One of the amazing things about van life is not only the freedom it gives to change plans and go wherever you want but also the financial freedom. You are not bound to a lease or a mortgage. You can reduce your bills by not paying for things such as cable, electric, water, amenity fees, and so much more! In this post we breakdown 6 tips for living in a van on a budget and how to do it comfortably!
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This means at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through a link and make a purchase. This post may also contain other affiliate links and non-affiliate links to products and websites.
All of these tips can be adapted to fit your van and your lifestyle no matter if you live in your van on the weekends or full-time. The main point we want to get across is that it’s entirely possible to live in a van and travel and still live on a budget! Here are a few ways that we live in our way and are able to keep our costs way down!
Pack Your Own Picnic or Coffee
If you’re heading to a park for the day pack a picnic to switch it up a bit. It will make it feel even more fun and different than having lunch or dinner in the van like usual. It will also save you money from getting hungry and inevitably buying something to eat.
Make a coffee in the van and then take it for your walk on the beach. Or if you’re exploring a new city resist the temptation to stop at a fancy coffee shop. Make your own coffee drink, pop it in your to go coffee mug (I love this one), and you are good to go!
Read More: Why We Bought a Ford Transit Instead of a Mercedes Sprinter Van
Stay at Free Campsites
One of the biggest ways to reduce your costs while living in a van is to not have any accommodation costs. That means staying at free campsites as much as possible. Sometimes it might be a Walmart or Cracker Barrel parking lot which aren’t always the most glamorous or scenic. But it’s free and allows you a free overnight parking spot.
Travel Truth: One of our biggest tips is to spend the night in whatever parking lot is close by. Then first thing in the morning jump in the front and drive to the beach or whatever scenic location is near you. While you may not have stayed overnight on the beach you can still be the first ones there and enjoy your coffee with your toes in the sand!
There are so many helpful apps to help find free campsites. If you are out west BLM land is an amazing way to stay for free on some beautiful pieces of land. As well places such as Walmart, Cracker Barrel, truck stops, and rest stops are good options depending on where you are.
- We have a few things that make it a lot easier to look stealthy and not draw attention to ourselves when we stay in parking lots. We put Reflectix on all of our windows and these black out curtains do an amazing job of giving us privacy and also helping to control the temperature of the van. Having a toilet inside the van means we don’t need to go outside for anything so we park and try not to open any doors or be loud.
Read More: Everything We Used in our DIY Van Build
Get a Nationwide Gym Membership to Workout and Shower
Getting a nationwide gym membership like Planet Fitness can save you so much money from paying for individual showers every time you want to get clean. For us it costs $22 a month and includes unlimited guests and access to gyms all across the country.
- To shower at truck stops such as Flying J Travel Centers it costs $12. So for us both to shower one time it costs $24. Our Planet Fitness membership is such a better deal than paying for showers individually.
If you’re looking to work out while living in your van than having a gym membership allows you to also have a place to exercise without needing to pay for day passes. Having a membership as opposed to visitor or guest passes is going to save you a lot of money!
- If you do get a nationwide gym membership you’re definitely going to want shower shoes (we both have slip on ones like these and they are so convenient for slipping on quickly) and a hanging caddy for your toiletries. Most of the gyms we have been to require shower shoes (and it’s just a good idea) and a toiletry caddy is so helpful when there isn’t a shelf or anything in the shower for your stuff. We just use a carabiner to loop it over the shower curtain and it works perfectly!
Read More: 5 Reasons We Did Not Choose a Fixed Bed for our Van Layout
Find Parks, Enjoy Beaches, and Go Hiking for Entertainment
Instead of going to shopping malls and restaurants for entertainment try to find things to do that are free. Find parks where you can spend the whole day outside. Enjoy nearby beaches reading a book or taking a nap. Go hiking and explore some of the area around you. These are all ways for you to get out and do something fun while not necessarily having to spend money!
- We finally bought a blanket a few weeks ago after not having one for so long and it’s so nice to have something to lay down on the ground to sit on! This one was inexpensive but instantly makes it more fun to be sitting at a park or outside at a nice camp spot.
Travel Truth: The All Trails app is an amazing app that shows all the nearby trails to your location. It has detailed reviews, pictures, trail maps, and directions to get to the hike. It’s a great resource if you’re looking for a nearby hike but you’re not sure where to go!
Read More: How to Stay Warm in a Van in the Winter
Cook Your Own Meals
Neither one of us loves to cook. I know, don’t all yell at us at once! It just isn’t something that either of us really enjoys. When we had an apartment we did it out of necessity to eat but to be honest we’re not the best chefs. But we’ve actually started cooking more and more in the van. And we’ve found we’re cooking some really good meals. Like way better than the plain chicken and white rice meals we used to make.
Cooking our own meals instead of eating at restaurants or getting take out saves us a lot! Even if you aren’t in a van but you’re trying to stick to a budget this is one of the easiest ways to cut your spending down!
- When we were saving money to quit our jobs and travel in 2019 this is one of the first things we did to save money. We stopped eating out and getting take out and delivery and it ended up saving us so much!
Now this doesn’t mean you can never eat out again. It just means we think of it as much more of a treat now. So we are intentional when we decide we’re going to eat out.
- For example, in the last 2 months I think we have eaten out 3 times. In New Orleans we got shrimp po-boy sandwiches and beignets. In central Texas we got barbecue and in El Paso, Texas we got Mexican food.
- We intentionally planned when we were going to treat ourselves. So in New Orleans we tried 2 dishes that are popular in the city and they were delicious! Then we were in Texas and we had to try Texas barbecue at one of the best barbecue restaurants in the whole state. All of it was delicious and we appreciated it so much more because it felt like a special occasion.
Read More: How to Choose a Van Layout
Use Apps to Find Free Water and Dump Sites
Just like trying to stay at free campsites we try extra hard to find places that provide free water and free dump sites. We have a UV water filter and portable water containers so we are able to fill up pretty much anywhere which makes it a lot easier. We have filled up on water at parks, rest stops, welcome centers, truck stops, gas stations, and so many other places that have water spigots.
- You definitely want a hose like this to help you use spigots that don’t have good pressure or spray all over the place. This one drains all of the water out too so you don’t end up with water inside your van when you put it away.
We have found dump sites at welcome centers, rest stops, gas stations, and even some RV parks offer free use of their dump site. There are also some RV parks that let you use one of their dump sites for a fee of $5-10 as well as some truck stops have dump sites (such as Flying J) for $10 as well.
We mainly use the app iOverlander to help find water and dump sites. You can filter for things such as water and see all of the options near you. Or usually what we do is look in the direction we are headed. We look along the way if we will pass (or be relatively close to) any water or dump options. Then we add it to a stop along our way.
- One thing we have learned is to always think ahead for things like filling up on fresh water and dumping our grey water. We would always rather do it early when we don’t necessarily need to then be scrambling because we either completely ran out of fresh water or have to dump our grey water because it’s completely full.
While the van build process can be pricey (depending on your van and your specific build) once you move into the van you can definitely live on a budget! A perk of living and traveling in your home is you can choose where to go and how fast or slow you want to travel!
