A COUPLE has revealed their monthly outgoings living full-time in a self-converted van – and the fuel and energy bills barely make a dent in their pockets.
Enthusiastic travellers Julian and Heidi shared how much they typically spend every month while residing in their motor home.
Tiktok/@julian_and_heidiJulian and Heidi shared how much they typically spend every month while residing in their motor home[/caption]
They start with their biggest chunk of cost – £450 which they pay every month towards the loan they took to buy their Mercedes van.
The next biggest cost in their monthly outgoings is food – Julian says in the video they spend on average some £280 buying groceries and other food items from supermarkets like Lidl.
Since they live in a motorhome, they keep moving from one place to another.
However, their petrol bills tell a different story.
They said they spend anywhere between £150 to £500, with the latter amount being on the highest end.
Heidi describes how their fuel cost totally depends on their plans and lifestyle
During the months when they do international trips in Europe and travel across the UK, they likely spend on the higher side.
The couple revealed they have done cross-border trips to Greece and Turkey.
However, during quiet months petrol costs them just about £150.
Energy bills come next, and the couple surprised their followers by revealing they just spend some £5 for 6 kilos of gas which is enough for them to sustain an entire month.
At last, the couple revealed they pay around £25 in taxes each month, which takes their total outgoings close to £1000 – ways cheaper than what they would have been paying while renting a place.
Heidi at last tells the followers that these calculations are based on average values, and sometimes they end up spending a lot less than £1000.
Elsewhere, a couple who got fed up with the rat race of their “mundane” lives decided to pack up and jump into van life.
Dave and Emily felt disillusioned with the monotonous routine of waking up early, stressing about work, and skyrocketing bills.
After lockdown in 2021 forced them to be together more, the fed-up pair realised just how much time they spent stressed and apart before – despite living under the same roof.
They made the brave decision to stick their house on the market and buy a minivan they named Mavis.
Dave told Liveration: “I was a mardy git.
“I’d get up early for work in the morning, I’d get home and I’d still be working when I got home.
“It was just non-stop. In the winter we were really busy, could be all night, all weekend.”
The pair took about a year renovating and converting the van, which they nabbed for £9,000.
Originally the transformation budget was set at £20,000, however they rapidly exceeded this and ended up using credit cards to complete the project.
But, they say they have no regrets and claim “it’s the best thing they could have ever bought”.