Van Living

I enjoy listening to NPR. One of the programs they air nightly from American Public Media is The Story, hosted by Dick Gordon. I happened to turn the radio on at the right time to discover that this evening featured a story on Ken Ilgunas.

From the APM website:

Ken Ilgunas has made a commitment to graduate from grad school debt-free. So he’s living in a van at Duke University, cooking meals on a camping stove, and bathing at the university gym. Ken talks to Dick Gordon about the very high cost of higher education and his adventures in austere living, past and present.

It’s a great story. If I were the person back in college that I am now I could see myself embracing this challenge, but back then I was still a materialistic person convinced that I’d graduate and move smoothly into a high paying job. Ken fought back -and is winning- against the overwhelming debt that one normally accrues during college.

Van Living — The Story from APM

I urge you to click the link above and listen to the podcast. You’ll find inspiration in his tenacity and endurance. I did. After the story about Ken you’ll hear a story about how a New Jersey family did a 3 week home swap with a family in France and what they learned about their “stuff.”

You can read more about Ken Ilgunas by checking out his blog or reading any of the number of stories written about him.