A New Zealand woman moved into an old van to escape high rent prices and is now saving over $20K per year.
Brittany Cosgrove from New Zealand has recently moved into a $6,000 old van. The reason was that the 27-year-old designer had had enough of paying $500 per week for a “damp, smelly, and cramped” studio apartment in Wellington.
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As per Daily Mail, the traveler says she has never been happier, adding:
“I can do whatever I want, go wherever I want and because my lifestyle has no huge expenses I can work as much or as little as I want, which means I can just apply for jobs I really want to do.”
Credits: Instagram
Cosgrove, who is the lead designer of her own brand Nope Sisters Clothing, says working remotely is not a problem for her business.
“My manufacturers now pack and send all of the stock out so I don’t need to be in the city. And my new lifestyle is great for my brand because creative ideas come out of boredom and I have a lot of free time now.”
Brittany now spends five times less money than she used to when living in a studio apartment.
The designer’s weekly expenses are only about $100, which includes petrol, parking fees, registration, and maintenance. To compare, when she was looking for apartments in the city, she found out it was almost impossible to rent anything under $500 a week.
@brattycosgrove Reply to @laurietheworry ask and you shall receive #fyp#foryou#foryoupage#vantour#vanlife#vanliving#nz#nztravel#wellington#taranaki#newzealand#travel
Presently, along with the financial freedom the 27-year-old has now achieved, she claims she has gained so much more from her new way of life.
“I have so much time now, once you cut out the rent factor you can have spare money which is nice or you can have an extra day or two off a week. When you are constantly working there is no time to sleep or look after yourself properly – I don’t know how people are supposed to thrive in that environment.”
Thankfully, Cosgrove’s friends and family are incredibly supportive of her lifestyle.
She notes:
“My parents were inspired to buy a van themselves, they were forever borrowing mine for weekends away and just took the plunge.”
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Brittany believes that at this point in her life, she can’t see herself ever renting again. Although the young woman admits the van life is “a lot of work,” she says:
“I find more than enough satisfaction in the van and doing some house sitting. The homes I look after are way nicer than anything I could afford to live in anyway.”
Here are Brittany’s TOP 5 van life tips:
1. When you first get your van you should do a short trip before you head off permanently.
After a week away you will notice things you want to tweak and have a better understanding of how things should be organized to suit you best.
2. Get camper mate.
It is a great app that shows where you can park up for free as well as places where you can access hot showers.
3. Learn how to make a lot of one-pan dishes.
Don’t expect to be cooking lux meals for yourself because you won’t be doing that.
4. Give yourself extra time every day to sort out your life.
For example, if you know you need to have a shower then you may need extra time to get to the facilities.
5. Keep everything tidy.
This makes life easier – but it is your van if you want it messy that’s ok.
@brattycosgrove My hot take on van living #fyp#foryou#foryoupage#wellington#wellingtonflats#vanliving#vanlife#nztravel#northisland#taranaki#freedomcamping#van#flats
