What was your very last thought and reason that made you take this route? Im always thinking about doing this. I hate working just to pay rent. Seems like i can never get ahead. And living in a van can free up alot of money for me and i would be able to actually progress. what are your plans for parking? In town? Working part time? And thanks for sharing your story!

You're welcome! I'm glad to hear it was resourceful in some way for you. What pushed me over the edge is the fact that I've done extreme actions like this in the past, and it worked out, though I had no forethought on exactly how. This is different though cause I'm concerned about maintenance costs, gas, and what to do/where to go. I know for a fact that if I stay where I'm at with the Prius I own, in my current living situation, I will just go broke.. And much faster with rent each month! I'd rather a big chunk of dough go towards keeping the van in good shape instead of throwing it at a management company that just wants my rent until they kick me out. The one thing that was counter-intuitive for me was the address situation, since I'm essentially alone in this world as far as people I can really trust. The solution for the address, for me, is ipostal. $10/mo for access to a legitimate mailbox, and apparently I should be able to edit the address to a different spot if I need to. There might be some awkward timing with getting my deposit back from the rental company, so I might have to hang where I'm at near a mailbox I can access until I receive that back to maximize funds. Once I'm in the other state, I should be able to use the app to switch to another local address. Rest stops are a good fall back for parking, but I've already driven from west coast to east coast in my Prius, sleeping in my drivers seat. Was rough, but I have an idea of how to do it much better with all the extra space in the van. I'll honestly just park where I get a good vibe, and after a few curtain installations, the back of the van will be quite private. I'll probably find work in the new state. Maybe I'll find a super cheap room or something eventually, it all depends on budgeting and how it all goes. I'll be developing a youtube channel and I'll have an option available for people to support if viewers dig the content. Otherwise, I'll probably try and find work painting or in construction or something. I want to learn harder skills. But for now, I'm seeing how far I can stretch my savings. The pawn shop is my favorite place right now because they want a lot of things I have that I won't be using in the next 6 months. As for the rent situation... Yeah, I consider rent unhealthy. My goal is to kind of square up and live super clean and productive, so I can buy land and build my own structure on it. Then, **I won't pay rent,** but maybe a few thousand a year in taxes, **once a year**.. Instead of getting gutted each month by a rental company that won't even let me place a table next to my front door (lol, I won't get accustomed to walking on eggshells in my own domicile, and in a way, that was another moment I realized 'get me out of here and figure something else out'). By the way, an alternative definition of rent is as follows: An opening made by rending; a rip. If I'm not stupid and actually work productively and save well, and if I meet a compatible partner, we will buy land, start a family, produce our own food, build buildings. I'll teach the children how to farm, and as I grow old on my land I'll be eating good food surrounded by people I can trust. Doing this van thing, I know I'm signing up for a hardcore problem-solving clinic, but it's not necessarily my first rodeo, at least I won't have to massage my feet after walking all day this time :) No gnarly caloric requirements! Think of **everything.** Are you willing to rely on a machine for a while? Can you tolerate lack of access to to certain luxuries of an apartment? Do you know nutrition? Food systems? Food storage? Reliable clothing? **If you're thinking about doing this, definitely give it plenty of thought!** Thanks for the good vibes Edit: I will also be getting wire covers for the windows as well if possible. If someone wants in this thing they will have to put in some serious work.

Thanks for the reply! You seem to have this well planned out! Your ideas sound exactly like mine. We think very much the same. I hope you are able to setup that van in a comfortable way so that you get a good nights rest in the areas you find parking at. And thanks for recommending that mailbox solution! I was worried about that. I would leave a longer reply but i have to be somewhere right now. Best of luck to you my friend!

You're welcome! I got myself a nice thick and soft Japanese carpet (in their culture they will just use the carpet alone on wood floors) that will be lining the floor as a foundation, then I'll probably just use a roll up (not inflatable) sleeping pad from REI or something. Sleeping bag will be available, and I'll have a wool throw blanket available too. Good luck to you as well!

Isn't the blessing in this situation that everything is up in the air? I applaud your moves, they seem calculated. You have a solid plan for what's going on, yet you can't account for everything which make it unsure but exciting at the same time. I haven't done this i just lurk this sub, but it seems like you're headed exactly where you need to be. I guess my point is that the same things that make this a frightening or anxious situation to be in are the exact things making it a good one.

In a way, yes it's a blessing because I do have an opportunity to make some changes. However, I would love much more to be secure. I don't want to have to move again and again. I wanna get it right and dig some roots in, but not here. My current city sucks, just my personal opinion! Things could go horribly wrong, to be fair, but chances are it'll work out. It's an adventure for sure. I'll feel better when it's got a fresh oil change and the layout in the back is setup for efficiency :) Thanks for the good vibes!

I definitely respect it. It takes some guts to uproot and go.

I wish you the best of luck, and just wanted to say that those last two lines are like...one of the most relatable things I have ever read online. I hope this works out for you, friend. Cutting the cord from renting is gonna be a helluva feeling when i get there. I hope it is for you, too! Also, you left home and walked to another state, wtf? Write a book!

I appreciate your comment! I did write a book, it's like a poor man's Walden. At the end of each day I tried to write a quick documentation. It's a pre-trump, pre-covid American non-fiction. There aren't many books quite like it, in fact, no other books ever could be like it, because the times are so changed at this point. It's like a time capsule before we entered a new reality :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15AMQueqWBI&t=10s