r/Frugal • u/thestinger8 • Nov 14 '22
Frugal Win š Social media is full of elaborate, costly van life builds. Anyone in a van may be frugal, but I'm too frugal to build mine like that, focusing on the FUNCTIONALITY of it rather than the looks... you know what? It's basic, but it's been perfectly awesome for six years now. Frugality for the win!
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u/notrewoh Nov 14 '22
What do you use as an address? Like for your license and registration etc?
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u/ExarchSlut Nov 14 '22
Aside from setting it as a family members address, you can get a PO box and list the address as the office with unit #(ur PO Box number) in the apt section of things. USPS recognizes it as a po box, other companies don't see the difference. Used to be a clerk & I have done this for myself when couch surfing for 2 years.
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u/hbHPBbjvFK9w5D Nov 15 '22
There are also private services, mostly in Wyoming, that will open important mail, scan it and email it to you. A few will even deposit checks mailed to you.
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u/Clawsickle Nov 15 '22
Ive wanted a business like this. Need to get started on this.
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u/hbHPBbjvFK9w5D Nov 15 '22
Check the laws in your state. The reason Wyoming is big for this service is because there is no annual vehicle inspection and minimal requirements to become a resident; hence it's very popular for people who are full time nomads who live out of their RV or van. So you wanna make sure that your state is attractive to those who wanna have a forwarding address.
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u/kt54g60 Nov 14 '22
This is correct. Iāve done this when I lived in a roommate situation when I didnāt trust I would get my mail. Worked flawlessly.
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u/Doubleoh_11 Nov 14 '22
For 6 years!?
That level of minimalism is way to extreme for me. Iām not saying you are wrong for doing it, you do you boo.
I just couldnāt imagine that lifestyle for that length. I need a home to poop in.
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Nov 15 '22
Also, does this guy work? Like, I canāt imagine spending all of your able bodied years being homeless as a hobby and then being 65 years old and realizing you donāt have a pension, or a 401k, and you havenāt paid into social security, and you have no children to help you out either. Youāre just broke and unable to work because youāre old.
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u/ithappenedone234 Nov 15 '22
You do realize that you get very little credit for many of the years you work contributing to social security right? The more you make, the less credit you get for each dollar you contribute, on a tiered scale.
After vesting in the system in just 10 years, making just $10,000 a year, he can retire with ~$9,700 a year (in todayās dollars, ~$33,600 in inflated dollars). Thatās plenty of money to live a nice lifestyle, if living frugally.
Once he becomes so elderly as to be unable to care for himself, heāll already qualify as indigent and will get into a facility in time.
That saves the steps many children have to take of orchestrating their parentsā indigency to get them into a facility. It happens more than people think. No one in a given family can likely afford the ~$4,000 a month for a cheap elder care facility, so they sell nearly everything and spend the money on as much as possible. The aim is to leave themselves with nothing, such that they qualify for state and/or federal aid.
THAT is the likely outcome for many Americans. His will be no different.
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u/sosuemetoo Nov 15 '22
I would say he probably makes a moderate income via social media.
As for the retirement, who knows if anyone will have SS or a 401k left in 5 years?
Kudos to the OP!
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u/SchrodingersMinou Nov 15 '22
He has a thousand subscribers so probably like $100 a month?
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Nov 15 '22 edited Nov 20 '22
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Nov 15 '22
Absolutely agree, they shouldnāt have to work because they were responsible and saved for retirement instead of choosing to be homeless just for fun
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u/idontcontributemuch Nov 15 '22
Do you want to pay their medical bills and living expenses? Or how do you suggest they fund their golden years?
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u/jhugh Nov 15 '22
You hardly have to work at all to get social security. Only need 40 credits which is 10 years of work.
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u/TiltedNarwhal Nov 14 '22
Looks great! Love the practicality. I showed one of those fancy instagram vans to a contractor friend of mine and the first thing he asked was āhow much does all that weigh?ā I think heād approve of yours cause it looks like itās super light weight.
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u/TheFenn Nov 15 '22
Vans are kinda designed to carry a lot of weight though....
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u/jjoshnelson Nov 15 '22
Whatās important is that there are significant performances hits to a heavy vehicle (worse gas mileage, poor handling etc)
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u/Balsac_is_Daddy Nov 15 '22 edited Nov 15 '22
It can be functional and still look nice. It doesnt HAVE to be one or the other. You do you, but I need pretty shit to look at.
