When you say 'close to Rome,' I'm assuming you mean 'close to the Roman Frontier.' But we actually don't know very much about Vandals living north of the Frontiers (such as they were in the period) during the time period you reference. The last major group of Vandals that we have significant news of crossed the frontiers shortly after 400 AD and cut their way through Gaul and Hispania before seizing North Africa and setting up a Roman-style 'kingdom' with marriage ties to the Imperial crown. Any remaining Vandals who stayed behind in 'Germania' appear to have been absorbed by one or another tribal confederation: they play no part in the post Imperial divison of the North Western Roman Empire.

But, since the thrust of your question seems to have been 'what was life like for 'barbarians' living along the Frontier in the fifth century, I'll answer that: as a 'barbarian' blacksmith living near the Roman Frontier, anywhere in Europe, during the first few decades of the fifth century, you are... essentially, 'Roman,' only without the accordant rights of citizenship, or the protection of Roman arms, or the reliability of markets and coinage systems... and taxation. You live a very similar life to that lived by the people on the other side of the Frontier not so far away from you, at least according to the archaeology. Your house is probably made of wood rather than stone or brick, but if you're a blacksmith you might have a more durable residence. You drink wine, mostly, imported from Gaul, Italy, or Pannonia, although you'll not turn up your nose at a good beer. You probably have basic ceramic tableware, not the fancy North African styles that the garrison officers on the other side of the frontier are eating off of, although that doesn't distinguish you from the regular Roman soldiers in the garrison so much.

If you're a blacksmith, you're probably also a veteran -- a Roman veteran. Like many of your fellow Northerners, you probably joined the Roman army while you were in your early 20s, and learned the bulk of your smithcraft while in service. As a result, you can probably speak fluent vulgar Latin, and maybe even read and write a little. You probably dress like a Roman, although by this we mostly mean a Roman soldier of the fourth century, which means pants (it's fucking cold in the north), a tunic, a heavy military belt, and a military cloak. Fellow tribesmen near the frontier who did NOT serve in the Roman army probably dress very similarly, though maybe sans belt. Romans who live away down south, away from the frontier, still wear togas and longer tunics, robes, etc, especially in the major cities (it's a law in Rome to put aside 'military dress' when you enter the city), but the Roman military world has become the dominant cultural influence along both sides of the frontier, and Northerners such as yourselves who live on the north side of the frontier are much more like 'Romans' of the military zone than they are either fellow Northerners who live far away from the border, or like the metropolitan 'Romans' of the Mediterranean coastal regions.

As a likely former Roman soldier, you probably miss the baths. There's nothing quite like them north of the Frontier. You've probably tried heating bathwater for yourself, but it isn't really the same experience. Food's not as diverse or regular on this side of the frontier either. In the army, you probably got fed a standard ration of breads, meats, cheeses, a few vegetables (onion, garlic), and wine. North of the frontier, if you aren't growing your own crops (and even if you are, it's probably mostly barley and oat) you're probably bartering for cheese and cereals from other Northerners, or buying expensive foodstuffs from Roman merchants and traders along the frontier.

You may worship Roman gods alongside or in place of Germanic ones--Mithras/Woden especially. Unless you're a Goth, odds are good you're probably not Christian yet, unless your army unit was sent to serve somewhere in the East.

There is little coinage circulating north of the border, at least not as currency. You might occasionally trade with Roman merchants who will pay you in folli or siliqui, but most of your fellow Northerners will only have barter to offer you, although some members of raiding warbands might have hack silver or even gold to offer from time to time.

Blacksmithing is an important trade, but a trade nonetheless. It is not an artisanal skill the way that Roman stone-carving, glassblowing, or jewel-cutting is. You do not produce objects of high prestige, and rarely work with any metal more expensive than iron--steel is unknown outside of Roman forges in this era. Frankly, mining north of the Frontier is very meager, so to the extent that you have access to metal at all you probably import most of it from south of the Frontier, or rework metal seized or take from the Romans by force. Most of your labor is spent in crafting tools: fellow Northerners seek Roman weapons wherever they can get them.

You probably have some confusing loyalties. On the one hand, you were almost certainly a part of the Roman army, and you probably still feel the ties of service, honor, oaths, and discipline that bound you to the other men in your unit, to your commanders, and possibly even to the Emperor. But... the last Emperor you probably felt any real respect for died shortly into the fifth century. You have little wider loyalty to 'Rome' as a concept, although you probably can't help but respect the Empire for its strength, ancestry, and achievements. There are numerous petty 'kings' and warlords in the north, and you may serve one or another of these. You may even join a warband and raid south of the frontier from time to time, but in your heart you probably remember the lands and people south of the frontier fondly, and dream about finding a way to sneak across the Frontier and make a life for yourself down south. Could you pass yourself off as a native of North Gaul or Illyria, or would you be found out and imprisoned, possibly even enslaved, for posing as a citizen or living on Roman soil without permission? Should you offer your smithing services to the army? Possibly even hire on as a mercenary for the Eastern or Western courts? There is a storm gathering on the Eastern horizon. Within a few decades the Huns will sweep through the North and subdue every tribe from the Black Sea to the Alps. If you're planning to get out before it hits, you better do so in a hurry.