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We moved into a van. Well, that's not really the whole story. After a few months full of change, we're itching to share our journey. It's one of spiritual, financial, mental, and physical freedom. This post starts with the basics: Why? We will get into the details (and adventures) later!

Carter and I are blessed with careers that give us some financial freedom in the traditional sense. Our parents also taught us a lot about financial responsibility. He and I were both "savers" from a young age, holding on to every dollar we made from doing chores or receiving gifts until we came across the right toy, book, car, and so on. We paid our [his...] college debt and our [again, his...] car loan quickly after college graduation and have purchased and subsequently sold homes that our mortgage lender considered quite "modest" considering modern lending practices.

But we still didn't feel like we were doing all we could to prepare for our future financially. We were certainly living above our needs--we had unused bedrooms with full closets, shelves loaded with boxes that we hadn't opened in years, and a car that sat idle 90% of the time. We spent money on city cocktails (and outfits to boot) and fine dining....when, truthfully, we'd rather have a cookout with family and friends. But, because we were living significantly below our means, we felt like we must be on the right track to financial freedom. And don't get me wrong, we were certainly doing all of the right things. But that ache we felt to do more, save more, work harder (so that we could retire sooner), all stemmed from living beyond our needs.

About the time we began realizing this, we were welcomed into an amazing group of friends who quickly became our family in St. Augustine, Florida. Carter's work had a great group of young professionals and a connection from a friend-of-a-friend led us to the most supportive family at the best church we've ever called home (S/O Colonial Church--St. Augustine). They would turn out to be our biggest cheerleaders, our spiritual leaders, and faithful supporters. Unknowingly, these people taught us what was important to us. And none of it was within our 4 walls that defined our mortgage, which we had just excitedly bought into to live on the beach, nor was it on Amazon or at Target, where we purchased everything we needed for said beach house.

As we grew professionally, personally, spiritually, and in our marriage, we realized that we truly value few things: relationships, fresh air, nature, and our physical wellbeing. And they all have something in common--they are thought-provoking (and FREE).

• Cultivating deeper relationships with God, each other, friends, and family is not easy. It takes time, energy, and most importantly, thought. By way of getting to know someone better, you get to know yourself better. You get to understand ways you can improve yourself so that you can make a greater impact on others.

• Breathing fresh air brings us clarity (and the air between you and your phone/laptop/tv is, by our definition, not fresh).

• Nature is not only awe-inspiring, but a constant reminder of how big our God is. How much beauty He has surrounded us with and all we have to do is open our eyes to it.

• Anyone who knows us will place "the gym" at the top of our priority list. We are striving to use nature as our gym. Figuring out how to move our bodies outdoors so that we improve our endurance and grow muscle while consuming fresh food that makes us feel good.

Back to the "why". We moved into a van because it is the minimal means to supporting our needs and it gives us the opportunity to seek only our values without being clouded by all of the "extra" things available in life.

Will we live in a van forever? No. Who knows if we will make it 6 months. The best part about being human (and American) is the freedom to make choices that lead to learnings or to mistakes, which lead to learnings. Here's what will last forever: the growth we will experience while living in a van.

Here's what will last forever: the growth we experience while living in a van.

Devil's Bridge: Sedona, AZ

FAQ

1. How much space do you have?

72 sq. ft. of living space...but our backyard is HUGE :). We have to practice mindful movement within the van. Turns out, we are more polite to one another because we have to ask each other to scoot over 100 times a day.

2. What is your gas mileage?

Maybe 20 mpg? The van is a "regular" road van (like your electrician probably drives). These vans are built to tote heavy-ish things and our belongings definitely do not overload it. With no mortgage, no rent, no utilities, no water, no cable, and no car loan, we were willing to take on a larger monthly fuel expense. Although, Carter used to drive 60 miles a day to and from work and we definitely do not drive 60 miles a day now.....unless we are driving to our next extended location.

3. What did you do with all of your stuff?

Most everything we own is in the van with us. We sold or donated anything that we didn't use regularly. We do have some larger kitchen appliances (my beloved KitchenAid Mixer) and our wedding/family heirlooms stored with family. Stay tuned for our "van tour" posts to see what we own now as "minimalists".

4. Do you work?

Yes! Carter and I are both remote engineers with our respective companies. We travel frequently, so we are always "near" an airport by the time Monday morning rolls around. When one of us is not traveling, we have a mobile hot spot to use during the working hours. I also like to frequent coffee cafes and the gym (which all have free wifi!).

5. Do you have a toilet and shower?

We do have a toilet, but we shower primarily at the gym. We take bird baths every evening in the van. You'd be surprised at how little you need to get just as clean as a shower--simply a loofa, soap, a washcloth to rinse, and maybe 12 oz of water (which we warm in our tea kettle).

6. What do you do when it is hot/cold?

Our van is equipped with both a fan and a gas heater (safe for indoor use, of course). As we speak, it is 80F in the desert of Arizona on a sunny day and I napped under a light blanket with the window cracked and the fan on, pulling a draft that chilled me. We use the heater when it is 40F or below at night. However, our van is fully insulated and we stay at a comfortable 60-65 in the van on most nights with no heater. We have also planned our travel to follow an average high and low of 75F and 45F, respectively.

7. Do you have electricity?

Yes! Alfredo is powered by 200W solar + 100 Ah battery + 600W inverter + Smart Battery Isolator (to connect to the van's alternator). This is plenty of electricity to power our fridge, lights, fan, sensors/alarms, electronics, etc. Stay tuned for a more detailed post about our Alfredo's features!

8. Where do you "park it"?

90% of the time we stay on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property. This is government owned and maintained land that often times offers designated "dispersed camping" areas which are free for public use. There are some limitations--most BLM dispersed camping areas have a 14 night max stay (per 30 days) and basically none offer any "amenities". The other 10% of the time we stay at a private or state camp site. We don't need any hook ups because we are 100% off grid. Less frequent, but sometimes necessary, camping spots include rest areas, truck stops, and even overnight airport parking (for example, if one of us travels home from a work trip on a Thursday night but the other doesn't fly in until Friday morning).

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