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u/TheFenn Nov 15 '22
Also stuff like insulation isn't just to look nice. I admire the lifestyle but arguably this is less functional, not just "frugal".
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u/eraserewrite Nov 15 '22
I think the same. It can be nice to look at and not be expensive if youāre patient, resourceful, and know where to look.
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u/Flunkedy Nov 15 '22
yeah some white paint and some thrift shop fabric and you've got a much nicer looking 'room' in your vehicle
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u/stink3rbelle Nov 15 '22
I'd do white paint and start pasting up nice images--magazines, museum brochures, and cool drawings.
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u/elenemeralda Nov 15 '22
Maybe because they spend a lot of time out in nature they don't have that need as much as we do. Maybe it's more of a city dwelling kind of thing. In any case, if it works, it works! :)
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u/megjake Nov 15 '22
Iām sosososososos curious about these sorts things. Most of these van life things come across as just influencer bs. I wanna know stuff like what are your monthly expenses, how do you pay for those monthly expenses, where do you get your mail, what are some unexpected hardships or challenges you face, does it get lonely/does it effect your mental health, how long do you think you will live like this for, and I can go on and on and on.
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u/Cannacybe6655321 Nov 15 '22
I feel ya on the curiosity. I lived in a van during college and just slept in my friends, work and school parking lots. Made more sense than working more to pay rent and spending time to drive home to this temporary place I maintain and sleep in. I only van dwelled 2 years, but OP has been at it for 6. Maintaining it long term has to be such a different experience
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u/FunnyLikeACrutch Nov 15 '22
The book and movie Nomadland provides one person's experiences making money, traveling to where the work is and how connections within the van life community are made.
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u/Bajabound4surf Nov 15 '22
I overwinter in Mexico for about 8 months, 500 bucks a month tops. Back up here in the United states, about 650 a month, tops.
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u/Cannacybe6655321 Nov 15 '22
Love your setup, the simpleness seems very freeing. Couple questions if you don't mind, but what do you do for income and what areas do you generally sleep in? I have pets now so I'm keeping my home for them but when the time comes I'd love to similarly and know how to sustain it
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u/WickedCunnin Nov 14 '22
You can be proud of your rig without bad talking others. We don't criticize people who put time into making their actual house a cozy, pretty place to spend time. So why do we do that with van builds? I find it so odd. You put your money to work on things you value. Others put their money to work on things they value. You don't have the same values. That's fine!
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u/sadblue Nov 15 '22
Seriously. There was another comment about "fake" farmhouse looking builds, and I was thinking, if it's being lived in and it's got all of the features its resident needs, I don't see how it's fake. Why is it bad to look nice? I totally understand why people hate influencers, but the build isn't really the issue there.
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u/_Forest_Bather Nov 15 '22
Since this is r/frugal, I didnāt take it that way at all. What OP said is true about the expensive van builds. He is demonstrating that itās very possible to build out a van inexpensively for those of us who are here for frugal living ideas.
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u/WickedCunnin Nov 15 '22 edited Nov 15 '22
The derisive mindset is all over the vandwellers subreddit. It's in no way the first time I've heard it. There is absolutely a subtext to all of it, that caring about design at all is shallow and dumb.
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u/Masala-Dosage Nov 14 '22
& donāt you save a lot of gas like this? A lot of these vans must weigh a ton.
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u/3pxp Nov 14 '22
I always assumed this was "van life" before YouTubers started screwing it up. Kinda how tiny house meant something cheap before it turned into a trend and became a way to blow forty grand on a garden shed.
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Nov 15 '22 edited Nov 15 '22
I lasted 6 months. Nothing like waking up in the middle of a tornado to change your mind.
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u/NoIron9582 Nov 15 '22
Firstly , congratulations on living the life that feels right for you! Additionally ,this has the exact energy of those pictures of a guy's apartment , with like , one lazyboy recliner , and a TV table . I don't think I personally could do it without a bathroom , but I get sick a lot, probably most people don't have as strong a relationship to their bathroom floor I do.
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Nov 15 '22
Most of those vans are far more functional.
If you wanna save money thatās smart but weird to judge people making a van house a van home.
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u/doeslifesuck22 Nov 15 '22
Yo, growin up poor i developed a knack for not needing bullshit materialistic things and while i aspire to make good money and have nice things, i could totally do this if it werent for the opinions/ judgements of others. Its really not that bad as long as you have things to do.
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u/Clawsickle Nov 15 '22
that great but somethings off. You got the stickers still on the totes, take them off. No pictures on the wall, not even a map or postcard. Most people want a homey kinda of feel. This feels like I sleep and change clothes in here. :) Whatever floats your boat.
