We ditched renting in London to live and work in our van – we’re saving £1,400 every month
A COUPLE has ditched renting in London to live in a van – and they’re saving £1,400 monthly.
Robert and Mariona Bolohan decided to move into a van after struggling to purchase a house despite having a £40,000 deposit.
The couple, both originally from Spain, previously lived in a 29 square metre studio flat in Hayes, west London, where they were paying around £1,500 in rent and bills.
But Robert, 28, and Mariona Bolohan, 26, got sick of paying a lot of money in rent each month and converted a minibus into a campervan to work and live off the grid.
Mr Bolohan said to The Daily Express: “My wife and I ditched renting in London to live and work from our van, and it’s the best decision we’ve made. Not only has it transformed our lifestyle for the better, allowing us to travel as much as we like, but we have also saved a fortune in the process.
“We initially made the decision after we struggled to buy a house, despite having a £40,000 deposit, and so far believe we are saving around £1,400 per month.”
The couple got the idea after seeing the #VanLife trend on social media during the pandemic, and they felt it might fit their lifestyle since they both work from home and enjoy travelling.
Mr Bolohan said: “We bought the minibus in April 2022 and took eight months to convert it into a fully electric, self-sufficient and off-grid campervan. We opted for a minibus over a normal van as they tend to be bigger. It has its own challenges, but I think we made the right choice.
“We sold our other car and reinvested the money into the van, recovering part of the investment, so to speak.”
The couple said they have already saved thousands in rent and energy costs.
He said: “The fuel costs of the van can vary depending on how much we travel, but right now, it’s pretty cheap to run.
“We used to pay around £900 on rent, £150 on council tax, and £200 on energy bills each month; alongside other living expenses, we ended up spending around £1,800 per month. Now we don’t have to worry about any of those expenses.
“We pay around £400 on fuel each month, so overall, this means we spend £1,400 less than we used to, thanks to our new lifestyle. Since we moved into the van in December, we’ve saved around £7,000.
“The lifestyle change has also meant that we’ve saved money in other ways, too. We live a much more minimalistic lifestyle due to the size constraints of a van, which tends to mean less spending.”
They have WI-FI on their motorhome, so their jobs haven’t been impacted.
Mr Bolohan said: “Being able to go outside and explore after work has helped us to prevent burnout.”
They want to save money to purchase a property in the UK or Spain, but for the time being, they are enjoying travelling in their motorhome.
This comes after a woman revealed that she lives in a van absolutely loves it – not only because it gives her freedom to travel but also because it’s super cheap.
Plus, a woman converted a Land Rover into a luxury off-road motorhome with an indoor shower.