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Family trades in six-figure salary for free-spirited life in a house bus
Sharon Stephenson20:48, May 29 2019
STUFF
The James family has called a house bus home for four years - and they've never been happier.
It took two trips to the hospital in an ambulance for Philip James to realise that something had to change.
"I was stressed at work and having chest pains and panic attacks," the 48-year-old says of his previous career as an electrical draftsman in Taranaki's oil industry. "I was living a life I wasn't designed for and I was miserable."
The self-confessed "free spirit" and his 32-year-old wife Cindy had long dreamed of travelling around New Zealand in a house bus. In fact, seven years previously they'd purchased a bus fitted out with beds, a toilet/shower and kitchen, but she wasn't quite ready to swap their rented property for life on the road.
SUPPLIED
Philip James says living in a house bus means the family have the freedom to do what they want, when they want.
Do you live a life less ordinary? Share you story by emailing us at [email protected].
"It was a fear of the unknown," says the mother of eight-year-old Judah and seven-year-old Ziva. "I also worried about home-schooling the kids."
READ MORE:
* Bluff family makes sacrifices to buy home mortgage-free
* Auckland family trades relative's basement for own home
* Five kids in a house bus with nowhere to go
SUPPLIED
Philip James believes one of the main benefits of life in a house bus is having more time to spend with his children, like eight-year-old Judah.
Following his health scare, Philip visited a counsellor who worked out how much the couple could save. "She basically said, 'this is the day you can chuck in your job'."
That day was October 1, 2014 and, after six months of scrimping and saving, including living in the bus parked in a friend's New Plymouth paddock, the family set off on their adventure.
Four years later, they still call the open road home.
"We've never been interested in owning a home," Philip says. "People get conditioned to live a certain way – with a mortgage and career and so much stuff they work hard to buy but, in the end, means nothing. We wanted to break free of that mindset, to have the freedom to do what we wanted, when we wanted."
Other pluses include having more time to spend with their children and with his mother before she died, no more panic attacks and meeting lots of interesting people.
"Movement creates opportunities," he says. "We're not stuck in a cubicle or suburb, we're out having different experiences and mixing with all sorts of people."
Philip James is thriving in his more-relaxed lifestyle.
They fund their lifestyle with savings and occasional website design. However, last August, Philip suffered two heart attacks and a stroke, which saw him hospitalised for three weeks and lose his HT licence.
"It was such a depressing time, because I thought we'd have to give up our lifestyle."
Determined to continue, the couple downgraded to a smaller bus which he's able to drive.
"But I'm not able to design websites any more, so we're thinking of starting a mobile food cart," says Philip, who previously pulled down a six-figure salary.
"I once checked my bank account and had $4.49 and it was the most relaxed I've ever been. It's about learning to trust the process – because half-an-hour later, someone stuck their head in the bus and said they needed their house painted, which topped up the savings."
SUPPLIED
The James family have called the open road home for more than four-and-a-half years.
They've also learned to be "super frugal" with Cindy not only cooking most meals, but also hand-washing their clothes. "I've got the time to do it, plus I'm saving about $25 from using a launderette."
Living in a house-bus isn't all cupcakes and rainbows, though: chilly nights and a lack of sunshine, which often means no solar power, can take the shine off. As does having to clean the toilet at dump stations.
But Philip, who regularly speaks at alternative lifestyle/tiny house conferences, believes more people are seeing the value in getting away from crippling mortgages.
"Life doesn't have to mean being tied to bricks and mortar. The cost of the average house in many parts of New Zealand is so much higher than the average income, which is unsustainable. It's about breaking the way people are conditioned to think, to show them there's an alternative, whether that's a tiny house or a house-bus. And it doesn't have to be a stepping stone to something bigger, this is valid lifestyle choice of its own."
Everyone in the James family pitches in, including seven-year-old Ziva.
Most people, the couple admit, are curious about their lifestyle.
"They tell us, 'I wish I could do what you're doing but I've got to wait for this and that', says Cindy. "Our message is, if you wait, it could be too late, because who knows what can happen to your health. We have no regrets and the worst day in the bus is still better than the best day in an office."