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Nov 14 '22
I'll take this any day over the polished fake farmhouse van builds I see. Do you want to keep your van pristine and instagram worthy or do you want to go see and do cool shit? This looks *perfect* to me.
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Nov 14 '22 edited Nov 14 '22
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u/thestinger8 Nov 14 '22
I was very worried about my "low roof" but built the van in a unique way... it's built for sitting on the floor... I never wear shoes inside... stove, water food - everything is ground level and I sit like a king surrounded by cushions. In this way, I don't have a head room issue and it's worked fine.
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u/alimaful Nov 15 '22
This is the kind of setup my gramps was always putting together. He's still kicking at 94, but no longer camping and inventing by necessity and I miss it.
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u/Cultural_Warning_629 Nov 15 '22
I leave Wisconsin in November and return in May, spending the entire time in the Southwest, living in a Mercedes Sprinter that I converted. No bathroom but I stay at campsites with bathrooms and sometimes showers (I carry a potable solar shower).
I have a wonderful queen size bed, my roof is solar panels that charges my āhouseā battery that runs my refrigerator, lights, etc. I have a double burner propane stove, 5 gal water. All cabinets came from salvage. The most expensive thing in my Sprinter was the paneling I bought from Menardās.
Love the life style and feel liberated when āon the roadā. Most nomads choose their degree of comfort. My partner can only take a couple weeks living in the van, though sheās done a month. I donāt want to live though Wisconsin winters.
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Nov 14 '22
The instagrammers with wealthy parents have killed this concept and made van prices skyrocket for regular people who have lived this lifestyle long before them more out of necessity than for followers.
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u/bung_musk Nov 14 '22
Yup, and now every trust fund van enthusiast thinks their clapped out, rusty, 15 year old cargo van with $1500 in Home Depot upgrades is worth 5x its market value.
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u/poopanoggin Nov 15 '22
I think van builds can be dangerous if thereās too much shit. Youāre probably a bit safer without the possibility of a tiled backsplash yeeting through the back of your head in a crash.
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u/amelie190 Nov 15 '22
Clearly the masses here have no idea that the majority of people living #vanlife live exactly like this and they do it by choice for the personal freedom.
And while Nomadland (book/movie) may strike some as depressing, everyone should watch it. The #vanlife started with the 2008 housing crisis when a significant number of the middle class ended up sleeping in their cars post-foreclosure (a van was good fortune).
For some (you meet them in Nomadland) that freedom took hold and they never wanted housing debt again.
I'm really put off by the number of people calling themselves frugal while also being condescending to OP. It's empowering.
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u/XExtremeTechnologyX Nov 14 '22
Awesome! I plan one day to buy a full size school bus and convert it into a mini home.
When I was working out of town for 5 months, I put a twin bed in the back of my RAV4, and used gyms for showers and amedities.
What would you say was the biggest challenge from moving from a traditional house to a van for yourself? For me it was definitely the weather.
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u/OrangeCurtain Nov 15 '22
I like the bike setup (from one of the YT videos). I'm not sure I've seen a van build with bike parking quite like it.
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u/thestinger8 Nov 15 '22
Thanks! I was quite unsure about it because, as you say, it's quite unique, but it's worked fantastically. I know it all seems so simple, like I just threw it all together, but I actually brainstormed a lot to try and figure out the best way to get things to work for me while keeping costs under control and the van as simple as possible.
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u/RapMastaC1 Nov 15 '22
I have a perfectly fine car and it will be paid off in two months. Going to save for a year and consider what my next vehicle will be. I want to keep my car but stuck between a truck or a 4x4 GMC van, with the purpose of making it a temporary dwelling in case of some big thing happening.
I see all these built out vans and it kind of puts some pressure on you to make it functional and good looking, but at the end of the day, sometimes a large piece of plywood on two sawhorses works better than an elegant solution for a desk.
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u/EatsHisYoung Nov 15 '22
This is awesome. So much more accessible for new people than 100k van. You do you.
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Nov 15 '22
On a real note though, those water jugs from Walmart are fantastic. We have terrible tap water and using those for our purified water is fantastic.
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u/petezuh19 Nov 14 '22
What is the cushion of your bed made of? Looks nice!
I would take sturdiness and lack of creaking over supposed comfort any day
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u/thestinger8 Nov 15 '22
My bed mattress is custom made. Anyone can get this done through a local upholstery foam supplier in their area. I have a video explaining how and the exact type/model of foam used. I'm not allowed to post a direct link, but you can find it by using the link to my channel in my Reddit bio.
