Van dwelling.

[Moonhare]

I'm not conventional. I have never claimed normalcy, though I would have to say I crave it at points in my life. The reason I mention this is that I have been wanting to travel, and I mean sell my house, get rid of everything I can't carry in an RV and just hit the road west. The craving is stronger and stronger. Maybe because I am not working, maybe because I am bored. Maybe it is in the gypsy blood that flows through my veins. I'm not sure.

I have been doing research and found something interesting. There are a group of people called van dwellers. They convert their vehicles into small living spaces, working and living out of their vans that look like any other parked in the lots of places like Walmart and the sides of communities. I find it fascinating that some of them are living on $500 a month, with all the basics of creature comforts. Without rent, or utilities, there is tons of money to be saved. This isn't for the feint of heart though, as security in some cities can be an issue, and bathing as well. (Have seen camping showers hooked up to the rear doors to make a shower, but it is not something I could see for myself and kids)

With my SO working three hours from home, I would like to do something like this for his van, but currently he is fighting me on making his current sleeping arrangements in his van into something more permanent. He can shower after PT every morning, so showering is not an issue, nor is food storage as he has a fridge at work to keep his meals in. So really just getting him off the floor of the van and adding storage is all he needs. He even has a fan and A/C.

I know this isn't conventional, but with rent for a one bedroom running $1200+, I would rather put money into the van. Making him comfortable in there would not only save us money we don't have to split between the households, I could also afford to get him an internet card for his laptop. Really with the internet, you can watch TV, play music, keep in touch through email, IM, and webcam. I don't see a down to this over an apartment other than the size. He even has a secure place to park nightly that he doesn't have to worry about getting hassled.

I don't know if my desire to move and travel are influencing my want to try this, but I think it would be kinda cool. Maybe when the kids are on their own one day.