I feel like an anomaly. I'm a mom now and a homebody who loves to travel. But we are basically nomads, hopping around every 3-4 years because of military orders.
I've been absolutely obsessed with tiny homes, van life, and alternative lifestyles for over 10 years. I love that living tiny can give you a home base and options; I love options (maybe that's why I married a military man for adventure, but also to be taken care of).
Ironically, there were two times in my life I almost took the leap for van life.
I almost bought a full fifth-wheel RV in 2015. I literally put down a down payment. After a really bad breakup, I had moved back in with my parents (I don't recommend). I needed something I could call my own.
But then my grandma got sick, and I backed out.
I really wish I followed through..
In 2019, I almost bought a van to build out and live in with my dog, but I didn't want to leave my roommates. Being constantly told "it's not a good idea", I started to believe it.
So I backed out again..
Truth be told, I probably should have followed my dreams, but I was too scared of the unknown and wasn't confident to actually uproot my life.
Now that I'm a mom, I've renewed my obsession AND it has gotten an upgrade.
Even now, I'm a little afraid of the unknown, but I've kept daydreaming about van life and tiny home living.
Getting my husband on board was the easiest thing I've ever had to do. He agrees it's a good idea to have a permanent home for our family, including our 3 year old, Nora and two senior doggies, so we can travel where we want, but we haven't had time to set it up since we aren't sure where we've wanted to end up.
We've discussed this every 6 months: what we "could do" and what options we have, buy a van or save for a down payment on a plot of land.
The pressure is on, my husband's time in the military is more than halfway over. Our dogs are getting older, and so are our parents. They want to come stay with us to be near their grandchild (hehe, free babysitting, anyone?), but the stairs are hard, and we also want a separate place where they can feel comfortable.
After moving every few years, I want somewhere that's ours. A place we can leave for a few months and come back to, more importantly somewhere Nora can always call home.
We are playing the long game. I don't want to spend the next 30 years paying for a house that leaves us with little money to actually enjoy our lives. I cannot fathom paying $600k for a house that feels like it would've cost $300k a few years ago, especially with mortgage rates where they are.
That's not my vibe.
But if we can get land for around $200,000 and put a tiny house on it for $100,000, that sounds SO MUCH better to me. We would have everything we need and could build more later on.
There's so much to think about..
How much land do we actually want (and can maintain)?
How many buildings can we legally have?
What about zoning laws?
Can we have a separate place for our parents?
Do we qualify for a VA loan?
And who exactly is going to build all this?
And..more...
...this is not the fun part...
ANYWAYS here's the plan.. I don't know when we'll have our little piece of land (cross your fingers for 3 years), but I've already narrowed it down to:
1100 sqft, smaller 2-bed, 1.5-bath open layout house that could become an in-law house or a guest house to rent. We live in this for a little bit and at the same time we would build our 1 story dream home of 3 beds, 2.5 baths and probably a 2-story garage and 3+ acres to roam, I don't think it's too much to ask for.
Our savings goal: $80,000
Our timeline: 3-4 years
Savings Monthly: $2,222 or $1,667
Already contacted a relator and I think we might build this ourselves.
Becoming a mom didn't change my dream. I still want that freedom and independence, but now I want Nora to experience it, too.
It's funny because 10 years ago, I wanted a home I could take anywhere. Now I want a home we can always come back to.
I think the biggest difference between 2015 and now is that I'm not waiting for someone to tell me it's a good idea anymore. We've got a savings goal, a timeline, and a whole lot of things to figure out.
But after 10+ years of dreaming about this, I think it's time.
Now I'm curious. What's something you've been dreaming about doing for years but haven't pulled the trigger on yet? And what's stopping you?
Till next time 🫶🏻
Liz
Ps. Shout out to those already doing life differently, @vanwives, @eamon&bec, @trent&allie (and others I cannot remember off the top of my head). They started vanlife and then started building their home life, and that's exactly where I want to head.