Kristin Hanes, a 44-year-old content creator and blogger, achieved a six-figure income after being laid off from her radio news reporter job at KGO radio in San Francisco in 2016. She shifted to blogging full-time, inspired by another blogger making $100,000 per month. While it took her two years to make a decent living, she has earned six figures annually since 2019. Her primary income source is display ads through Mediavine, which at its peak generated $15,000-$17,000 per month. Recently, due to AI overviews and Google algorithm updates, her ad revenue has fallen to approximately $4,500 per month, prompting her to seek new traffic sources like Facebook Pages, Pinterest, and her email list.
Hanes and her partner, Tom Polling, 55, embraced a full-time van and boat lifestyle in 2020, splitting their time between a Sprinter van in the US during summers and a sailboat in Mexico during winters. This lifestyle change has allowed them to eliminate significant housing costs, as they own their sailboats outright and have a modest loan for their Sprinter van. They largely avoid rent and mortgage payments, although they incur boat parts, boatyard, and marina fees. They further reduce expenses by finding free boondocking spots for their van and anchoring their boat, and Tom performs all campervan and sailboat maintenance himself at an affordable DIY boatyard in Mexico.
Kristin's business is an S Corp registered in South Dakota, and she works with a CPA specializing in online businesses to manage taxes and wages. She leverages her lifestyle content to write off many expenses, including internet, phone bills, and parts for her van and boat. This financial strategy, combined with the low cost of her lifestyle, has allowed her to pay off debt, save for retirement, and achieve financial freedom, describing her existence as "peaceful" due to not constantly stressing about money. She had previously paid off debt by living in a Prius before transitioning to the van and boat.
