A British man lost everything in a divorce, so he spent his savings to live in a military van (15 photos + 1 video)

When Paul Jackman's marriage broke down six years ago, the prospect of getting a mortgage on his own seemed bleak. So the 51-year-old factory worker from Lincolnshire decided to ditch the traditional bricks and mortar lifestyle in favor of a caravan.





He now lives full-time in 'Millie', a £6,000 military truck that cost £50,000 to transform into a "modern home".



He made the bold decision after seeing his ever-increasing energy bills and not wanting to “spend the rest of my life in mortgage debt.”





The father-of-two says his nomadic lifestyle means he saves half his salary instead of spending it all on bills, and sleeps in laybys where he parks for free.



Paul is not alone - he is part of a community of "80,000 to 120,000 people" in the UK who call themselves "van lifers".

“Basically, my vehicle is the same as my house – I have a washing machine, deep fryer, toaster, induction and gas hobs, central heating, TVs, Wi-Fi, fridge freezer and king size bed.” , said Paul.



Paul says he can be “self-sufficient” for a month thanks to three solar panels on the roof of his car and topping up his electricity supply with a generator that turns on when he drives.



An added bonus is that cooking in the evening warms up his car, meaning he can cut down on heating costs.



Among Paul's biggest expenses is fuel; he pays around £300 to fill his 200-litre tank and estimates he gets 15mpg.



Paul says: “We do things like search and rescue, help with missing people, and when there were storms I cleared trees from roads and helped with floods. I think people see how I do it all, so I don't have as many problems as other people."