I’m 24 and sold my three-bed house to live in a van full-time – I’m saving so much money and have no commute

AN AMBITIOUS 24-year-old university graduate has decided to live in a van full-time to help save thousands on rising household bills.

Jess Hill boldly sold her £125,000 house in North Yorkshire and invested the cash into a cheap home on wheels after deciding she wanted to live a “more affordable”; lifestyle on the road.

Jess recently split from her partner and faced struggles affording her mortgage on top of the monthly bills for her three-bedroom home.

The University of Salford graduate was also facing the grim reality of millions in the UK of a long and painful commute to work.

Jess had started to fall out of love with her corporate job with the three-hour round commute to the office making her days unbearable.

This led her to decide the “conventional 9-5”; way of life simply wasn't meant to be for her.

Jess said: “My £425 mortgage was one of the cheapest I’ve seen around and I still struggled with the bills for it on my own – I had no disposable income at all.

“All of the bills just add up to a ridiculous amount, they come out of your bank account and then you’re like ‘oh my goodness, my whole wage has disappeared’.”;

Ever since packing up her bags and putting the house on the market, Jess moved back in with her parents inWigan.

During this time she has started to renovate a spacious Citroën Relay which she paid just £13,000 for.

Using the money made from selling the house, Jess is already in the process of installing a bed, kitchen, shower and storage onboard the van.

It even has solar panels which help to power its electricity – making life on the road even simpler.

Jess, who was brought up as a keen Scout, now believes her living costs will be dramatically cut thanks to “van life”.

So far she has spent the £13,000 on the van itself plus another £6,000 on renovating the vehicle so far.

She will also have to fork out a further £80-a-month insuring it.

The only other major costs will be petrol, food and any things Jess wants to do or buy per month.

Much of the renovating costs have come at a cut-down price as Jess already has experience in construction.

She has a degree apprenticeship in the construction trade from her time in Salford as well as working as a building surveyor for a firm in Manchester in the past.

Hundreds of people have started to turn their regular conventional lives upside down in recent years and ditched their homes.

The concept of being “van lifers” has swept across the UK with couples and brave singles all venturing outside of tradition.

One aspiring DJ even told Flying Eze how he turned an old van into a hidden side hustle that lets him travel the world for free.

Jack has installed his DJ set, including a mixing table, two turntables and 15-inch subwoofer.

He can also open the rear doors of the van top reveal the setup to the world when he's playing a gig.

Ever since the idea of living in a van came to Jess – inspired by those she has seen online – she has been documenting the whole process to her thousands of followers on both Instagram and TikTok.

Jess hopes she will be able to make even more cash on the side through her insight into creating a new home on wheels with her passionate fans.

She also believes she could become a full-time content creator when on the road by documenting her travels online.

Jess said: “Being in the van, all I’ve got to pay for is the insurance, the fuel and the food. That’s going to be a lot cheaper than living in a house.

“If I get short of money I’ll just travel less that month as fuel is the variable.

“I’m trying to do it as cheap as possible so I can keep money either as a back-up fund or for in the future if I ever settle down.”;

Due to the amount of money she has already saved since deciding on her future plans, Jess says she is able to quit her job and spend her life travelling.

Touring the UK has already been on Jess' bucket-list but her busy work schedule never allowed her to enjoy life.

“I love hiking, canoeing and wild swimming, but living near towns and cities restricts this,”; Jess said.

“Working 9-5 also doesn’t work for this – you can’t finish work and nip off to the Lake District or Peak District because there’s just not enough time.

“By the time I’ve spent an hour-and-a-half commuting home from the office, it doesn’t feel like I have any time to actually do what I enjoy.

“You get on the train and it’s packed, it’s disgusting and all I want is peace, tranquillity and the opportunity to be sociable.

“I want to keep things really simple and enjoy a life outdoors and see the world. Living in my van is going to help me live the life I enjoy.”;

After conquering her British travels, Jess hopes to take her van across Europe to places like Montenegro, Austria and Bosnia.

She also believes along the way some “hidden gems of Europe”; will catch her eye.

She also hopes to earn some extra cash by helping others to create their dream van one day.