A lot of you asked how we AFFORD all this and what we do for money on the road. We just released a video today that goes over all of this! WATCH NOW: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Bw6nnkvDlXY.html
This was a bit more difficult to put together than we thought because I have my own business. BUT we trust that this will help you get an idea of what a month of expenses looks like living comfortably. Would you find it helpful if we did another month of expenses to see how expenses can vary? Let us know in the comments! :) Happy Sunday everyone!
WOW, that's fkn insane amount of money (on FOOD) and all those things each month! ! ! @$4,000 a month is 2-3 times more than most people living the (low end) Vanlife... Yes, $700 is you "RENT" but $1,200 on food- WOW, that is LIVING I guess.
Almost made me cry, thank you for being so open about your health issues, I'm in that boat right now. I hope in 12 years I can be rid of most of them like you!
I hear you ❤️ Sending so much love to you and your body 💕 I believe in you Amy, even though we have never met in person. Doctors told me for YEARS what I was dealing with was “incurable”. I had eating disorders, addictions, and health issues up the wazoo. They are all gone now. You can do it too. Keep focusing on your goal 🙌🏻 all is possible!
This video is so informative! I loved every bit of it including the music and editing! I also loved how you were in the places or doing the activities you were taking about! It was so much fun!!!!
WOW, before the lockdown and having have to come back to the UK from France, I very very easily got by on about $300USD a month, I ate well too, but like you said everyones budget is different...
Newly Updated Safety Suggestions: for Campers, Explorers, Travelers, I just happened to see your channel, and others similar channels recently, and I think that you, and others sharing their actual reality, and some have expressed some of the up, and down sides to van, RV, or vehicle living. Although, I just noticed your RU-vid channel, and other similar channels, displaying van living. I just wanted to remind everyone to Aware Be of your surroundings and Alert, I just posted this anyway to help anyone who may benefit from these suggestions I believe that it is very helpful, and beneficial to others who may be thinking about this type of living without actually thinking through, about the some of the realistic problems that could occur with vehicle or van living etc... People need to know what up sides there are, as well as some of the down sides of vehicle living. I believe this channel, and other channels have been informative to others, including myself. Although, I am NOT living in a vehicle or anything like this. I feel that you , and others RU-vidrs sharing this with your viewers will be very helpful. I wish you ALL the Best with your traveling endeavors. I shared this with several other travelers, as I watched their RU-vid channel for the first time, as yours, and I shared with them this information that may be helpful to you as well to others. Therefore, I would also like to suggest a few Safety tips, and items that may help you, or others in your viewing audience. Although, you may have knowledge of this already, I am not sure, so I hope this will be helpful to you, others or someone. *Keep a Extra working cellphone with you or in your vehicle. You can purchase inexpensive phone with a very low monthly price between 25, 35, 45, dollars a month with unlimited data and text, and some have Nationwide coverage Do your research for the best fit for you Consider Carrying Several Extra portable cellphone phone chargers, and cables. Consider theses items: *Mini portable power charging station. I have also seen outdoor portable solar powered power stations, that can be recharged from sunlight this may be very useful to have, to power your devices. *Invest in a Cellular signal booster for outdoor use, and camping situations to boost or amplify your cell signal and reception. Consider also the purchase of a WiFi signal booster to also boost your WiFi signal. Research to see what you prefer. *Very Inportant: Invest in a SOS distress electronic signal device, this a kind of device can send out a distress signal with your exact location. There are various types of these devices, and including devices that can be used when boating, or camping situations. *Some have emergency Strobe lights SOS signaling with location alerts, and location updates that can be sent to your family, and emergency first responders. Some can be synchronized with your smart watch or phone. There are some satellite SOS texting messaging, locator devices that will send messages with your phone even if there isn’t any cellular signal, or WiFi. With this device your can still text, and communicate with others in a emergency satellite transmission. Check online, for various emergency SOS products, some are small to fit in the palm of your hand. You can check online, and on Amazon, research what SOS devices will be a good fit for you. *Mini portable vehicle battery jumper charger *vehicle battery jumper cables *Vehicle Jumper cables *PLEASE BE AWARE* that in the *WINTER* *vehicle *Batteries fail* many times in very cold weather conditions. Vehicle batteries drain more often in the winter months. Please Keep a vehicle battery portable jumper pack, this is a device that can jumper or boost your vehicles battery yourself without another vehicle. If you have a older battery in your vehicle, Please