One traveling musician recently shared her success with renovating a minivan into an all-in-one home trailer to take on the road, impressing her TikTok followers with her DIY skills.

Courtney Monaé (@hai_itscourtney) shared a series of photos, contrasting the unassuming plain van exterior with its decorated interior. Inside, a disco ball, neon lights, cozy bed, and wall-mounted shelves set a warm and welcoming atmosphere — one that you'd never guess belonged to a regular minivan.

"Did not expect that," one person wrote.

"I built everything myself with no experience before and it took about 10 months," Courtney shared. The secret, she said, was "months of YouTube/TikTok videos, Home Depot & Lowe's trips, and heavy determination."

People who opt for the "van life" do so for many reasons. For Courtney, it allows flexible work travel without racking up hotel expenses. Others do it for the ease of personal travel. 

Whatever the reason, most people adopt the lifestyle in order to save money on housing expenses.

"With the way rent prices are I just might," one commenter wrote on Courtney's video.

In addition, moving into a van means eliminating costly utility bills and house and yard upkeep. Of course, there are still costs associated with living in a van, like portable Wi-Fi, fuel, and fresh water. But the pure simplicity of living with less space and fewer goods — which is a great way to save money in itself — is a key draw for many people.

"How does it feel to live my dream," one commenter wrote.

Even if you're not ready for van life or building a tiny home, it's simpler than you might imagine to begin adopting a more minimalistic, affordable lifestyle. That could entail donating or even selling some belongings, switching to more affordable renewable energy to power your home, or only buying secondhand.

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