7. Frugality is key

There are a lot of websites saying you can’t do van life for less than $20,000, but that’s just not true. It just depends on what you’re willing to give up and how long you’re willing to wait. Where there is a will, there is a way, so to speak. 

Plenty of people have built the cheapest van possible and made it work, or have kept adding to it over time. If you’re on a time and money crunch, then get the basics and hit the road. You can always modify things down the road when you have a better sense of what you really need. After all, how many times have you planned for a trip and used only 1/3 of what you packed?