Couple save £700 a month by ditching bungalow to journey world in van

The value of residing disaster means we’re paying extra for much less. However what if we informed you there was a technique to each get monetary savings and increase your high quality of life?

This couple determined to pack up their damp-ridden and costly bungalow to for a less complicated life on the highway, residing in a £24,500 van full-time as a substitute.

Alongside travelling the world, they’ve managed to save lots of £700 a month on on a regular basis bills – and need to present others the best way to do the identical.

Freelance artist supervisor and social media handler Kirsten Robertson, 26, and her companion, music producer Lewis Cullen, 27, determined to stop the rat race in December 2021.

When the damp of their rented costly bungalow turned insufferable, they determined to make the unconventional transfer to reside in a van whereas working remotely.

Since overhauling their lives, they’ve visited seven international locations, together with Netherlands, Belgium and France, and travelled 8,000 miles.

Kirsten and Lewis determined in opposition to getting a mortgage on account of a troublesome housing market of their native Swansea, the place the typical worth for a three-bedroom terraced house is greater than £220,000.

As a substitute, they determined to buy a VW LWB Crafter camper van and lovingly named her Cora.

To buy it, they took a mortgage of £24,500, which they’re repaying at £465 per 30 days – considerably lower than the £625 month-to-month hire on the bungalow.

Their month-to-month payments now are simply £900, which incorporates gasoline and all the pieces else – though the couple did spend an additional £15,000 on changing the van.

Kirsten stated that their Swansea bungalow was full of damp, ‘making us sick and draining our financial institution accounts.’

‘We now have at all times liked travelling and hate being in a single place for too lengthy and we got here to the conclusion that van life could be good for us,’ she stated.

As Kirsten had beforehand owned a VW T4 camper, which she and Lewis had taken various journeys in, they’d some experience in van life so took the plunge and bought Cora.

‘The van is a lot larger than the T4 that we really feel like we live in luxurious,’ commented Kirsten, who took to their new life-style simply.

She added: ‘Being with out the damp on a regular basis and as a substitute having contemporary air is among the greatest advantages.’

Despite repaying the mortgage they took to buy Cora, Kirsten and Lewis insist that residing in a van is a good way of slicing down prices and residing a money-smart life-style.

Kirsten defined: ‘Our electrical energy is generated via photo voltaic, so we don’t have any electrical payments – and a £50 fuel bottle lasts us round six-months.

‘We spend about £50-60 per week on meals as we attempt to eat fairly healthily more often than not.

‘Generally we get a campsite however that’s usually a few times a month so works out to about £50-60 a month.’

Though their spend on gasoline can fluctuate, in the event that they’re having a month the place cash is tight, they drive much less to save lots of petrol.

But it surely’s not at all times straightforward to reside nomadically like Lewis and Kirsten.

‘On account of winter, the UV quantity may be very low, so we now have to watch out with our electrical utilization via each the day and evening as we might run out,’ they stated.

‘Some nights it’s been minus six levels within the van, however we’ve overcome this by having a number of layers, placing the fuel hobs on for a bit, additional blankets, and scorching water bottles within the mattress.’

But regardless of points, the pair love having the ability to discover and keep energetic in nature.

Kirsten stated: ‘It’s so invigorating to really feel the liberty of the van and never being tied down to 1 place.

‘We’ve additionally felt a giant aid via downsizing, as residing in a small house means we now have much less storage.’

Along with this, they’ve made various associates on their travels, which they are saying is a ‘enormous profit’ of their untraditional life-style.

Work-wise, Kirsten manages two musicians – Lewis and one different artist. Between Lewis’ manufacturing and Kirsten’s social media and administration freelancing, they’re in a position to make first rate incomes utterly remotely.

‘Initially once we began telling individuals our plan they positively thought we had been loopy,’ stated Kirsten. ‘However now they’ve seen the van and the best way we reside everybody understands it.’

She added: ‘We actually didn’t realise how a lot we had been being weighed down by pointless stuff, rents and the burden of the damp.

‘Residing in a van has actually liberated us and we treasure each little bit of it.’

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Get in contact by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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