Woman saves P113,000 monthly by living in Tesla car for over a year
BANGKOK, Thailand — A Canadian woman traded the comforts of a permanent home for an electric car with her two pets as companions, and has been living on the road for more than a year.
Since quitting her job as a Costco retail worker in March 2022, Stephanie Virovec has been driving around North America in a 2020 long-range Tesla gifted to her by an ex-boyfriend, and documents her travels on social media.
"I wanted to try the nomadic lifestyle because I realized that the life I had been living in my condo was not well-suited to me. I was struggling with my mental health, and especially, once COVID-19 began, I realized how short life was," Stephanie shared. "I decided to go live while I could, instead of sitting in my condo afraid of everything!"
@littlehippygal Replying to @Meg it’s truly been an adventure ?????? #iliveinatesla #iliveinmycar #tinyliving #STORYTIME ? Ballet song like "Waltz of flowers" _ 5 minutes(965273) - yulu-ism project
The traveler manages by staying nights in car or caravan parks and campsites, using public facilities or gyms for bathrooms, and dropping by friends' houses with her rescue cat Finley and two-year-old puppy Snow.
"[Finley and Snow] both settle down right away when we get in and since we usually use [the car] just for sleeping or driving, they’re very used to having quiet time inside," said Stephanie. "Both are usually happy to rest when we settle in since they’ve had so much stimulation through the day!"
Stephanie revealed that since moving into an unemployed life on the road, she has saved $2,000 (P113,328) a month on rent and bills.
She spends $1,500 (P85,000) a month in comparison to the $3,500 (P198,000) she'd spend living in a condo, with most of her expenses now going to parking spots, campsite fees, food, and her phone bills.
@littlehippygal Seriously those blackberries were DELIGHTFUL! #iliveinatesla #dayinmylife #vanlife #vanlifedayinmylife ? Sweet Sunset - Tollan Kim & dulai
Luckily, the Tesla was fairly new when Stephanie received it though she is eyeing some changes for more comfortable living, "I have plans to remove the backseats and maybe install a lift kit, but for now, I just keep the backseats folded down with my mattress right on top."
She considered selling it for a bigger vehicle, but admitted to missing features like the airconditioning and a touch screen for streaming videos.
To date, Stephanie has been to 10 states in the United States and is now in Canada's British Columbia, with plans of heading to the country's east coast of Canada and back down to the US.
"Currently, I plan to live in the Tesla until I find the perfect van or tiny house to move to next — whichever comes first!" Stephanie ended.