have it tested or replace it, and consider the purchase a new vehicle battery with higher Cold Cranking Amps rating. Be Aware that Sometimes even a battery that is a few years old can fail in the Winter months, and extremely cold temperatures. Some alternatives to Winter Camping, Travelers, Explorers, etc, if you can find a Warmer Climate Location to stay during Extreme Winter months, or stay with family for a few weeks. Another alternative is renting somewhere although this can probably get expensive. What ever you decide Be Careful, Alert, Aware, Safe, and Informed... *Keep a Fire extinguisher handy *Smoke detectors, and Carbon monoxide detectors can be helpful Consider installing; *Mounted Dashboard camera front and rear possibly. *Exterior vehicle mounted camera for the front, rear, and both sides of your vehicle. Some can be activated by motion, Including spotlights. *Interior vehicle cameras *Flashlights or pluggin spotlights *Portable spotlights, and lanterns Keep a few whistles around with you, and in your vehicle possibly in your vehicle’s center console *Keep a Sound horn, for hiking this can service, as a deterrent, and a emergency signal alert for others. *A set of long range 2 way radios, walkie talkies, to communicate with others during trips, some have 100 mile radius keep for emergencies, you can keep with you when hiking. Use your own discretion regarding the use carrying of any weapons. Don’t forget to bring Bear Spray Pepper spray Where is allowed Purchase a couple canisters just in case and keep it with you If you own a drone you can use it to survey your area for animals etc. However, Please Be Safe and Beware of your Surroundings. Stay Alert, and Be Safe even when stopping at Rest stops, Truck Stops, and conducting your various tasks. Keep in often contact with your family, friends etc. Keep up with the latest Weather Updates, beware and prepare for unexpected Weather events and conditions. *VERY IMPORTANT* I would suggest *NOT* to travel to locations without internet, cellular service in the Winter, the reason is that weather conditions can change very quickly, and you absolutely DO NOT want have a vehicle break down, or malfunction, or emergency, and not have the availability to communicate, and contact your family, and or, emergency road assistance, or emergency services. PLEASE BE AWARE that in some extreme cold temperatures that vehicle fuel lines could Freeze and causing a vehicle to not start. Just in case Keep your gas tank filled, which helps prevent vehicle fuel lines from freezing. Keep gas or fuel line additive, or gas line antifreeze, that is rated to use okay for your vehicle. Check with your a certified mechanic and your vehicle owners manual, and or dealer repair facility to inquire what is best to prevent freezing gas tank and lines in extreme cold. Beware of snow and ice storms that affect Power in various regions. *Safety is Paramount* *Your Life is Important* *You want to Live to Travel another Day* *So Be Safe* *Stay Alert* *Keep your vehicle gas filled* Don’t ride on fumes, or on Empty. Don’t chance your Safety by running your vehicle fuel or gas too close to Empty. Fill it up anyway, it will save you alot of time, and headache later on. Remember to keep up on routine maintenance, check your tires for wear, keep up with your fluids for your vehicle, like oil levels, antifreeze coolant, Please carry extra (oil)(washer fluid), (brake fluid), (antifreeze). You will need extra Winshield Washer fluid because of the ever changing Weather conditions, dustly roads, especially in slushy wet roads. Furthermore, you will need extra Windshield Washer Fluid, Because you will Be driving more often in dusty, dirty, windy, and varying weather conditions. Your windshield will gather dust and debris from long term driving. Also, Remember Because you are on the road riding for sometimes very long distances, and long periods of time, I would suggest investing in 2 sets of tires, and a spare, the extra set to rotate. Check the mileage ratings on your tires they all very. Conduct visual inspections of your tires often, check for damage, wearing, air pressure, etc Keep a pressure gauge to check your tires pressure and a tire pump. Electric, Portable tire pump. Keep towing insurance to Be Safe if you ever need it. It Doesn’t cost much try to get National coverage if available, or where you will be traveling. Keep Extra financing, and savings for any unexpected issues, vehicle repairs, and overnight stays, in a emergency or if you need to rest indoors. Keep Enjoying Yourself, Keep Enjoying the outdoors, and Nature Just..Please continue to Be Positive, Safe, and Alert.. Wishing Success, Well-being and Happiness You All. God Bless You, and everyone Traveling, or living in their vehicles, Vans, RVs, etc. Please Be Safe..... God Be With You..... Author Advocate for Humanity, Jason Sandifer, Michigan, 11/15/2022, 11/18/202, 11/26/2022
Thank you for sharing! I appreciate an honest look at what your expenses are and have to say I was surprised by your food and dining budget but I live in California so I can’t say I do any better 😜
You guys are sooo cute! I totally agree with you on “food is my medicine”. Hey, I was wondering how you guys get your mail if are not in a fixed address? Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Wow I'm the 1st to "like" never happen to me before. Luv u guys!! Thanks so much for ur videos. Plz show more of u living in ur beautiful home. Greetings from Madison Indiana.
