Update

I have been way behind in posting lately. Although judging by the number of site visits, that doesn’t matter much – nobody’s reading 😉 Which is kind of ok. I don’t really do this so the whole world knows. Actually, if the whole world knew my financial business (or even just my neighbors), I could see that getting awkward.

I moved back to CO and started a new job. I am LOVING the new work. The company culture is totally different from what I was doing in Paris. The people are friendly and supportive. I also don’t feel like my English is getting worse, which is nice. I also have a standing desk, which is HUGE! I’ve wanted one of these for years and now I finally have one (http://www.ergotron.com/ProductsDetails/tabid/65/PRDID/562/language/en-US/Default.aspx).

My new job is situated near Westminster, CO, a beautiful place with sweeping views of the mountains and open spaces that are thus far undeveloped. It’s hard to say how long that will last though, because Denver is growing, fast (http://www.coloradocareers.com/denver-jumps-to-6th-fastest-growing-city-forbes/). My city is located between fast-growing Denver and Boulder, one of the city’s that was rated best-to-live by the firm Powerlytics (http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2015/02/27/colorado-city-tops-the-list-of-10-best-places-to.html). I heard a statistic last year that nearly 87K people had moved to Colorado in 2014 and another 100K(!) are expected to move into Colorado in 2015. Between Colorado’s desirable living conditions and the growing cannabis industry, people are flocking here in droves.

This is nice for just about everyone except renters. Denver rent has skyrocketed. (http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_29042930/denver-apartment-rents-slow-increase-influx-new-inventory)

I own a house already, so I shouldn’t have to worry about rents except what to charge my tenants. The problem is, my house is fully rented until October 2016, so there’s no room for me to stay there.

I’ve stayed with my parents for a few weeks now and I’ve been looking at apartments. This is where the rent gets to me. As a Coloradoan, I’m well-used to a rented bedroom costing maybe $3-500 a month. Now though, I can’t find even a room in someone’s house (separate post?) for less than $800 a month. Even in a “cheaper part of town” like Westminster.

So… I have a grand idea. A legendary idea! A wonderful, magnificent, fantastic idea!

Before I tell you, I should preface this by saying some people will not like this. It’s not their style, they’d never consider it, they abhor the idea, etc… but….

I’m going to live in a van.

A 1993 Dodge B250 Cargo van, to be exact.

I found it on Craigslist, fully finished with a bed in the back, faux-wood floors, and plenty of space to sleep in.

Why am I doing this? Well, partly (and mostly) for economical reasons. This van will cost me $3,800. This is the same amount it would cost me for 4 months of rent in Denver or Westminster, easily. At the end of 4 months, I’ll have a van fully paid off – an asset, which I can trade in towards a newer vehicle someday or maybe sell for cash. If I were to go the apartment route, I’d have nothing except another 8 months on my lease, paying someone else’s mortgage.