A Google engineer moved to a truck parked on the company’s campus. The rent was saved and 90% of its salary

The price of housing, whether rent or purchase through a mortgage, represents the main disbursement For anyone. However, it is an expense that we assume because it is not to anyone anyone sleeping outdoors. However, not everyone faces the issue of housing in the same way.

Better a van. Business Insider History collected last year From Brandon, a 23 -year -old software engineer, who moved to San Francisco in 2015 to do summer practices at a Google branch. However, he met A Rent market for clouds. Instead of renting an apartment, Brandon opted for an unusual solution: living in a truck to save and pay their student loans Before buying a house.

2,000 dollars for sharing room. When Brandon moved to San Francisco, he agreed to one of the corporate flats that Google has in the city. There I had to share a two -bedroom floor with four people, for which I paid about $ 65 per night. That was about 2,000 dollars a month.

“I realized that I was paying an exorbitant amount of money for the apartment in which I was staying, and I was almost never at home,” Brandon declared Business Insider. At that time, the young man began to gestate how his home would be for the future.

Housing plan on wheels. The following year, Brandon He returned to work in Google Full time, but the young man was not willing to burn his savings. So He drew a planfacing the following year.

Before starting his new adventure in San Francisco, Brandon bought a 2006 Ford truck with more than 252,000 for $ 10,000, using the advance they had given in Google for the signing of their contract. That would be his new home and had parked him in the parking lot of the office, so the young engineer says he never is late for work.

With everything you need to live, but cheaper. His only fixed expenses were $ 121 per month for truck insurance, since he has no electricity costs and Google pays his mobile telephone line. The truck box provided a space of 12 square meters, more than enough space To sleep and save your personal belongings.

The young man says that he only needs a battery lamp to illuminate the interior of the truck, and a portable battery of 15,000 mAh in case the mobile drums or headphones are spent, and that recharges at work. The interior of the truck was furnished in a simple way, with a bed, a dresser and a coat rack to hang clothes. Actually, that truck already offered him more space than he had on Google’s floor paying $ 2,000 per month.

Live in Google. Brandon has created a blogin which he tells how his day to day living in a truck. The engineer tells that, as in his first year of practices, he spends all day In Google facilities. The young engineer says he makes all meals in the canteen for Google campus employees, where he also has showers in the campus gym. That allows you to minimize your daily expenses.

Thanks to this strategy, Brandon can save approximately 90% of your net salary, allocating these funds to the payment of their student loans and investments. As the vast majority of US students, Brandon has to pay a student debt of $ 22,434, of which a good part has already covered. As a conservative estimate (and taking into account the bonuses), I hope to finish paying it in the next six months, saving thousands of dollars compared to the standard amortization plans of 10 and even 20 years, “Brandon declared the North American environment.

Another way of living San Francisco. Brandon says that living parked just a few minutes from your office has many advantages, and allows many of San Francisco’s bad things to be skipped. One of them is the rush hour In the morning, turning his daily journey to work on a simple walk.

Not having to drag the economic burden of a monthly rent has allowed him to go to dinner at different restaurants and enjoy the city atmosphere much more.

It is not the first time that happens, and Google’s security knows. As Brando himself account on your personal blogIt is not the first time that a Google employee chooses to live in his parking lot.

Brandon did not have to see them with Google security staff until the third month of “residence” in its parking lot when, in the middle of the night, it was approached by Google security personnel. However, the situation was resolved without problems after showing its corporate accreditation and confirming that there was an error in the vehicle registration. Clarified the misunderstanding, the safety of the Google campus apologized for waking him and never bother him again.

At least, Google will not have to demand Brandon go to the office against your will. It is as at home.

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*An earlier version of this article was published in August 2024