Just a normal day of cooking an getting on wit ur day. Luv ur videos. U should come visit Madison. Historic river town an the great Clifty State Park. Google it..lol
Hello there! I'm in love with your home. As a matter of fact, I will be using your floor plan 😃. It's the best I've seen. Was it difficult to have your cargo van registered as an rv?
Aw thank you! We’d love to see your van when your done 😀 No it was actually really easy. We documented every single penny and have all receipts saved online and we have the van tour video in case as well.
If you want to get massages on the cheap look up massage therapy colleges, I went to a state college for my RN and the massage therapy was in the same health sciences building. If I remember correctly I think the price was only $15 for 45 min.
Thank you so much for making this video. A great reality check. Re RV insurance: having self-built, did you have supply build videos, etc. to get insurance? This may be a good topic for a video. I haven't found anyone else talking about this. Thanks again! Scott (Bellingham, WA).
Hey Scott! We have Allstate insurance and it was pretty easy - a lot easier than we expected. We documented all expenses and have every single receipt from the build. We knew this would be a huge help so when we called they told us “as long as you have receipts and proof of the use in the van you are covered”. We have the van build video which I think would help in case of an accident. But like anything with insurance I don’t think we’ll really know unless something did happen. Great idea - I’ll put it on our video list! P.S. we love Bellingham - I miss the mountains of the PNW so much
Thanks MyDerAr................(Brian) I'm totally stoked for you to make that decision from watching our video. You tube Vanlife is very calculated. Especially if want to make money on that platform . Reality is you can.... we were very very lucky to have a viral van tour video and millions of people watching . I can t express how amazing that is! Crystal and I have done extensive research watching other popular channels and have taken notes. Like the video title reads. COUPLE WITH NO EXPERIENCE builds a van. That title is so true. We did the research 3 years ago watching the greats.... #trentandallie, #nomadicmovement and #EamonandBec. We absolutely love them and what they have achieved. Anyways I hope this opens some doors for ya. We just went for it with no expectations.
Would like to add we love Nomadic. movement. The things they have accomplished in Panama and life in general is super inspiring.. we hope to meet them some day.
I own a condo in Seatac but I work at construction sites all over the Seattle metro area. For the past several months they have sent me to Kirkland and the 1-1.5 hour each way commute in the worst possible traffic is driving me nuts. I make 90k a year but housing costs are so outrageous there is no way I could afford to move closer to my job and the jobsite changes so much I'm not even sure there is an ideal location. I'm trying to figure out if I can afford to live in a Van during the week and come back to my condo on the weekend. Right now I'm saving about $1200 a month but I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck so living in the Van would have to cost no more than $600 a month and the van would have to have a reliable internet connection, enough power for a laptop/small tv, a heater for the winter, a small bed, a mini fridge a couple small storage cabinets and a hot plate. I'd park the Van near the jobsite all week only making a few short trips to the local gym so I wouldn't be using that much gas, with the mini fridge and hot plate I also wouldn't need to eat out that much. I'm thinking if I paid for the Van in cash/no car payment it might just be possible. If I sold the condo I'd have plenty of money but I hesitate to do that because its so much easier to retire when you have a paid off house and the price of condos is rising so fast I doubt I could get back into the market. I love the condo but I hate the commute.
Of course! We where masks where it's mandated in public locations. Thanks for watching and if you haven't already, please like this video and subscribe to our channel.
Holy crap, US phones expensive! I was looking at a unlimited data SIM the other day for a 5G WiFi router for the van in the UK and it was £17/month (~$24)
Yeah it’s crazy over here man. But we are about to release a video about our new traveling internet service which utilizes ALL phone providers into one plan. Please stay tuned!
HAHAHA Our food/tea/coffee shop bill for the entire year was A LOT more than I wished it was BUT totally worth it at the same time. There are so many great coffee shops and great little cafes in the country and how could you not support local businesses? (said as I try to justify all our purchases...lol)
Ijust found your channel and loved the transparency and what you did with your van and now learning that you are vegan too! omg- i love that- subscribed
What type of business do you have that allows you to travel? I'm really trying to figure out what to do, I'm in a health situation like you had & mine is partly diet but most of it is pure stress so I'm retiring the end of this year but need something for extra income.
