Saving for Vanlife
“How do you manage your money?”
That and “do you have a toilet?” are probably the questions we get asked the most about living in a van.
People seem fascinated by our budgetary requirements, which is fair enough I guess, although on a day to day basis the money issue isn’t that different from anyone elses. So, I can only assume that they mean;
“How do you manage your money living in a van, whilst on the road?”
Seeing as we’re just into the New Year and everyone is talking resolutions, I thought this would be a good time to maybe address that question, because the answer is pretty simple.
Budget!
Yep, that’s it, there’s no magical solution or money fairy that comes to visit, it really is as simple as putting a budget in place and sticking to it.
Although, that being said, saving is a huge deal!
Saving Money for Travelling in a Van
We are not blessed with deep pockets. Certainly not pockets deep enough to decide to pack everything in and disappear off travelling in the van for a year. So that’s why we originally planned to travel for 6months with no work.
That meant we had to get saving, which I found surprisingly easy with a goal to save for (who doesn’t want 6months off work right?)
We got ourselves one of those giant whisky bottles (no we didn’t drink it dry it was already empty) and made sure that whenever we had any spare change, we popped it right in the bottle.
Trips to the pub became less frequent, as did takeaways, shopping trips or any other needless spending.
If we did need items such as clothes (and books, I always need books) then we headed to charity shops – much better for the environment and much much better for your pocket.
We also set up a separate bank account solely for travel purposes and on payday we would transfer what we could afford into that account. Those banking adverts are right – it’s so much easier to put it away on payday.
Before we even began saving, we had set ourselves a budget which made it even easier.
Budgeting Your Money for Travelling in a Van
The easiest way to budget for your travels is to break down by the week.
We set ourselves £200 each week, which we split down into the following categories:
£80 for fuel – which meant setting your mileage to a certain amount each day – great for slow travel and getting to know an area.
£40 for food
£20 gas – this would probably be less if it was a summer trip but Scotland in the winter demands heating.
£40 campsites – after a week on the road, campsites are a luxury. Treat yo’self!
£20 buffer
Most weeks we came in under budget so whatever we saved would be rolled over to the next week. Set an achievable budget, what works for us might not work for you, and stick to it!
Saving Money on the Road
Just because you’ve set yourself a budget, doesn’t mean you have to spend it all.
It’s totally fine if you come in under and actually, I became almost obsessed with trying to come in under each time.
Here are some top tips for making that budget go the extra mile;
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT use a launderette to do your washing. We made this mistake a couple of times and it cost us an absolute fortune, when we could just do it at a campsite with washing facilities for a few quid. Honestly, who spends over a tenner on washing!
Some pubs offer overnight stays if you have a meal or a drink – a great way to save money and meet new people. Best to phone in advance just to double check.
Take your budget out in cash at the start of the week and hide the debit card. Cards are the devil when trying to stick to a budget, it’s far too easy to over-spend on them.
Raid the bargain section in supermarkets, and whilst on your travels look out for homegrown veg, eggs etc – the easiest way to cut the cost of your weekly food shop.
We were lucky enough to extend our travels by finding work on a campsite for 6months, which turned out to be a great way for saving money.
Workway.info is a great way to find food and board in return for a bit of work and extend your time on the road.
The more you plan, the better your budget and the better you are at sticking to it means longer travels, and everyone loves that right?
Why not make your New Years resolution a travel related one and get saving! It’ll open up whole new travel doors for you.
