I didn’t really want my blog to be about living in my van. I just happen to be, well… living in a van. I really do want to write regularly and I’m thinking maybe I could let you know why I chose to live “outside” rather than the conventional apartment. My goal in this blog is to show you that I am just a regular person, working a regular 9-5 job, who chose to step outside of the norm a little bit and does not regret one thing.

At the start of 2022 I found myself divorced and struggling to find an apartment that I could afford on a single income. The prices of apartments had outpaced my income and I found myself making a deal with an old landlord. He rented out an old apartment that needed a lot of work for less rent if I accepted the leaky walls and soft bathroom floor. When he informed me a year later that the building was for sale, I felt despair at the thought of trying to find another apartment that I could afford, that wouldn’t have me commuting away what little income I had left after paying rent. At 44 years old I was dismayed to see that the only places I could afford were studio apartments, or rooms for rent in other people’s homes. I could have chosen a studio apartment, but the ones in any decent distance from my job would have been more than what I was currently paying, which was already at the top of my budget.

I had been renting apartments since 1999 and was always worried about what would happen if I couldn’t pay my rent. It pushed me to work in jobs much longer than I should have out of fear. Well? What would happen if I got kicked out of my apartment? I would move into my car. So… when faced with the idea of moving again, and after watching people making the most of their situations on you tube, I decided to step in front of that threat and make my car comfortable to live in. I gave ample notice to my landlord and began the process of turning my little Hyundai Accent into a camper.

It wasn’t as hard as one would imagine, and I only have an accounting and hairdressing background. I had virtual help from someone who became a best friend to me in my journey though they live on the other side of the country. With his background in carpentry and my sincere desire to make this work, I took 3 months to complete my project. I moved what I wanted to keep to a storage unit and got rid of the rest, moving into my car on June 28^th 2024. I had given July 31^st as my last day, so I had a month to use the shower, get the final stuff out, set up a gym membership and soft launch into the wild blue yonder. I am lucky enough to have a gym in the office building that I work in. (Not lucky enough to have a corporate account, but hey! I’m not paying rent!) I am also lucky enough that my building has a key card access only garage for inclement weather and such.

The heat in the summer was… oppressive is too light of a word. It was deadly. My air conditioner wasn’t working right and there were two nights specifically that became frightening but I made it through! And right after I got my air conditioning fixed, (of course) the heat wave broke and it was more comfortable in the car. I do notice that a lot of people worry about how you keep warm in the winter, but they don’t think about sleeping with the window only cracked in the summer. You can’t sleep with them open, for that beautiful summer breeze to blow through and cool you, no matter how you want to. If you have lights on inside your car, bugs are going to find a way in, even just the cracked window is a door if you don’t screen them. Also, while you’re sleeping, you don’t want animals or human predators to find you vulnerable. Running the car all night for A/C isn’t an option either.

In October 2024, a little elderly man made a left at a light that I was going straight through. We crashed, and while no one was hurt, my car’s frame was bent and the insurance company deemed it a loss. I was able to take the money I had not used to pay rent, and put a down payment on a van. I installed a plywood floor, put legs on the platform I had built for the Hyundai and attached it to the new floor. Viola! Upgrade!

As for the winter? It has been so much easier. I’ve surprised myself with how well I have been able to adapt and relax in the cold. I have always preferred sundresses and sandals versus jeans and boots. I love being warm and you wouldn’t have found me complaining of the heat. However, if you wear layers and have the right gear, you can stay nice and warm. I purchased the toe warmers that warm up when you open the package, and they are adhesive to stick on the bottoms of your feet. I splurged and got myself a rechargeable neck warmer, a bulky plastic U-shaped necklace that I am still unsure if I made a good investment on or not. My Jackery 1000 power station has been holding its charge longer because the fridge isn’t running to keep cool as much. All in all, I have to say that the winter cold is easier to handle than the summer heat.

I would also like to say that there are a lot more comfortable days than uncomfortable. The sun beaming down on a beautiful winter afternoon will warm up my interior quite nicely. And on a hot summer day, a shady spot with the windows open is quite nice to journal in. And while I’m not a hot shot corporate boss, I’m a comfortable corporate cubicle dweller, and it’s really nice hanging onto my paycheck. I roll my clothes rather than fold them for less wrinkles. I chose to keep shirts that would wrinkle less and have replaced them with shirts that don’t really wrinkle at all. My gym bag has not only all my shower items, but all my jewelry to; a divided craft box and careful selection of only the pieces that I always wear, with the rest in storage (and consequently forgotten – do I really need them?).

While I’m saving money, I have been able to donate money to many people in need. The whole world is in dire straights right now, and so many people are in need. Without rent, I find myself living in abundance! I have absolutely everything I could need and then some, so I have been giving it away, one small donation at a time. I’m keeping it home here as well. I am using my mother’s address for mail, and now that it’s winter time I have been hibernating in her driveway after work (see Feeling Like a Fraud blog from November). She gets some help towards the bills every two weeks, when I get paid. I also have made online friends, and if I have a friend in need, I try to provide for them as well. This isn’t a show-off or humble-brag, but a true testament of being able to give. I am saving money but if a friend is trying to build a community in Michigan, and they have a propane camping stove on their Amazon Wishlist, I can get that for them and it won’t hurt my gas money budget.

That’s why I moved into my van, and why I chose to stay in it when I was offered a chance to move back into my most favorite apartment that I ever lived in (see Crossroads blog in December). If you are reading this far and are questioning why I didn’t move into my mother’s house, I’ll tell you. I moved out very early for a reason. There was a screen play I was assigned to read as an adolescent in school called The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man of the Moon Marigolds. I believe there was a reason my teacher assigned me that book. My grandmother was (at the time I thought) harder on me than any of my siblings, but I recognize now that she saw that I was more capable of taking care of myself than them. She was teaching me, not being hard on me.

My family is wonderful fun and full of love; however, certain standards are easily dismissed in their home. There were a few moments that came during my apartment searching where I seriously considered moving in. My mother is getting older now and will need someone to help her as she navigates her golden years, but when I realized that I would be the only person in the house doing any heavy housework, I foresaw myself as a bitter, angry old woman. I even confessed to my mother as I backed out that I saw myself “becoming like Nana, bitter and angry at everyone.” Mom agreed because the arguments that had come up already showed that was where we were headed. I didn’t leave her unsafe though! My brother moved home from out of state and agreed to take over the house, and I have been helping her out with the utilities since moving into my vehicle. I love them, but I just can’t live with them inside their house.

My mother was a girl scout leader when I was a small child and camping trips were often the family vacation even outside of the Girl Scout activities. In my teens and twenties, I spent many festival nights camping out. During my marriage, my partner told me they had never seen me more alive than when we were on a camping trip. So, it was easy for me to see living in a car as turning my life into a camping trip. My tent has wheels and is much more durable! The items that I do possess are few, but they are cherished and used daily. I really have to be conscious of what I am purchasing, not because of the cost, but because I need to think about if I really need it or not, and where I am going to keep it once it’s in the van.

I do feel that people are waking up to the fact that consumerism and capitalism aren’t sustainable. I am comfortable in my van, but I don’t have children, and I was able to find a safe place to keep my bird. I recognize that not everyone can move into their cars, but I would like to encourage people to look around them and see that all that stuff isn’t necessary to be happy. I don’t have a closet full of clothes or a fancy ring doorbell, but if something were to happen with my work situation, I wouldn’t become uncomfortably homeless. I have no debt other than my car loan. My paycheck actually belongs to me for once and I feel more secure knowing that I can move anywhere and do any job to make enough to survive, and I’m not ready to trade that in yet.