I was £18,000 in debt — here’s how I turned it around without working

Five years ago, James Ruddick was fresh out of a 15-year relationship, drowning in £18,000 worth of debt and had just £2.67 in his bank account.

His ex moved out and left a note saying things were over, as well as leaving James to deal with her secret credit card loans.

As the mechanic stood in his three-bed house in Carlisle, which he could no longer afford on his own, he knew something had to change.

‘My home was really nice, but I thought, why am I paying all of this to be in a three-bed house with just a dog and not have any money left at the end of the month,’ James said.

His monthly bills were £1,200 a month, leaving him with little money to get by.

‘I went to a local council and told them I was really struggling,’ he added. ‘I explained that I was likely going to have to sell my house and asked about housing support – but they couldn’t help.

‘I had no doctor because I couldn’t find one, no dentist either and I started questioning what exactly I was paying into the system for. I was working hard but couldn’t even afford a holiday.

‘It was all getting too much – just seeing money coming in and out all the time with nothing to show for it.’

Determined not to spend all his income on bills and ‘sit at home alone’, James ‘took the plunge’, putting his house on the market, selling all his belongings and moving into a van.

He was inspired by the van that he’d shared with his ex-partner – they’d used it to travel on long weekends.

‘[Van life] was a much simpler way of living and I found peace in that, so I sold everything I had apart from a few personal items and set off on a journey in a van,’ he said.

James purchased a 2008 Mercedes Vario for £25,000 in late 2024, which was ready to move into, but the 50-year-old made upgrades like solar panels and a fridge freezer.

He now lives fully off-grid except for a mobile phone with limited internet and the company of his Labrador, Bruce.

The pair started their adventure across Wales and the south of England before James began volunteering at music festivals.

The unpaid gigs allowed him to park up for free while enjoying meal vouchers and sometimes even free drinks.

When the cold weather hit, he spotted an advert for a house and pet sitter in Portugal and jumped at the opportunity.

From there, he made his way down the Spanish coastline to Tarifa, then up the coast to Valencia and Benidorm.

James said: ‘You do feel like you’re on your own but the peace and freedom are amazing. I’m much happier now.

‘Since moving into my van, I’ve never looked back. To be able to travel at your own pace, in your own home, park wherever you like and enjoy better weather – it is an incredible experience.

‘It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time.’

Incredibly, despite having no steady income, James says he manages to live on just £250 a month which he takes from his savings – although this isn’t a permanent solution.

The van lifer manages to live frugally by keeping food costs to a minimum – only paying for road tax, MOT, insurance and a cheap phone plan.

Now back in the UK, James says he has more festival work lined up until August. After that, he’s considering an adventure around Italy.

He added: ‘I’m incredibly lucky and fortunate to be able to do this. I wasn’t forced into it – I could have rented a very small place and continued working a nine to five job.

‘But to me, that was just existing. I didn’t want restrictions. It doesn’t matter how much money you have – when you’re sitting around a campfire having dinner, everyone is equal.

‘You wake up and think, should we stay another day, drive somewhere new or find a different beach?

‘I’m at peace now – that’s the best way to describe it.’

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