I set up alerts on Craigslist for Freightliner MT45s two weeks ago, and something in my price range was finally posted a couple of hours ago. I was already preapproved for a personal loan, so I went through the actual application and landed exactly where I wanted to be for payments by adding the electrical stuff I’ll need and stretching the term by a year (no prepayment penalty).

For those wondering why the hell I’m posting a truck here, this is the culmination of about seven years of looking into tiny-home living that has veered into vanlife by virtue of climate change accelerating and not wanting to be stuck on a plot of land that may be uninhabitable in very little time.

As such, with rent and fees hitting $20K for the year starting September, in addition to the 15% hike eating my entire food budget, the numbers no longer made sense with the sort of pay raises work offers. Thing is, I’ve been stuck getting emergency jobs for 17 years now while losing purchasing power just to afford housing and survive, and when layoffs come, I’m in the middle of a lease that I have two weeks in July where I can tell them I’m leaving without a $3,000 penalty. Otherwise, the lease forces me into another emergency job, and the cycle repeats anew.

I’ve changed how I approach the world and my expectations from life significantly over the past year, and this is finally a concrete physical step I’m taking toward regaining agency.

I will be stripping the interior, installing batteries, solar on the roof, electrical conduit for “oops” wiring changes down the road, insulation and framing, with just plywood walls to start. The beauty of a step van is my current bed will fit, so with those basics, climate control, a toilet and a gym membership for showering, I’ll be ready to stop paying rent and then build it out as I have funds to do so, with a shower stall and full-ish (fridge + stove elements + combo microwave/toaster/convection oven) kitchen eventually. I already switched to 5G “home” internet that can hit the road and saves $30 over Charter last weekend, and I reluctantly rehomed my cat Monday in preparation.

I wanted to post here because while a significant amount of time needs to be devoted to researching ideas, then methods, being on the other end of that process and knowing what I’m looking for down to the engine and transmission makes actually pulling the trigger surprisingly easy.

Much of what I’ve run into outside of forums devoted to #vanlife talk about all the downsides, and questions I’ve posed trying to learn more get met with caustic sealioning, so I want to point out that this is a very real, very doable thing. Per the loan terms, I’ll pay a total of $19,500 in principal and interest over four years, putting me $500 ahead for just this year, and assuming similar hikes annually, save nearly $80,000 in just the next three years.

“But what if you have an unexpected $2,000 repair?” Well, then I’ll only be saving $78K. I can have 40 of those in 48 months and still break even vs. throwing my money away to make rich people even richer while never having a net worth.