On The Road On A Budget
/Seeing the unseen has always motivated me to travel. I want to go where few have gone before, take photos, and share it with everyone I can. Exploring keeps my mind right, hiking up trails to vistas unknown, is my form of therapy. But, what if it isn’t the cheapest way to live? I kept catching myself ask: “How can I keep this attainable?” While living in a van and exploring the better half of the United States, the cost of living felt so high to me until I found everyday ways to save.
On the road, I quickly realized a few things. You do not need the newest or most expensive pieces of equipment to live enjoyably. In fact, they will probably take a shit on you at the most inconvenient times. You also don’t have to do the tourist attractions in a historic or beautiful destination to feel like you obtained the fullest experience. There’s a thousand ways to save while living this #VanLife but here are six tips that have helped me save thousands so far.
#VanLife Saving Tips:
Make Your Own Meals.
Use Data and Buy A Hotspot.
Get A Gym Membership
Cancel Monthly TV Subscriptions
Price Check Fuel
Purchase A National Parks Annual Pass
Let’s break this down.
Make your own meals. Saving money starts with what you put into your body. Quick and easy meals are not always the cheapest. Fast food or fancy meals in every destination is a way to spend money fast. Sitting down for a meal, you’ll end up buying cocktails and appetizers, paying for a weeks worth of groceries in one meal. Buying fast food feels like instant gratification but you end up dropping more money than it’s worth and making your body feel like complete garbage after…which is NOT recommended while driving long distances if you catch my drift. I’ve noticed that a lot of states have incredible co-op markets and roadside stands, which can be fantastic for fresh fruit or veggies since they don’t stay for long in the fluctuating temperatures of living in a tin can. Even the act of making your own coffee can save you hundreds. I kid you not. The average cup of coffee or latte from coast to coast is $6. If you treated yourself to coffee every morning, in one month you’re spending almost $200. Now, I don’t know about you, but I believe that $200 in gasoline will get me further on this year long adventure than $200 worth of lattes (even though my heart reaaallly wants the lattes). Remember: instant gratification will make us broke. Save that hard earned money and take time to make your own food. If you think you can’t, you can. Because if I can, you certainly can too. Plus, we have the internet at our fingertips-answers are everywhere (and amazing recipes).
Use Data and Buy A Hotspot. One of the first big purchases I made was buying Wi-Fi for the van. Oh, what an epic mistake. Spending upwards of a grand on the best of the best. Roaming Wi-Fi via satellite dish?! Perfect! (I thought). The monthly base subscription was an additional $150 a month. So for twelve months of Wi-Fi, you’re looking at almost $2,000, not including hardware. Wouldn’t ya know, even at that price: it didn’t work. On a sunny day with no clouds in the sky and full visibility, it would not connect. Re-parking the van, moving the dish, being in a different place entirely, it wouldn’t work. It was a satellite dish. It was big and precarious. If we were driving, the roaming Wi-Fi that I paid for wouldn’t work. It felt like an endless loop of bullshit. I honestly felt like I was going insane for a minute. So, I returned it. At first, I felt panicked. How was I going to send photos to clients or get work done without Wi-Fi?! I can’t hangout at random Paneras all day. The ultimate decision was to upgrade the cellphone plan to unlimited data and adding a hotspot. Month to month it’s cheaper AND I don’t have a big precarious satellite dish taking up too much space. So far, so good. This is just one of my lived experiences with overrated and overpriced technology. I wish I would’ve not wasted my time with all the nonsense and found easier alternatives sooner.
Get A Gym Membership. Of course I want to encourage you to workout because sitting in a van for twelve hours isn’t good for your body, but, the real reason I implore you to get a gym membership is for the showers! Storing gallons of water in a van with limited space is not easy. Plus, finding and purchasing clean water can get pricey and hard to find. Think about it: You have to find clean water to refill and then you have to find a safe spot to shower. Getting a gym membership halts all of those worries. I’m not here to promote a massive corporation but I will be honest with you: we purchased a Planet Fitness Membership. They are scattered throughout the continental United States and it seems like every state has at least one. Granted, having the water heater backup in the van gives us piece of mind but knowing that we can stroll up to the gym and take a shower without rushing through a vigorous process is just nice. Think: a quick shower takes five to seven gallons of water. That’s a lot of water you have to store. Let alone buy and find. And that’s just for one shower. Having a cheap alternative like a gym membership will save you a lot of hassle in the long run.
Cancel Monthly TV Subscriptions. Transitioning into this Van Livin’ Lifestyle, I thought a little TV at the end of a long day would be the perfect way to unwind. That’s what I did every night back at home. You realize once you’re on the road that TV is the last thing you care about or have time for. In two months of being on the road, we have watched one movie in the van. Why spend $15 on one monthly TV subscription when you won’t even use it? And most of us are subscribed to multiple platforms. Before you go on your longterm adventure, cancel your subscriptions. If you really wanna watch something, bring a little hard drive with your favorite movies and shows. Having that stored away is a nice failsafe. I know I don’t need Wi-Fi for my hard drive too so that makes this process even easier.
Price Check Fuel. It sounds silly, but after all the miles driven, I can easily say price checking fuel is one of the most important things you can do. You’ll be driving through a new little city and there will be five or six gas stations competing with each other. More often than not, there will be a gas station a few cents cheaper. There may even be one ten cents cheaper. Go there. Every penny counts in this lifestyle. And I mean, every penny. If it’s a name you keep seeing, get their rewards card. You can earn money off of each gallon or free coffees (and you know I will never pass down a free coffee).
Purchase A National Parks Annual Pass. I know it may sound odd to make the argument that spending money saves money, but here, it’s absolutely true. To purchase an annual pass, you can go online but we decided to buy it at a National Park. It’s an easy $80 flat. I say easy because the average rate of one vehicle entering a National Park is $35. If there is a passenger, that’s an additional $12-$15. By visiting two parks in one year, you’ve done well. Let alone traveling the country for a year in a van. Most parks have water fill up stations and trash disposal which is incredibly helpful. You can usually pick up a free map and experience some of natures most beautiful corners. There is always somewhere to safely sleep and your view in the mornings is much more pleasant than a Walmart Parking lot.
These may seem redundant or silly, but holy moly I wish I didn’t overlook them initially. It’s good to get yourself disciplined on the road and that includes your finances. Saving money isn’t shameful, it’s smart. Being mindful with how you spend your hard earned money is how you keep this lifestyle long lasting.
I would love to learn from your lived experience. **Comment your favorite way to save on the road