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Student Ditches Campus Housing and Moves Into Van
Duke graduate student Ken Ilgunas has come up with a plan to make it through school debt free. He plans on living in his 1994 Ford Econoline van. He showers and exercises in the campus gym, and knows where all the 24-hour buildings are so he can keep warm, and connected to the Internet. "I'm rarely in the van. Just to eat and sleep. Generally it's not the most convenient place. The closest bathroom is a quarter-mile away and there's no source of water nearby. But with that said, I live pretty comfortably. I bring a water jug to campus and fill it up," he said.
Over the years I have owned and camped in numerous conversion vans. I've never lived in one though but I wouldn't think that it would be too uncomfortable as long as you lived a minimalist lifestyle. The big problem would be the facilities but my boat has an answer for that. It is a very small chemical toilet. It sits underneath a box that looks like it is a built-in footstool.
Living in a climate where the temp drops to -20 below there are times where you would need some sort of heating. A small catalytic heater could help but would be dangerous unless you also have a CO detector. Perhaps a small furnace from a travel trailer would be a better solution (keep the CO detector to be safe).
What besides space would you be missing? Today you have cell phones, LCD televisions, wireless internet. Almost anything that plugs in can be had for 12V and inverters are available for those things that can't be.
I went to school and emerged debit free. I lived in my parent's old house that hadn't sold yet and only paid utilities (that was a big help) and relied on a part time job for income. I got the GI bill and was lucky enough to win a grants for my text books and other school related expenses and even got some money for tuition. While many of my fellow students emerged with huge bills for student loans, I graduated with zero debit!
Was it worth it? Hell yeah. I only had to concentrate on the future and was not haunted by the ghosts of the past; all those ghosts named "Bill".
I can say if I had to do it again and if I had to live in a van to emerge debit free; I would not think twice.
Here's the solution for the bathroom issue: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/thetford-porta-potti-465-electric/35773 . I live in an RV year 'round, so I know what I'm talking about here. I live in central Missouri, and sometimes my regular commode freezes up in super cold weather. I use the above item in the winter. You'll be happy you made the investment, and all you have to do is drive that van to the local dump station when it's full. As for water, why not get a cylindrical igloo cooler, similar to the kind they use on golf courses, and wrap it in a wool blanket (available from army surplus stores) in the colder weather to keep the water from freezing? Just a couple of ideas. /.-on, Firefishe