Life in a house bus can mean a room with a spectacular view.
Sharon Stephenson20:48, May 29 2019
STUFF
The James family has called a house bus home for four years - and they've never been happier.
It took two trips to the hospital in an ambulance for Philip James to realise that something had to change.
"I was stressed at work and having chest pains and panic attacks," the 48-year-old says of his previous career as an electrical draftsman in Taranaki's oil industry. "I was living a life I wasn't designed for and I was miserable."
The self-confessed "free spirit" and his 32-year-old wife Cindy had long dreamed of travelling around New Zealand in a house bus. In fact, seven years previously they'd purchased a bus fitted out with beds, a toilet/shower and kitchen, but she wasn't quite ready to swap their rented property for life on the road.
SUPPLIED
Philip James says living in a house bus means the family have the freedom to do what they want, when they want.
Do you live a life less ordinary? Share you story by emailing us at [email protected].
"It was a fear of the unknown," says the mother of eight-year-old Judah and seven-year-old Ziva. "I also worried about home-schooling the kids."
READ MORE:
* Bluff family makes sacrifices to buy home mortgage-free
* Auckland family trades relative's basement for own home
* Five kids in a house bus with nowhere to go
SUPPLIED
Philip James believes one of the main benefits of life in a house bus is having more time to spend with his children, like eight-year-old Judah.
Following his health scare, Philip visited a counsellor who worked out how much the couple could save. "She basically said, 'this is the day you can chuck in your job'."
That day was October 1, 2014 and, after six months of scrimping and saving, including living in the bus parked in a friend's New Plymouth paddock, the family set off on their adventure.
Four years later, they still call the open road home.
"We've never been interested in owning a home," Philip says. "People get conditioned to live a certain way – with a mortgage and career and so much stuff they work hard to buy but, in the end, means nothing. We wanted to break free of that mindset, to have the freedom to do what we wanted, when we wanted."
Other pluses include having more time to spend with their children and with his mother before she died, no more panic attacks and meeting lots of interesting people.
"Movement creates opportunities," he says. "We're not stuck in a cubicle or suburb, we're out having different experiences and mixing with all sorts of people."
Philip James is thriving in his more-relaxed lifestyle.
They fund their lifestyle with savings and occasional website design. However, last August, Philip suffered two heart attacks and a stroke, which saw him hospitalised for three weeks and lose his HT licence.
"It was such a depressing time, because I thought we'd have to give up our lifestyle."
Determined to continue, the couple downgraded to a smaller bus which he's able to drive.
"But I'm not able to design websites any more, so we're thinking of starting a mobile food cart," says Philip, who previously pulled down a six-figure salary.
"I once checked my bank account and had $4.49 and it was the most relaxed I've ever been. It's about learning to trust the process – because half-an-hour later, someone stuck their head in the bus and said they needed their house painted, which topped up the savings."
SUPPLIED
The James family have called the open road home for more than four-and-a-half years.
They've also learned to be "super frugal" with Cindy not only cooking most meals, but also hand-washing their clothes. "I've got the time to do it, plus I'm saving about $25 from using a launderette."
Living in a house-bus isn't all cupcakes and rainbows, though: chilly nights and a lack of sunshine, which often means no solar power, can take the shine off. As does having to clean the toilet at dump stations.
But Philip, who regularly speaks at alternative lifestyle/tiny house conferences, believes more people are seeing the value in getting away from crippling mortgages.
"Life doesn't have to mean being tied to bricks and mortar. The cost of the average house in many parts of New Zealand is so much higher than the average income, which is unsustainable. It's about breaking the way people are conditioned to think, to show them there's an alternative, whether that's a tiny house or a house-bus. And it doesn't have to be a stepping stone to something bigger, this is valid lifestyle choice of its own."
Everyone in the James family pitches in, including seven-year-old Ziva.
Most people, the couple admit, are curious about their lifestyle.
"They tell us, 'I wish I could do what you're doing but I've got to wait for this and that', says Cindy. "Our message is, if you wait, it could be too late, because who knows what can happen to your health. We have no regrets and the worst day in the bus is still better than the best day in an office."
Life in a house bus can mean a room with a spectacular view.
