Vanlife because I have to vs I want to

[cunningstuff]

I know this is not the #vanlife Instagram trust fund babies forums, but I am curious about something among us. I am 52 going on 78, and when I was a kid in the seventies, housing was affordable. When I became an adult in the late 80's early nineties, it was no longer affordable. I have worked all my life to rent all my life. I am basically forced into a van, but I am choosing now as it is a viable way of life. Before electronic miniaturization, it was not, and really before smartphones had developed, [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]it was viable  but not really possible. Now as you can handle phone calls anywhere you have a cell tower, plus internet control over your banking and no real need for postal service, that is doubly true. HOWEVER[/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I am hoping i can save enough to buy a small plot of land and build my own tiny home before I get to old to be mobile. I would like to have a benchtop lathe and mill, and a 3d printer. [/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I have watched our world become a planet owned by the tyrannical rich, who take ever more and more. I find living zen a peaceful approach, but there is no doubt in my mind I would be living in a fully self-sustaining environment if I could afford it.[/font]

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Discuss below, in all honesty, if you chose vanlife to afford a higher quality of life vs having to choose frozen green beans or raman for dinner.[/font]

 

[crofter]

Living in a vehicle is a choice, no matter what your economic situation. 

Minimalism is a philosophy and practice that many find freeing, and helps you to live in your vehicle.

Being mobile, travelling, on the road, working mobile or working seasonally, reducing your footprint are all choices you can have, but there are dwellers who stay in one place also.

So it is all down to choices, no matter how brutal these economic times are. Some people will work three jobs and everyone living there has a job just to pay for the S&B lifestyle. That is their choice. Some dwellers work constantly also, that is their choice.
Your Mileage May Vary
-crofter

Between green beans and ramen I choose grean beans, since ramen has no nutritional value. Even better than green beans is organic edamame (shelled green beans) which is high in protein. -c

 

[treesprite]

I'm envious of everyone who can just be free to go where they want when they want. I have a job that can't be done remotely, so I'm stuck in this area with unbearable summer weather that neither I nor my cats could tolerate without air conditioning for several months out of the year. If somehow a bunch of money would land in my lap, I'd go straight out the next day and buy a nice van and all the solar equipment it would take to run an AC in summer, stash my excess junk in a storage unit, and that would be the end of apartment rental tyranny in my life.

 

[RoamerRV428]

I clicked do not agree.
not forced ever and I like Crofter's thinking on it all.
What was said---So it is all down to choices, no matter how brutal these economic times are.----is really so true of it all for me.

 

[ckelly78z]

There are always choices in life, if someone were that destitute, they could choose to live in a shelter, or under the local bridge overpass, but still a choice. Vanlife still has plenty of expenses involved, so we are making choices every day.

My choice was to stay at a good job, stay married to a good woman, stay on our paid off farm, and save for retirement. It will also be my choice as to which RV I travel in, and to where I go.

 

[nature lover]

Pretty hard for me to choose which one to pick but I put I agree. But in some ways I don’t agree. I have always wanted to go full-time in the van dwelling. I was part time for many years. The wife didn’t enjoy it so that held me back. I had jobs that held me back. Very little income which held me back. And my multiple health problems held me back. Then when my wife left and my world fell apart. My health was getting worse and the doctors thought on top of everything else I had Parkinson’s so I ended up checking myself into a retirement, personal care home. A year there and I realize that I was not Cut out for a living that way. It was determined I didn’t have Parkinson’s but I had parkinsonian symptoms from the brain tumor that I’ve been dealing with for almost 15 years. I was higher functioning than most of the people in that home and very agitated at how many of them were being treated. I had a friend he was giving me a huge discount because he was part owner. He got out of the business and what they wanted to charge me to continue there was astronomical. So I left there got a one bedroom apartment in an old old farmhouse. Found out that the neighborhood was not the best and didn’t enjoy being alone in a one room apartment. So I got the fever bought another van remodeled it and took off. So I was forced into it because I could not afford the apartment and the van I had to have one of the other. I’ve been full-time living in the van since June 1, 2020. It hurt me to get rid of everything I had being a collector and a hoarder. Thousands of books lots of Momentos. Family stuff. And It had to go out the window. So I got rid of it all but I still longer push my chair back and reach for one of those books and I still grieve over some of the things that I thought were valuable that others thought had no value. I got ripped off by the auctioneer got less than 20% of what somethings were worth. But my decision to live in a van was the only way I could travel, do my nature photography and enjoy life. Then I end up in Florida playing to enjoy the weather in the wildlife. Then I got a diabetic ulcer on my foot, which lead to an infection deep in the bone. part of my foot was amputated, and between the hospital and the rehab I’ve been in a little over a month. I’m getting out of the rehab hospital in two days. I am returning to full-time living in a van and looking forward to it not knowing how I’m going to be able to do it but I’m going to do it. So in one way, I did choose this way of life. In another way I was forced into it because it’s the only way I can afford to travel and do what I want with my limited income. Sorry I wrote a whole book but the question was so interesting I thought I had to think it through and I thought it through by writing all this. You can ignore everything I said I’m used to that my wife did that for 40 years.

