Can't wait for a Class B, might just get a van

OIC! In that case I def recommend the van and porta potty! I have been very heppy with the combo. A smaller van like the Astro might be more nimble, and def better mileage.

Hey guys. I think there was a misunderstanding. I'm not looking into full time living out of a van. I already live in a house in Sun City AZ. My brother and I split all the expenses and mortgage. Ultimately my brother and I will inherit the house if we stay here long term. I have my own bedroom, a garage, I live cheap and pretty comfortably.

But sometimes I just need to get out of the house for a little me-time. I just need a van for day trips at the parks or wherever. Maybe an occasional trip to Socal for a few days. I can take time off at my job anytime I want.

I thought about selling the Harley. But I wouldn't pocket much more than $1300 on it, and I've been making payments on it for 3 years. I owe $2800 on it, and I should probably just keep at at this point. I could just about pay it off right now if I wanted.

My job: yeah the pay is lousy but it's not physically laborious or stressful. Lately I've only been working 4 days a week. Each shift is about 4 trips to the airport dropping off customers or picking them up. I guess I'm not a real motivated person in general.

Well I think I've about covered everything! I'm keeping my eye out for a decent full size van. An Astro van might work too.

Edit: I did forget something! Love-life issues! Got an an answer to that too: vasectomy. I'll shell out for the operation once I start dating. Right now it's not an issue.

I feel for PAThwhacker's kids, whose father views them as nothing but a drain on his finances and freedom.

I suppose when they grow up, they will be spending all their disposable income on methods on coping -- whether by therapy, drugs, or having their own kids out of a misguided desire to have somebody who loves them.

I hope they choose therapy, and break the generational curse.

toedtoes wrote:

I-10bound wrote:
Don't you all think a van would be the cheapest and most practical solution for me?

No, I don't. I don't think going from sharing a house with your own family (mom and brother from prior posts) to living on the streets in a van is a practical solution. That WILL make you homeless. I am basing the following comments on all your posts that suggest that you wish to LIVE FULLTIME in this van/RV rather than just wanting something to get you a weekend or two away from home once in a while. If you are indeed just looking for something to let you get away for a weekend or two once in a while, then ignore everything else and I will say that yes, a simple van will work great for that.

In regards to fulltiming in a van and stealth camping in LA/San Diego and moving out of the house and your family:

I think you really need to look at your future and not your current situation. I'm assuming you're still pretty young (20s?). If so, then how can you better your situation for the future. You've only been saving money for a year and you're already getting the bug to spend it - NOW. I remember those days - you only saved money to buy something with it. That's all fun and dandy, but you're not going to have a future that way. You will ALWAYS be scrambling to survive. You are at your most able now. Get a second job. Go back to school. Apply for jobs in places where internal promotions are possible (it may not be a great job, but it can gain you more experience). Find jobs that offer greater versatility in the duties - again, it will gain you more experience. Get into construction work and work towards getting a contractor's license. Apply for entry level government jobs. Join the military. Join the job corps.

There are all sorts of options that will help you get a future that can give you what you want. But, it's not going to happen right away. You can't live in a van on the streets of LA or San Diego and have a future. You will end up spending the rest of your life on the streets. It sounds like you and your family are in a tough situation - I would hazard a guess that if any one of you lost your job, you would find it hard to make ends meet. If you can work out a 5 year plan with them so that you can each get 2 years at a community college getting some practical education and working second jobs for the other 3 years to cover the additional expenses, then you might all be able to better your situations. Working together will give you more than you can get on your own - IF you have a good relationship and are supportive of one another and no one has an "issue" that makes them unreliable.

If you can't work it out with your family, then go talk to government programs, church programs, social programs, etc. It's OK to get help to get out of your situation - that's why such programs are out there. But these programs aren't an easy fix. They won't turn you from a struggling young adult into someone enjoying the "American Dream" just by signing your name to a piece of paper. These programs won't make your life better - they just give you an opportunity to change your life and make it better for yourself.

Basically, if all you do is what you're doing (living day to day; struggling to get out of THIS situation because it's annoying only to find yourself struggling to get out of THAT situation; struggling to support yourself and your dreams), you're never going to get anywhere. Changing this situation for living in a van is NOT an improvement of your life - it's just trading out one problem for another.

I had the high paying job, picket fences, and American dream. All Gone after divorce and child support. Now at age 42 it's a travesty. I Make 90k gross: Government gets 39k 23k kids and me 28k.
Have the degree, career, and live in the castle and shack lifestyle. Ex
Wife gets the kids a yearly 23k tax free and controls my life.

This is life in the 40s:

Reaadjusted, moved back to parents, and 13 years of child support $300,000 total.

Have a truck, popup camper to escape on weekends kid free.

I watch a number of people doing the "vanlife" thing on YouTube. They tend to get burned out after a year or two, and head for terra firma, or they fall off the map indefinitely.

