Living In A Minivan For 1.5 Years

While Investing $18,000 In Rent Savings

This was my home for 1.5 years (there’s a bed in back)

“It’s a great way to diversify”, my friend said about his new 4 bedroom house. “One of the best ways to grow money!”

I thought he was probably right. But as a single 20 something in California, I wasn’t sure if I could afford (or wanted to afford) a house that started at $1 million.

Buying a house also meant less time to work on the side projects I enjoyed and potentially saying “no” to job opportunities elsewhere.

So while my friends bought 4 bedroom houses, I decided to buy a ✨ Honda Odyssey ✨ instead.
1 bed, 0 bath, $5,500 in cash.

The Adventure Begins

After a few months of research and preparation, it was time to buckle up. I hauled my twin sized mattress, cubbies of clothes, and 1 chair into the back of my new-used van.

My scoped out list of potential sleeping locations were all bookmarked on my phone.

The first night in my van quickly made my long list of sleeping locations much shorter. Each parking spot turned up with a new set of problems: bright lights, loud noises, too much traffic. Finally at around 4:00am, I nervously slept my first night in a van while hoping no one would come to wake me up…