Couple, 23, who have ‘had enough’ of paying £900-a-month on rent and bills reveal they’ve swapped their house-share for life in a converted van to save money
- Ollie Pearson and Tessie Mitchell, both 23, from Bristol, live in a renovated van
- The couple have ditched their house share to avoid energy crisis over the winter
- They splashed out £15k on a converted Ford Transit – but see it as an investment
- Ollie said: ‘With bills going through the roof, we’ve decided we’ve had enough
A couple who were spending almost £900-a-month on rent and bills have revealed how they’re saving money by moving into a van full-time.
Ollie Pearson and Tessie Mitchell, both 23, from Bristol, spent £15,000 on a converted Ford Transit but see it as an investment because it will be cheaper than continuing to live in a house-share alongside two other people.
They estimate they’ll save around £8,000 a year.
Like millions of other people across the country, the couple’s bills have gone through the roof.
Ollie Pearson (right) and Tessie Mitchell, (left) both 23, from Bristol, have ditched house share to avoid energy crisis over the winter and estimate to save over £8,000 a year living in a renovated van
The couple have splashed out £15k on a converted Ford Transit van complete with a working kitchen
The couple bought the secondhand van which had already been converted before they invested in it
Tessie, who works in a café, and delivery driver Ollie decided they ‘had enough’ and will instead put their money towards keeping their van life running.
The vehicle had already been renovated into substantial living quarters by its previous owner, and came equipped with a solar panel on the roof.
It has a gas cylinder which requires filling up every three months and a charger that connects to the alternator in the engine.
The setup means that when the van is running it also charges the batteries, so Ollie’s confident his new home will have plenty of power.
Ollie said: ‘With bills going through the roof, we’ve decided we’ve had enough. Our gas and electric for a four person house is pushing £800 a month now which is just unaffordable for us.
‘The van will save us rent and bills which we think over a year will amount to around £8,000.
‘The main price will be for the diesel, but we’re not planning on moving it that often so it won’t be much of an expense.
The van has a stove and oven inside along with wood burner which they’ll use to keep warm over the winter
‘We’ll just be alternating between the road and a family friend’s drives to start with, but we’re considering travelling Europe next year.’
The van has a stove and oven inside along with wood burner which they’ll use to keep warm.
The couple have managed to fit a king size mattress in the bedding area, and Ollie has installed a shower room and a toilet as part of his own renovations.
They are set to move out of their house share at the start of next month, and are looking forward to a life without worrying about rising energy costs.
Ollie said: ‘Most of the renovations were already done when we got it which is why it was quite expensive.
The pair can also drive the van around to change locations if they need to and only need to spend money on diesel
The pair have managed to fit a king size mattress in the bedding area, and Ollie has installed a shower room and a toilet as part of his own renovations
‘I added a shower inside the van, upgraded the radio and speakers and moved the toilet set-up in to the shower room.
‘It’s definitely big enough for the two of us, we have just had to be strict with ourselves on what we actually need.
‘We have stripped back a lot on our possessions to make this work, but its quite liberating only keeping the things you really need.
‘We’re really excited for the adventures to come, and are looking forward to having some more money in our pocket as a result of our change of lifestyle.’
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