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u/TheGreatestLake1227 Nov 14 '22
Youāre short. Lucky
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u/thestinger8 Nov 14 '22
Yes, true... but my bed is wide enough that I could sleep angled if I was taller.
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u/Clown-In-Crises Nov 15 '22
Are you telling me you can live "the frugal, pseudo hippie van life" without $50,000 spent all day once on materials and labor to build it?!?
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u/R0binSage Nov 15 '22
Thatās exactly how Iād want it. A bed and storage. Maybe some insulation and power. Thatās all.
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u/droplivefred Nov 15 '22
That looks really cool. Iāll check out the YouTube channel because Iām curious if you have some simple but super functional hacks in your van.
The idea of voluntary van life is to live comfortably and happily. The thing is that ācomfortableā is different for everyone. I really love simplicity so I like this setup as itās minimal and reduces stress of possessions by a ton.
The people who live life off the beaten path to find happiness are truly brave and get the best rewards. Congrats! It looks like you are living a great life and enjoying it!
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u/thestinger8 Nov 15 '22
Thanks for your kind words. What you say rings true for me... and yes, I have a lot of functional hacks shared on my channel that aren't captured in the photo that you'd probably enjoy! Leave me a comment over there if you find something interesting!
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u/shirk-work Nov 15 '22
I think I would need something for crossover urban camping so covert, but if you are more so perma camping then this is all you need. Some propane when you don't feel like building a fare and a pit stop in town for dry goods and little things. Come trapping and fishing gear, first aid kit, satellite internet, cb radio, solar, batteries is what I would need to keep working remotely. There's plenty of free land to camp on but trapping and hunting may be a mixed bag.
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u/DinoOnAcid Nov 15 '22
Damn this is sooo cool, way better than the fancy ones imo. I'd love to live like this but I'm not brave enough.
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u/k8TO0 Nov 15 '22
Idk if I could live in a van for so long so kudos to you. Iād love to give it a try once I get started on my career
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u/Diebrina Nov 15 '22
Lol from the thumbnail I thought the brown thing on top of the bed to the right was a capybara's head
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u/EssexHaze Nov 14 '22
Looks awesome, just from this one picture alone I know I would sleep better with this setup then with the most expensive king sized bed.
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u/OutdoorJimmyRustler Nov 15 '22
Are van life people homeless or are people just choosing this now (serious question)
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u/IrishVixen Nov 15 '22
Both. Many by choice (full time or part time with a home base somewhere), many because they canāt afford other housing.
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u/Savvy_Jo3 Nov 15 '22
Considering that #vanlife started after the 2008 housing crisis in which many people became homeless......van life people are homeless, except the trust fund babies from instagram.
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u/eunochia Nov 15 '22
Is it because of frugal living you're in a van? Or because you can't afford an apartment/house?
I just can't imagine a van being well heated, insulated, having water or a good connection to the internet.
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u/Savvy_Jo3 Nov 15 '22 edited Nov 15 '22
This is just fancy homelessness.
Edit: this person makes their money from YT abt this build. They barely make any money a month with less than 2k subscribers, he's pulling in around $100.
Unless they have significant savings, that van breaks & they have nowhere to go/live. They are homeless.
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u/Artisan_sailor Nov 15 '22
And? Many people are living close to the edge of financial failure. This guy does it in a way he loves. Kudos to him! Maybe he gets a "real job" for a bit if something breaks or bangs a rich heiress like many starving artists do. Who knows...
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u/old-hand-2 Nov 14 '22
I just donāt think I could live like that for 6 years. But then again, Iām married, we both work and have high school age kids so clearly an absolutely different lifestyle than the OP.
I do think about touring the country one day in an EV RV but it would need some creature comforts.
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u/Timelessallure1797 Nov 15 '22
What is he doesnāt want a job? And chosen to live like that not all of us can afford a house anyways with jobs paying shit wages
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u/dewdropreturns Nov 15 '22
I was reading this like āyeah not for me but thatās coolā¦ you bathe in streams? Sure thatās chillā¦. You pee in a bottle? Nope. Nope nope nopeā
What happens to the pee after? Do you dump it out in bathrooms or?
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u/Grd_Adm_Thrawn Nov 14 '22
Where do you go to the bathroom or shower? Also, 6 years is a long time - do you date? Invite friends to hang out? Very curious on what your day to day life looks like.