{"id":130223,"date":"2023-09-13T22:14:11","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T22:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/?p=130223"},"modified":"2023-09-13T22:14:11","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T22:14:11","slug":"i-converted-a-white-van-into-my-tiny-home-my-outgoings-are-only-200-a-month-but-i-have-to-shower-at-leisure-centres-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/beauty-and-fashion\/i-converted-a-white-van-into-my-tiny-home-my-outgoings-are-only-200-a-month-but-i-have-to-shower-at-leisure-centres-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"I converted a white van into my tiny home, my outgoings are only \u00a3200 a month but I have to shower at leisure centres | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

A WOMAN who lives in \u201ca big white van\u201d and spends just \u00a3200 a month on bills has said the cost-effective lifestyle is the \u201cbest decision (she) ever made\u201d and she \u201cwouldn\u2019t change it for the world\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ellen Green, 29, a freelance graphic designer from Northern Ireland, began travelling around Ireland in a van with her dog, Max, a Staffordshire bull terrier, in 2019.<\/p>\n


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After being in her van \u201call the time\u201d, she decided to move into her new \u00a35,000 Citroen Relay permanently.<\/p>\n

Ellen\u2019s loved ones thought her living choices were a \u201cbit weird\u201d to begin with, but now she thinks \u201cpeople can just see that it works for (her)\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ellen has been able to see \u201csuch beautiful places\u201d, like Snowdonia and Donegal, and has hiked all around the UK and Ireland \u2013 last year, she \u201cclimbed 52 peaks in 52 weeks\u201d and said the van made the challenge<\/span> \u201cso much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellen has also saved a lot on monthly bills \u2013 now her outgoings are around \u00a3200 a month.<\/p>\n

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Looking to the future<\/span>, Ellen can see herself staying in the van long-term, especially because of how \u201cflexible it is\u201d and because she can work remotely.<\/p>\n

Ellen told PA Real Life: \u201cI often just find the nearest beach and park there. It\u2019s so relaxing \u2013 I wake up, swim in the sea, do some work, and just chill out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d never be able to do that if I was renting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s made me make the most out of life, and become a more adventurous person.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI can\u2019t believe that showering in leisure centres is normal to me now \u2013 I love this lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2019, Ellen began travelling around Ireland in her Ford Transit Connect van while renting an apartment.<\/p>\n

But in March 2023, after being in her vehicle \u201call the time\u201d, she decided to move into a new van full-time \u2013 she upgraded to a Citroen Relay, costing her around \u00a35,000.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI love how flexible it is and being able to park up anywhere, in such beautiful places.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no point in me renting a flat because I\u2019m always in the van, and everything\u2019s in here.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot cheaper than having to spend money on rent on top of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

On what her loved ones thought at the time, she said: \u201cMy boyfriend at the time, now ex, said I needed to get a more realistic dream.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody understood it \u2013 everyone was a bit embarrassed to be in it because it\u2019s just a big white van and everyone just thought it was a bit weird.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I guess, during Covid, it all became a lot more normalised and popular.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I think people can just see that it works for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

After moving in permanently, Ellen soon began making renovations to her van, spending around \u00a31,000, adding in a leisure battery and a window.<\/p>\n

She explained: \u201cIt was already panelled and had everything, like a kitchen and a workspace in it.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no point in me renting a flat because I\u2019m always in the van, and everything\u2019s in here.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I gradually ripped everything out of it, and then rebuilt it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did it all myself so it\u2019s quite rustic, I guess \u2013 I\u2019ve done a lot of it with reclaimed wood and my friend gave me a pallet so I made shelves out of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I\u2019ve got a bed, a workspace and a kitchen \u2013 I did things like use old book shelves to make kitchen cupboards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since then, she has travelled all over the UK and Ireland.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI love going to Cornwall just because there\u2019s always stuff happening there \u2013 there\u2019s a lot of other van people there which is great.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Ireland\u2019s so lovely because it\u2019s so remote \u2013 on the west coast, in Donegal, is just my favourite because you get to park up right by the sea and you don\u2019t get disturbed and you don\u2019t see people for like a day or two.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just so lovely and I always feel safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

In between travelling and working as a freelance graphic designer, Ellen loves to go hiking and has even started selling decorative maps.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t believe that showering in leisure centres is normal to me now \u2013 I love this lifestyle<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI\u2019ve hiked in Wales, like Snowdonia, and I just love it.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, I climbed 52 peaks in 52 weeks and it was amazing and the van just made it so much easier.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m creative and I wanted to combine my two interests, hiking and graphic design, and people have loved them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ellen has also noticed how much her spending has gone down since living in her van.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cWhen working, I obviously prefer spending money on doing things, rather than bills, and living in my van has let me do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so much cheaper now \u2013 fuel has gone up, everything has, but it\u2019s still a lot cheaper than it is to rent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pay a maximum of \u00a3200 for things like phone bills, apps, showers at leisure centres and washing at launderettes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith fuel, it really just depends on how much I want to spend.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I want to spend less this month, I just don\u2019t move around as much.\u201d<\/p>\n

On whether she would recommend living in a van to others, she said: \u201cYou get to have so much freedom, save money and explore \u2013 it\u2019s amazing, I\u2019d suggest it to most people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking to the future, Ellen can see herself staying in the van long-term.<\/p>\n

She explained: \u201cI would consider maybe living somewhere during the winter when it\u2019s a bit colder and a bit wetter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d still like to be in my van though, not renting, if there\u2019s somewhere nice<\/span> that could stay for a month or two, just to settle down and hibernate for the winter.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think in terms of settling down somewhere permanently, I think it\u2019s so hard to not want to be in the van.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the freedom, especially with working remotely, so I can\u2019t see myself settling down somewhere for the foreseeable \u2013 at the moment, I wouldn\u2019t change it for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n


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\nSource: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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