1KGT CH4 Reading Family move into school bus

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vmbo t
• Leerjaar 1

Today's lesson

C Reading: page 18 

Family of Five Moved into an Old School Bus

In March 2018, 29-year-old Brian Sullivan and his wife Starla, 26, decided that they did not want to spend $1,500 a month on rent anymore. Brian even had to work overtime so that they could afford it. They watched YouTube videos of people building their own tiny houses, or converting all kinds of things into comfortable living spaces. One of the videos about a family who lived in a bus convinced them to also do the same.

There was this one video in particular – we called them the crazy people who lived in a blue bus,” Brian says. “Yet we just kind of looked at each other and Starla said, ‘Do you want to live in a bus with me?’ I thought she was joking but no, she was serious. I was at work the next day and I started to realise all of these benefits. For example, being mobile and being able to move if I got a job that was 20 miles away.”

Name 1 of the 2 benefits

So in April 2018, the Sullivans bought an old school bus for $2,800, and spent another $30,000 turning it into a proper home for their three kids. It took Brian and Starla one year. They had no experience in construction or renovating, so it wasn't easy. But they actually managed to find room for a full size bed, a kitchen with an oven, a washing machine, a toilet and even a bath tub for their three children. And best of all, they only pay $500 a month now.

How much did the bus cost altogether?

“We are ridiculous people and this is a ridiculous lifestyle and it just works,” Brian says. “We now have money to eat the food that we want and go to the places we want.”

But living in a bus full-time does have its challenges. “To live in a tiny space is really a test of your organisational skills and discipline skills because you have to keep the space clean,” Brian explains. Still, they don't dream of ever going back to a traditional home.

The Sullivans document their life in a bus home on their own YouTube channel. They want to show people that living in small, unconventional spaces is actually possible.

Done reading?

Do exercises 18 + 19