It sounds like RU-vid and blogging about their van life and adventures is there business, but I could be wrong. If you have crafting/artistic skills and a few months to get started then opening an etsy shop could be a good source of income. Or there are always food delivery apps like doordash and postmates
@@anissadavis2011 Amazon is good too but I think a little harder to get into, I currently do etsy and their ease of setup and relatively alright fees are good for most tiny businesses (like mine)
Hey there...just found you and I think (HANDS DOWN) you have the best van life videos. BTW: I was born in Bellingham and used to live on North Lake Shore Drive (Lake Whatcom). Our family moved when I was 9 years old. I have such fond memories living there when my father was a deputy sheriff. Where are you originally from?
Thank you for sharing this information! I am going to be transitioning into a van life so this helps. What type of jobs do you both have, if you don't mind me asking, I am looking for various ways to make money for when I quit my job. TIA and stay healthy!!!
We’ll be making a video about this next month! I have my own business and work as a Hormonal Health Expert and Cravings Coach as well as offering strategic business consulting for women that work in the wellness industry. Brian is in the music industry but he hasn’t worked for over a year due to the pandemic so right now YT is his FT job :)
@@vanhallaadventures Thanks for the info! It almost sounds like “van life” can be as expensive as “normal life” except there’s no vacation expenses!😀 Looking forward to the video on your businesses… sounds like he should have been giving you the foot massage😉😂 Love your content and channel!
Is your van RV certified? I ask because there are some RV parks who won’t allow parking unless you are certified…do you have issues regarding this or have you just never experienced this?
@@vanhallaadventures I was thinking it could be stored in the shower when y'all are not using it. They are pretty light in weight, but you make a good point of it draining the batteries. I'm assuming that's a big reason why I never see them.
@@tamikad3535 our toilet is already in the shower. Have you seen our can tour video? Just click the link below! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ma1Z8bbsRIE.html
RV / renters insurance = Allstate, Dental - Delta Dental. We will be making another video going over our total expenses for 2 years on the road in 2 months so stay tuned! It will be very thorough.
We paid for our health insurance in full at the beginning of the year. To be honest it wasn’t very much, I work in natural health so we are pretty self-covered except for accidents so we just paid bare min. We are looking for travel insurance options for nomads and once we find options we’ll share it with everyone 🤓
Of course! We where masks when in public locations. You be safe too! Thanks for watching and if you haven't already please like this video and subscribe to our channel.
Are these people high on something? Gas expense for the month at $520?????? This van has at least a 21 gallon tank. Do they meant they use a “kerosene” for this van??? And DENTAL for 2 is just $75/mo for both if them. Do they mean…a listerene/mouthwash budget. Renter’s monthly at $25?????? Coz, i wanna moved where they live. Im pissed. Or its either theyre not telling the truth.
Totally telling the truth. Ya know 21 gallons of gasoline We get 350-400 miles per tank. We drive… ALOT. Dental price for two $75 pr/month…true story Renters Insurance $25 pr/month
@@IVetrone yes agreed it is difficult to acquire RV insurance on a self-built camper van. But our agent (who is also a friend) came out to the work site a few times, saw our work and approved the coverage. We were very thorough with our build. Also had consultation on electric safety. Hope that helps. 😊
We usually camp on BLM land but sometimes we stay in neighborhoods or other parking lots. Here is a video that shares more: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kToh97ljnTs.html
We generally stay on BLM land that’s free. But sometimes we pay for camping if there isn’t any free camping in the area or the weather isn’t generating enough solar.
Not quite sure on the miles but that’s how much we spent that month driving from Southern New Mexico to Florida. Keep in mind there was a yon of zig zags and this was it a straight shot. Hope this helps and thanks for watching!
It’s a lot but we weren’t really trying to pinch pennies that month. We’re definitely more on a budget now and will release another video about our monthly expenses being lower. I hope..lol 🤞🏻
Why didn’t you just drive East and south in the winter….$3800 is a lot. I was a vegan and I healed because being vegan is fasting and when you fast you heal…but then I got sick and sicker…so now I changed up my diet every couple of years instead of sticking with just one way of eating. Be careful of oxalates … that’s what happened to me..I became oxalate toxic and spiraled.
Please see Revelation 14:12 cause it says the 2 characteristic of what a saint is. Revelation 14:12 (King James Version) 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
It’s not veganism that’s costly. Vegan food (unless it’s packaged) is far less expensive as you can eat for about $4-$5 a day. We just don’t mind spending the money every month on the extra things we enjoy and healthy investments lime fresh juice or juice cleanses :)