Frugality

If I don’t choose to give up my apartment and live in a van, my other choice for greatly reducing my monthly expenditures is going without a car.  My car is paid for but this year I’ve averaged $262.79 a month for transportation expenses.  That includes registration, licensing, gas, maintenance and repairs.  The average is skewed a little high due to having to replace my clutch earlier this year but with my car having 230,000 miles it is likely it will need more major work done before the end of the year.  Although getting rid of my car wouldn’t completely eliminate my transportation expenses I estimate it would save me approximately $200 a month.

Before getting rid of my car I need to determine if it is feasible for me to live without a car.  I live less than two miles from school so I could easily get there by bike.  I have a grocery store right across the street from my apartment and my bank, the post office, a drugstore, and several restaurants are within walking distance.  If you’d like to see what is within walking distance of your neighborhood visit WalkScore.com.  Just note that the distances are measured as the crow flies and the businesses are pulled from Google Directory and aren’t always accurately described.

The problems with not having a car would be seeing my girlfriend and working.  Looking at the bus schedule it would take about one hour each way to see her which is longer than I’d prefer. It might be workable though.  Another option would be for her to always come see me or for her to come and pick me up.  That isn’t really a reasonable option and I’m not seriously considering it.  I deliver pizzas for a living which would be impossible to do without a car.  That would mean I’d have to find a new job or make all my money online.  I like my job but gas prices are making it less rewarding.  If I were to quit the job I’d probably have to find a new one since I’ve still got quite a way to go before my online income can cover my expenses.  I’d also have to rent a car or ride a bus when I wanted to visit my mom which would eat up some of the money saved by not having a car.

It does look like I could get by without a car.  Most likely I’ll choose to live in a van rather than go without a car though.  This is simply because I like the freedom of being able to get in my vehicle and go. That isn’t a financial reason but sometimes the personal trumps the finance.  I do encourage everyone to consider whether they could live without a car.

I’m thinking about living in a van to lower my living expenses. I’ve already done all the usual frugal stuff but I feel the need to do more. To make any significant reduction now I have to eliminate either my apartment or my car. I decided to go with eliminating the apartment.

Ever since reading Blue Highways in high school I fantasized about traveling the country in a van but never got around to doing it. Eventually that dream expanded from just taking a trip but having a full-time adventure. After joining the Vandwellers group on Yahoo and reading various blogs by van dwellers,such as HoboStripper (NSFW), I’ve realized that this dream is actually quite feasible and I intend to make it a reality this year.

My plan is to move into a van when my lease terminates at the end of October. I’ll purchase a van in August or September so I’ll have plenty of time to prepare it for living in. My needs for the van will be very simple. I just need somewhere to sleep and the ability to store things. I’ll take my showers at the fitness center at school. I have my own carrel at school where I can keep my books and a small amount of other stuff. It also has an electrical outlet that I can use to charge my laptop and cell phone. For food I can use the microwave at school and keep a small amount of food in the refrigerator there. There is also an ice machine which I might utilize ice from occasionally. For my bed I’m just going to use a couple camping pads stuffed in a sleeping bag with a folded comforter on top. I’ve used this combo before and it is comfortable.

I don’t really think it will be difficult to live in the van while attending school. There are plenty of vehicles parked there overnight so my van shouldn’t draw any attention. This should save me about $400 a month and get my living expenses to a minimal level. This idea of living in a van down by the river probably seems crazy to some but I welcome any comments,suggestions, or questions you might have.

Last year I was able to successfully turn off my gas and save some money during the summer. I tried to do that again this year but my landlord was uncooperative. He didn’t want to go through the hassle of turning off the gas so I am forced to pay for gas through the summer even though I won’t be using it. I did manage to save a little through my attempt at turning off the gas. For the short period the gas bill reverted to the management company rather than me there was a smaller customer charge so I’ll save that little bit. I’m unhappy that I’m unable to do this and will be moving out at the end of my lease. Wherever I live next won’t have gas heat-at least not natural gas heat. More on my future living plans tomorrow.

When I logged into my latest bank account today I expected to see a bonus of $50 credited to my account.  Instead there was a credit of $150.  I don’t have the terms of the bank bonus with me but I believe they made an error and credited me for a larger bonus than I qualified for.  I briefly thought about just waiting to see if they would catch the error or not.  I really don’t think they would though.  The bonus was entered by the person who opened my account and they probably just rely on that when determining what amount to credit.  I decided to go ahead and let them know of the error though.  I’m hoping that maybe I’m wrong and I did qualify for the larger bonus amount or maybe they’ll just let me keep it.  If not and they take the money back that is okay because it wasn’t mine anyway.  I’m frugal but I don’t compromise my ethics for financial gain.