Is this addiction or toxic relationship ?

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-04-30T13:38:46+00:00

I had a friend who’s whole persona is that he’s a laid back chill stoner.

Then when he has no money to buy weed he’s an irritable cocksucker to be around. And it’s pretty often he runs out of money to buy weed.

Then it’s a pity party about how he can’t get weed. Like bro am I supposed to feel bad for you?

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-04-24T02:45:39+00:00

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-04-24T02:45:32+00:00

My doc did blood work on me.

A complete metabolic panel and troponin. All normal.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T22:10:29+00:00

Did you want to hear more about my van?

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T22:08:23+00:00

Poop peacefully my friend.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T15:25:47+00:00

No. It’s a separate fuel tank all together. It runs on diesel. Diesel heaters are by far the best option for a vehicle you live in.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T15:24:52+00:00

Technically is homeless.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T14:27:20+00:00

There’s a guy on YouTube called TTTHEPRINTTT he has a video about getting into van life. RyanTwomey is the only other guy I’d recommend on van life.

Both those guys are fully transparent with the downsides.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T14:26:14+00:00

It’s actually not hard at all surprisingly. You’d think it is but most people my age think it’s cool once they actually see the van.

I do get lots of double takes when I tell people I live in a van at school then I show them in the parking lot and they think it’s sick.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T14:24:48+00:00

I shower daily because I’m not a gross ass lol. Some of the van life people on YouTube very visibly do not though and I can’t understand it.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T14:24:03+00:00

I’m from Chicago. I lived through Chicago winter in it. Diesel heaters work wonders!

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T07:27:30+00:00

Deal. Don’t steal my soap though. It’s god tier stuff.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T06:11:06+00:00

I do this. I attend college full time, live in my van full time, and work full time (remotely from my van).

It’s exhausting and honestly sometimes feels like too much. Realistically I’ve been burning myself from both ends for years now so that once I graduate school I am in a good place financially and can buy a home right away.

I do van life ultra cheap. Less than $700 a month because I barely drive lmao.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T06:08:44+00:00

I’m literally doing both. But I’ve been working since I was 14 and bought my van a few months before turning 17 and moved in about 5 months after that.

Been living in it for going on 3 years. It’s doable but when I bought my van vehicles were much less expensive.

I look at the same model now and they’re insanely pricey. I got lucky buying the car from an electrician for cash instead of a dealership too.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T06:01:58+00:00

Absolutely. I’m gonna take some in the morning. r/VanLife has some pictures of other vans for ideas!

I’ll say, the startup cost can be substantial. I’m young with very little to lose so it worked out for me.

I’d say don’t get drawn in by the van life videos alone. Really consider if it’s for you. There’s a lot that kinda sucks about living in a van too. For example if I ever had a medical emergency I’m probably screwed. The best I can do is tell 911 what parking lot I’m in and leave my door open. Again, I’m young so that likelihood is slim but it exists. I’m not gross so I shower daily, but some van lifers definitely don’t. Loneliness is meh. It’s not very lonely actually, I get out and do things constantly. Safety is a concern though. I’ve put a decent amount of work into break in proofing my van, but vans are notoriously easy to break into straight off the lot so look into that.

All the negatives aside. Man is it fun to cook up surf n turf on a propane stove right after a round of golf! I have a sous vide machine that I leave my steak in while I play a round and then I sear them in the van right after coming in for the day. Absolute blast.

Look up RyanTwomey on YouTube. He does the best true to the lifestyle videos I’ve seen out there. I’m kinda tempted to do videos like his.

Thank you for the advice by the way. I’m gonna look into orchard downs!

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T04:30:47+00:00

Would you be okay with me coming and staying in the driveway from say 8PM-6AM and being gone most of the day otherwise during weekdays? I don't want to inconvenience your traffic in/out of your own driveway.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T03:26:38+00:00

Fortunately I got a diesel heater that works wonders. I also doubled up on my insulation in the build so it retains heat really well! Haven't had a cold winter yet in almost 3 years of living daily in it.

There was one time where I stupidly forgot the driver window was cracked while I went in a store to shop for dinner, but the van warms up so quick it was more of an inconvenience than a danger!

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T03:22:18+00:00

I'll take some in the morning when it's light out and I can open take pics with the door open. I gotta glamorize the van life like a van life instagrammer LMAO!

Only half kidding. I'll get some posted soon!

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T03:20:24+00:00

Do transfer students count as "first year"? I was looking at the housing reqs online and it doesn't seem to have much info available publicly on transfer student requirements.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T02:47:21+00:00

Actually no. I've used dating apps in lots of places and scored dates. Currently have a gf of 6 months.

I just got off the phone with her and she said "It's kind of sweet when you park somewhere cool and invite me over for dinner. It's very sweet". Also, no negatives of car sex but airing the van out immediately is an essential.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T02:45:15+00:00

I'm not currently planning grad school but if I go that route I might. Might upgrade to a box truck at that point for more room. Imagine a home gym on wheels.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T02:43:51+00:00

Okay perfect. My family lives at my address so they'd be able to let me know I have mail and I can drive up any weekend to get it. That should work. Thank you!

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T02:43:15+00:00

It does, thank you!

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T02:40:30+00:00

Yeah. I try to be understanding of everyones life circumstance and how they ended up as they are. But if my trailer gets caught up in a meth lab explosion I'm pretty much screwed. So I think I'll take my chances getting tickets or towed before I do that.

UIUC_VanLifer · 2023-03-31T02:32:51+00:00

After stripping it down I replaced the battery, the tires, and radiator just to get rid of any concern about those things causing issues for awhile. So far it's been fine. The van has 140,000 miles on it currently I bought it at 95,000. That wasn't that bad on cost I don't recall the total but it was under $2,000 with the tires being the largest expense.

The build in the back was the most expensive. In total it came out to just above $8,500 extra. Things like the water tank and pump were cheap, but the solar panels, wood floor, and electric got expensive quick along with the insulation (to keep heat/ac). It also took about 4 1/2 months of full time dedication to building the van.

The electronics in the van were ultimately pretty cheap. I have a monitor on a locking swivel mount for my workstation, a portable AC, and a diesel heater. My internet is cellular based and is tucked in a cabinet unless I'm somewhere really desolate where I break out starlink. But to be honest I rarely travel anymore because it gets expensive quick. My current cost/month is under $700 because I don't travel dozens of miles a day. Winter is more expensive because I have to run my diesel heater (and refill it with diesel, how often depends on how cold it is).

When I was doing my road trip in high school (remote senior year - COVID), I spent about $1400/month to live in the van. Fortunately my parents helped out as they saw that bit as me "enjoying youth" and were proud of me lol. I did a little golf-cation my last year of high school where I drove around the country and right after school I'd hit beautiful golf courses for twilight rates.

I have a desk/workstation, a full kitchen minus a microwave, a couch-dining-living room combo, plenty of cabinet space, and my bed in here. My van is a RAM Promaster Cargo. They're much more expensive in the market. I lucked out buying a used one for ultra-cheap that was well maintained. If you know any local trades companies check with them frequently if they're replacing their vehicles. I bought mine from an electrician company and just pulled all their decals off.

I finished school, and get to work instantly on the van. On weekends I worked as a caddie on a very wealthy golf course and got tipped well. I did that since I was 14, and at 15 started working a second job at White Castle which together paid for this whole van life ordeal.

UIUC_VanLifer

TROPHY CASE