Thanks, Cheli!  And you're a Michele with one "L" too...we are a rare breed!  ;-)  Yes, I CAN do this.  I am feeling more hopeful over the past few months than I have felt in a very long time.  I'm gaining confidence in myself and in my ability to dare to take the road less traveled....

Yes we are a rare breed for sure.  hahaha  And not only did my parents spell my name with one 'L' but they spelled my nickname all messed up rather than the more common 'Shelly', I guess they really wanted to scar me for life.  lol

 I'm with you on the confidence, I have learned so much from this group that I am so ready to hit the road.  Only thing holding me back now is selling all my stuff and getting a vehicle.  But we will do this!  Hope to see on the road some day soon.  

 

[michele0203]

Cheli, I hope to see you on the road some day soon too! I'm looking for my people, my tribe...I so desire this!!!

 

[TrainChaser]

If you're in an abusive relationship of any kind, it's past time to get out! Just keep in mind that if you tell people where you work what you intend to do, they will probably start leaning on you. The business won't want one of their serfs leaving, and the other people who work there will be jealous, but they will phrase it as 'worry that it won't work out'. They will grind you down into submission if they can.

Well, if it doesn't work out, you can do something else! Just get out of the situation you're in now, and get some freedom and breathing space so you can decide what YOU want to do.

So, welcome to the club!

 

[michele0203]

Thanks Train Chaser, it feels great to be part of the club!

Most of my Co-workers have been trying to force me out the door for some time now...surprisingly I just got a temporary promotion until someone else is hired FT for the position. I don't want now and I didn't want it 2 1/2 years ago when it was available.

I've been knowing for a while now that I needed to get out, but I felt like it really would only be a matter of going from the frying pan into the fire, so I chose to remain put. I also didn't feel like God had opened any other doors for me.

But I kept having a nagging feeling that I wanted to work less intensely, enjoy my life NOW, not in 25 years, because quite frankly I don't know if I'll be around that long. None of us are guaranteed a long life.

I just didn't know how to gain independence, and couldn't articulate even what it was I desired.

As I've developed health problems over the past few years, I've been searching for natural remedies. My latest has been adopting more of a plant based diet. This has led me to various you tubers and one couple in particular who live in an RV. then Bob's videos started showing up in my you tube 'what you may be interested in' or whatever /however you tube recommends videos of similar interests.

And voila! I'm really seeing that God is opening up a door for me that I never dreamed of. I have learned many lessons about myself and about life during this past 8 year season. I feel a new season is coming, with new lessons, but also with restoration!

 

[becida]

But I kept having a nagging feeling that I wanted to work less intensely, enjoy my life NOW, not in 25 years, because quite frankly I don't know if I'll be around that long.  None of us are guaranteed a long life.  

There are no guarantees, you have today, right now ..... it is your life to live as you will. 


In the words of Barney, The OFM, "Don't wait. Do it now"
http://ofmadventures.blogspot.com/

 

[TrainChaser]

I'm not religious, but....

Jeannette Walls: 'When God closes a door, he opens a window, but it's up to you to find it.'

 

[michele0203]

I'm not religious either, more spiritual than anything. I don't necessarily think it's up to me to find the 'window', but rather it is up to me to be open and searching/growing for which 'window' God has opened for me. Slight nuance, but important to me.

What I do know to have been true so far in my life, is that when one chapter closes, another one opens quite easily... without me having to do a lot of fixing, managing, and controlling. I've been wanting to leave my job for a long time, but despite all my best efforts to figure out what I would do once I left the job, I continued to run into road blocks and only found solutions that would likely continue to leave me feeling very dissatisfied with my life.

The joy that I've felt since stumbling upon vandwelling and the freedom that it can bring me has given me a renewed sense of hope! I can finish up a few more months at my job, all while saving extra money, living minimalistically, looking for my vehicle, practicing bathing with less water and practicing peeing/pooing in a 5 gallon bucket!!!! I've already been eating much more simply in my quest to help heal my autoimmune disorder, so I'm not worried about food/cooking as I tend to eat fruits/vegetables during the day and cook rice/beans or pasta for dinner.

Yes, today is the only day I have to live my life and I'm choosing LIFE!