I left my home to live permanently in a van – I no longer have to pay rent,
A WOMAN who left her home to live permanently in a van says she may now be rent and mortgage free, but there are still many hidden costs attached to her lifestyle.
Linnea spent seven months converting a van into her dream home, where she now lives permanently.
2
2
The ‘van lifer’ travels around in her van and parks wherever she wants, so she doesn’t have to pay camping fees.
She said she is constantly inundated with requests from people wanting to know how much her lifestyle costs, so she compiled a list of her monthly expenses.
She shared on YouTube that her monthly petrol bill is around £210.
In addition, she has to pay £230 a month towards the cost of her van and £106 towards insurance.
Read more real life stories
Vans use much more fuel than traditional cars and are often more expensive to insure.
But because you live in a van and have your car in one house, these costs are often still much lower than if you also have to pay rent and a car.
Linnea says she spends £207 a month on food, which she says is a lot less than when she lived in a house, as she doesn’t always have access to a supermarket when she travels, so she has to use up the food she already has.
The bus driver uses a hotspot to get internet in her bus. However, when this hotspot is empty, she has to go to a coffee shop to get wifi. Often she spends a lot of money on coffee and food.
Linnea says she spends a total of £77 on coffee during the month.
She also has to pay for her dog’s food and veterinary bills, which can be quite expensive, as well as a number of other costs, such as equipment for her van.
Servicing and repairs to the van can also be quite expensive. Linnea said she has had to spend a few hundred pounds on ‘minor repairs’ in recent months.
Her van also needs to have its oil changed every 10,000 miles, which costs an average of £100.
In total, Linnea pays £1,240 a month to live in her van.
She said this is much cheaper than her expenses when she lived in a house, which was £1,550 a month.
The Rise of the Van Life
The rise of camper life began during the pandemic in 2020. With no one able to leave the country, staycations became popular for many, says camping blog adventurous campers.
In addition, rising rents are discouraging many people from renting a home, especially as wages are not keeping pace with the cost of living crisis.
Although the van has become popular again, in the 1960s and 1970s many people chose life in a van.
“I guarantee you that many people, even if they live simply like this, spend much more than that, and I also guarantee you that there are many people who manage to spend much less,” she said.
“It all depends on how you live as an individual and what things you find important.
“Just now take that “Keep this in mind if you’re considering living in a van, because things in my life may be different than things in your life.”
Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Simply email fabulousdigital@the-sun.co.uk and put EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.