I would not recommend it. A van that you have to furnish will be cold in winter (and no, lots of blankets will not help when you have to get up and ready for work), hot in winter, always vulnerable to meth-heads on one side, as well as the police looking for anyone out of line (and one citation, boot or tow will set you back months to years.)

I don't walk in your shoes, but can you sell or pay off the Sportster? The key is to start getting more cash flow in, so you can start saving, perhaps tossing something like 5% of the income into a 401k or an IRA. I'd also look for online training for something else.

Were I in my 20s, and not making it, I would be taking some high-impact martial art to get the body in shape ASAP, then I would go to a recruiter. The martial art will make the physical part of Basic training more bearable so you can focus on the mental exercises. On the DD-4 form, I'd make -sure- to have some stipulation that you get a TS/SCI clearance on it. Choose your MOS, and hang on for your enlistment term. It will suck and be brutal... but when you hold that DD-214 in your hand on your way out, you can go to the next phase of your life. If you like computers and have a security clearance, there are -tons- of jobs available, even if you don't know that much about stuff in the first place.

I-10bound wrote:
Don't you all think a van would be the cheapest and most practical solution for me?

No, I don't. I don't think going from sharing a house with your own family (mom and brother from prior posts) to living on the streets in a van is a practical solution. That WILL make you homeless. I am basing the following comments on all your posts that suggest that you wish to LIVE FULLTIME in this van/RV rather than just wanting something to get you a weekend or two away from home once in a while. If you are indeed just looking for something to let you get away for a weekend or two once in a while, then ignore everything else and I will say that yes, a simple van will work great for that.

In regards to fulltiming in a van and stealth camping in LA/San Diego and moving out of the house and your family:

I think you really need to look at your future and not your current situation. I'm assuming you're still pretty young (20s?). If so, then how can you better your situation for the future. You've only been saving money for a year and you're already getting the bug to spend it - NOW. I remember those days - you only saved money to buy something with it. That's all fun and dandy, but you're not going to have a future that way. You will ALWAYS be scrambling to survive. You are at your most able now. Get a second job. Go back to school. Apply for jobs in places where internal promotions are possible (it may not be a great job, but it can gain you more experience). Find jobs that offer greater versatility in the duties - again, it will gain you more experience. Get into construction work and work towards getting a contractor's license. Apply for entry level government jobs. Join the military. Join the job corps.

There are all sorts of options that will help you get a future that can give you what you want. But, it's not going to happen right away. You can't live in a van on the streets of LA or San Diego and have a future. You will end up spending the rest of your life on the streets. It sounds like you and your family are in a tough situation - I would hazard a guess that if any one of you lost your job, you would find it hard to make ends meet. If you can work out a 5 year plan with them so that you can each get 2 years at a community college getting some practical education and working second jobs for the other 3 years to cover the additional expenses, then you might all be able to better your situations. Working together will give you more than you can get on your own - IF you have a good relationship and are supportive of one another and no one has an "issue" that makes them unreliable.

If you can't work it out with your family, then go talk to government programs, church programs, social programs, etc. It's OK to get help to get out of your situation - that's why such programs are out there. But these programs aren't an easy fix. They won't turn you from a struggling young adult into someone enjoying the "American Dream" just by signing your name to a piece of paper. These programs won't make your life better - they just give you an opportunity to change your life and make it better for yourself.

Basically, if all you do is what you're doing (living day to day; struggling to get out of THIS situation because it's annoying only to find yourself struggling to get out of THAT situation; struggling to support yourself and your dreams), you're never going to get anywhere. Changing this situation for living in a van is NOT an improvement of your life - it's just trading out one problem for another.

It's illogical to assume that he can get a better job. Most people get the best job they can. He probably has already done that.

I don't know the current state of financial aid. Is it possible to go to school and train for a better job, like it was when I was young? Or has gov funding for education been cut o much that only well off people can study?

Whatever you do, don't go to a private college. Stick with state run: community college or university.

jrobe wrote:
It is kind of amazing to hear a thought process like this - no education, living below the poverty level, no savings, no hope of a successful retirement, probably no health insurance, debt and trying to figure out how to buy more stuff. Hard to figure.

He's not trying to buy more stuff, he is trying to reduce expenses, by getting rid of his cuttent housing sit. He is taking personal responsibility, like most poor people. Something has made you blind to that. I wonder what it could be?

Agree with what everybody said about getting out of debt, get a better job, etc.

Still for what it's worth, I have a class B, Winnebago ERA, and haven't used the bathroom or shower yet. The camp grounds where I've stayed have nice comfort stations where I shower and do my business. Never had an issue with the "black tank."

It is kind of amazing to hear a thought process like this - no education, living below the poverty level, no savings, no hope of a successful retirement, probably no health insurance, debt and trying to figure out how to buy more stuff. Hard to figure.