Bia RooneyOkay, the terrifying moment has arrived: let’s face the bills 😵💫
Girl, I knew it was going to be a lot, but I truly didn’t expect it to be this much.
That said, I am so happy I took the risk of buying a campervan. My mental health has improved so much, and I can finally say that I’m starting to feel like myself again. Well… I’m writing here, so that’s already an improvement, isn’t it?
It isn’t the van itself that has brought me joy again. It’s being outside, exploring, learning, and especially waking up somewhere new every day. Having a new adventure waiting for me each morning makes me want to live a little longer… and then a little longer after that.
Alright, let’s save the deep conversation for another day, because the next deep thing we’re about to look at is the hole in my wallet. Ready?
Let’s start with the basics.
Essentials – £294.50
These are the costs that won’t change much and that you can expect to see here every month.
Our essential monthly expenses are:
- Road tax: £34.50
- Campervan loan: £217.00
- Insurance: £43.00
Improvements – £2,289.00
Now we get to the painful part.
After buying the van, I decided to change quite a few things. We went away for our first proper trip and spent 12 days on the road. During that time, I quickly realised there were a few things that needed changing immediately.
Solar panel
The van originally had a removable solar panel, which made it difficult to find places where I could park with enough space to either set it up on the ground or leave it on the dashboard.
I decided to install a permanent solar panel on the roof so it could charge the batteries all the time.
The new semi-flexible solar panel, MPPT charge controller and installation came to £575.00.
I chose to pay for professional installation instead of doing it myself for two reasons: my work schedule and the fact that I really didn’t want to risk damaging the pop-top roof.
Diesel heater
Next came the diesel heater.
If you’ve been following us on TikTok, you probably saw that I woke up crying from the cold… and not just once (I promise it wasn’t me being dramatic!).
Honestly, I have never been so cold in my entire life. My nose was freezing, and I was so worried about the cat that I booked a diesel heater installation almost immediately.
I went with an Autoterm heater. They’re built to perform in extreme conditions, with models designed to work in temperatures as low as -45°C. I’d like to see the cold make me cry now!
Again, I paid for the installation because I didn’t want to mess around with the diesel tank. The heater is connected directly to the van’s fuel tank, so as long as there’s diesel in the van, we’re good to go.
Leisure battery and split charge relay
I also decided to replace the leisure battery (£220.00) and install a split charge relay (£270.00).
Having both upgraded gives me much more confidence that everything will keep working reliably while travelling.
The split charge relay also allows the leisure battery to charge when we’re plugged into an electric hook-up at a campsite, so the whole electrical system works together properly.
The toilet… 💩
And now we come to the part no one really wants to talk about: the toilet.
We used a chemical toilet on our first trip and let me tell you…
Never again.
Picture me carrying a chemical toilet cassette into a motorway service station toilet, ready to empty it.
It had to be done.
But the smell…
Good Lord.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget that smell.
So… no thanks. Time to find another solution.
That’s when I came across a separating toilet, where liquids go into one container and solids into another.
Game changer.
There are virtually no smells inside the van, it’s incredibly easy to empty, and cleaning it is so much simpler.
I genuinely don’t think I’ll ever go back to another type of toilet.
That upgrade cost £259.00, and I don’t regret it for a second.
The Fun Part – £544.57
Now we’re talking!
We travelled around England and Wales, and honestly, we had such an amazing time.
One of the best things about travelling in a campervan is the flexibility. If we fell in love with a place, we could simply stay another day or two. We weren’t tied to hotel bookings or availability.
Even better, once we’d finished exploring for the day, we were already home. No driving to a hotel when we were tired.
During this trip we visited:
- Cerne Abbas
- Cheddar Gorge
- Cardiff
- Pembrokeshire
- Puzzlewood
- Tenby
- Eagle’s Nest
- Stonehenge
We spent £35.00 on one night at a campsite. We wanted one evening where we could fully relax without worrying about anything, and one night during a two-week trip felt more than reasonable.
Activities, including Cheddar Gorge caves, Puzzlewood, a campervan festival and a few others, came to £124.96.
We spent £162.61 eating out, which isn’t too bad considering we treated ourselves to pubs, Taco Bell and Greggs.
Groceries came to £200.45.
Parking cost us £22.00, made up of a few paid car parks here and there.
Extras – £363.36
Finally, we have the extras.
Diesel came to £159.92. Unfortunately, that’s one expense we can’t really avoid!
For security, we spent £59.47 on a steering wheel lock, which gives us a lot more peace of mind whenever we’re away from the van.
Before installing the diesel heater, we bought four blankets for £54.97 in total.
I also bought a cover for the toilet, as it has now become an extra seat inside the van. It makes it look much nicer and definitely helps you forget that your toilet is sitting right next to your kitchen sink.
The Total
Ready? Okay, here it goes: during our very first month of vanlife, we spent a total of £3,359.54
So… what do you think?
Is that about what you expected, or are we completely insane?
It’s worth remembering that this includes almost all of the major upgrades we wanted to make to the van, so this will almost certainly be our most expensive month by far.
We also saved a huge amount of money on accommodation during our two-week holiday, which definitely helps balance out the cost.
And that’s it for today!
I hope you’re having a lovely week, and I’ll see you on the road.
