A WOMAN is saving £1,000 each month after giving up her rented apartment to live in a campervan. Amy, who is 33 years old, had her life plans turned completely upside down when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020. She was living in rented accommodation at the time and saving for a mortgage, […]
A WOMAN is saving £1,000 each month after giving up her rented apartment to live in a campervan.
Amy, who is 33 years old, had her life plans turned completely upside down when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020.
She was living in rented accommodation at the time and saving for a mortgage, but she found her freelance work slowing down as lockdowns were put into place.
The freelance marketing consultant, who is from Kent, suddenly found that she was unable to afford her rent and bills.
Amy decided that moving into the van full time could be the perfect way to maintain her freelance work whilst lowering her outgoing spends.
She said: ““I had done a few van trips before and had loved the simple life that living in a van brought. I also love travel and exploring and due to my work being remote, it is the perfect way to explore the UK whilst restrictions were in place.”
Amy used her mortgage savings to purchase a Mercedes Sprinter WVB High Top van for £11,000.
She was then able to completely fit the van for just £10,000 despite having never dabbled in DIY before.
She said: “At the start, I looked at the whole project to try to break it down into stages. Then, with each stage, I researched and watched a lot of YouTube videos before tackling it myself.
“I hadn’t even used a drill before. The van is difficult because there are no straight lines so cutting straight things like the bed frame was meticulously hard to get right and to get equal.”
To begin the build, Amy stripped the walls and then started to sound-deaden the van. Next, she installed insulation and had a technician install solar panels and electrics.
The vinyl flooring, wooden bulkhead wall, and headliner shelf were then fitted followed by the wood cladding.
Amy proceeded to paint the cladding, build her furniture, added a water system and gas, and finally added homely décor touches. Costs included a £1,000 on electrics and a £500 Bluetooth map system.
To keep costs down, Amy repurposed old scaffolding boards by converting these into a worktop and table. She also reused blackout blinds she already owned and simply cut these down to size to fit the van.
She explained: “I was working in awful weather including snow. I also had no idea what I was doing and often experienced lots of trial and error.”
Now, Amy is fully moved in and saving significant sums of money.
Before the project, she had been spending £1,500 on rent and household bills, but her outgoing spends in the van are just £500 – saving her an incredible £1,000 per month.
She said: “I either park at friends’ houses or campsites. If I travel to Scotland you can do wild camping, which is free. I have solar on my roof so my electricity is free! And I top up water at the free campsites too.
“I have gas in my van, but it doesn’t need re-filling too often. My heater is fueled by diesel which I pay for when I top up my van tank.”
Amy says that she hopes to put the money saved towards a new project such as renovating another property, perhaps a tiny home, or something bigger.
But for the mean time, she’s keen to take advantage of her new freedom and keep exploring whilst saving money.
Thanks to the ban on foreign holidays Amy has yet to venture abroad but has frequented UK beauty spots including Cornwall, Devon, and Kent. When conditions allow, Amy also hopes to visit Wales, Scotland, and Europe.
She said: “The challenge has made me a stronger person mentally and I’ve proved to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. I am loving it. I have so much freedom, whilst still drumming my business and earning.
“My job is very creative too and I find that living this life is great for my creativity. It’s also amazing to be able to explore the UK, especially after so long without being able to travel. And after six months of working so hard building the van.”
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