 

[bullfrog]

I agree but gladly and after 15 years of living in an RV saving money by living simply could afford to buy a sticks and bricks house but prefer not to as we really enjoy this lifestyle.

 

[BJJVANLIFER]

I made a decision a couple of months into Covid, after thinking about it for a couple of years.. I saved and bought my van, from that day I was in the van. Stayed within 50 miles of my home base for a couple of months Then did short run 800 mile trips to different rural areas and camped. It's definitely a transition.. I'm not the nearest of people by nature and slightly add so it's been a process.. You just have to trust your process and realize it's a process. Some days are good, some are anxiety ridden, but keep to a routine, keep working and exercizing and try to eat healthy. The van life is most certainly not like whats on YouTube, the content creating bohemian lifestyle.. It's a grind and will test you in ways you never thought.. Keep your goals in sight, stay motivated, and take some opinions from people, but stay the course, only you know why you're doing it. I have some plans but have to wait a couple of months because of family and Covid issues. I can't say I can't wait to not have these responsibilities.. But I'm ready to move forward with a more nomadic lifestyle... Good luck and anyone seeing this feel free to reach out about anything, especially if you're out there... I'm always an ear..

 

[vgilbert]

What Crofter said.

Personally I made the choice to live better with less effort and have less need for the almighty dollar.

 

[Dingfelder]

I'm envious of everyone who can just be free to go where they want when they want. I have a job that can't be done remotely, so I'm stuck in this area with unbearable summer weather that neither I nor my cats could tolerate without air conditioning for several months out of the year. If somehow a bunch of money would land in my lap, I'd go straight out the next day and buy a nice van and all the solar equipment it would take to run an AC in summer, stash my excess junk in a storage unit, and that would be the end of apartment rental tyranny in my life.

Couldn't agree with you more there.  Summers are death here and would kill a dog.  Plus not letting him out 8 to 10 hours or more a day would be not only ruinous to a van or trailer urine-wise but probably give him kidney and other problems while he tried his best to conform and please, poor fella.  It's not like dogs want naturally to foul their den.  Far from it.

I'm looking to be a CNA and CNA2 and move from that to perhaps a nurse, but all that requires being completely alone, i.e., without a pet.

From what I have seen in the years of watching Bob's and other channels, only a pretty "extreme" solar set-up would allow solar cooling of any notable extent in a van.  Particularly AC.  And so many van builds have zero thought put into the AC or solar set-up to provide for AC.  They are meant for retirees, who can move to where it's cool as necessary, rather than survive what's hot.  In the same way Bob doesn't insulate his floor -- he just moves. 

Maybe this is a little unfair since he has survived winters in Alaska in a van.  And I'm tough too.  I'm not sure this is feasible for everyone, especially if they make mistakes in heating and insulation.  

I'm just saying temperature control is not just a small thing, it's a HUGE thing.  A 90 degree day can get a car up to 120 degrees temp in 10 minutes, says our warning brochures here in Oregon.  How good are you at 120 degrees, even without a fur coat? 

I could only manage this retired.  Not when I have to park and go.  Even in a large apartment, I have found my cats flat on their backs belly up to the sky, suffering from the heat.  A dog would have been brain-damaged or dead.

 

[hugemoth]

I own a house free and clear in Central Oregon, paid off for over 20 years, but have always preferred being outdoors. I only slept in my house 2 nights last year. Every other night was spent either in my camper or tent. The only thing I would miss about not having a house is storage space and a garage for vehicle maintenance.

 

[crofter]

I totally agree with hugemoth, that having a garage or carport to work on stuff is nice to have. But not essential. I did my build outside.
-crofte

 

[Freelander]

I didn't vote on this because I wasn't forced into it. I decided to go this on my own.

 

[chris84]

I made the decision for economics. That isn't really forced, but I would continue to pay for both rent and a car, or buy a van that covered both costs.