THE LONG ROAD HOME
70ish & Living…in a Van?
A series of posts on my planned van life.
Despite my best efforts, with two ex-spouses and four children to support in my younger days, it was never financially feasible.
I took my family’s welfare seriously, especially my commitment to paying child support for over 20 years while often having to obtain groceries from food banks. Those are simply facts; we do what we have to when it comes to our children.
Now, at 70ish and living solo, I’m evaluating the possibility of converting a cargo van into a tiny home on wheels.
Chris Farley was on the something
Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker
While the late Chris Farley made the idea of living in a van seem seedy and reserved only for the desperate among us, it completely bypassed the benefits and drawbacks of living solo in this manner.
In this first post on van life, I’m going to list a few of my personal pros and cons of choosing this style of living.
Pros:
Saving Money. Because I retired at 64, my Social Security benefit check each month covers my current 1-bedroom/1-bath apartment lease and my car payment. That leaves a lot of month left at the end of the check. I cover added expenses such as utilities, insurance, and all the rest with my creative ventures. If I were to live in a van, my expenses would be dramatically reduced. Gone would be the utility bills, the increases common to renters/leasees in the non-permanent home sector, and my car payment, as my home would also become my mode of transportation. I follow quite a few van-lifers on YouTube, and some live comfortably on less than $1,000 per month by making this transition.
Solitude & Privacy. As a single man living solo, I currently enjoy my well-deserved solitude and privacy. You could say that I’ve been living my dream. After two marriages, four children, and a retirement forced on me by the economy, I need it more than anything. Still, I miss seeing my children and grandchildren, all of whom live many thousands of miles away from the Pacific Northwest. My youngest is 29, and he lives locally, but the other three are in Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Rhode Island. While van life would provide as much solitude and privacy as I need, it doesn’t bring kids any closer.
Mobility without extra cost. While I don’t wish to become a nomad chasing 70-degrees around the US, I would like to see my children and grandchildren more often. While I don’t envision the Instagram influencer styles of luxury accommodations in only a few quart feet, living in a tiny home on wheel in the form of a new Ford Transit (pictured above) or Dodge Promaster van conversion, I’d have all the amenities of a hotel room that would cost me $75-$160/night on a road trip.
Cons:
Boondocking. I dislike that word, though it’s a reality that stealth camping is a must in a van. Everyone needs to sleep; however, van dwellers are still looked upon as homeless folks in my social circles and judged accordingly. Boondocking is the practice of finding ‘sleep spots’ that either allow overnight vehicle camping or stealth camping where no one is the wiser. Matt from Under the Radar Van, a Massachusetts-based van dweller who works a remote full-time job, cycles between 14 different sleep spots, ranging from a friend’s driveway to off-road locations and parking lots, to avoid becoming a permanent fixture in any of them. I think that’s wise.
House repairs. OK, that’s a little tongue-in-cheek, but the point is that when your van needs to be in the shop for a day or two, you still need to sleep. While a Motel 6 is just fine for me, the savings from not spending $1,730 per month for my current apartment would allow me to book a nicer accommodation for a few days. I’ll explore this more in future posts.
The bathroom issue. I actually don’t see this as an issue, since odor-free composting or incinerator toilets are not only plentiful but also portable. On the highway and gotta go? No longer an issue. Showering, however, is more of a challenge. I shower daily, and the thought of going three days without one is nauseating. Many van dwellers join Planet Fitness or another gym chain where they can fit in a workout and take a shower, often with individual privacy stalls for $24.99/month. That’s a surprisingly good deal.
Reactions?
Everyone has one. Granted, there are naysayers out there, but hit me with your best shot. Let me know in a comment if you could ever see yourself doing something similar or what you think about my plan. More to follow…
Baz
The Long Way Home - My quest to visit my children and grandchildren.
