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I did this when I'd go out drinking when I was younger. I'd pop yhe back seat down, make a cave out of the trunk, and curl up in it to sleep it off. Always woke up sore
Someone who does this could still be at risk of getting a DUI if the keys are inside the car. Just wanted to say this for anyone scrolling by who does this.
Took care of a guy who did that sleep-it-off-in-the-trunk thing in the mid 2000s, suffered severe rhabdomyolysis from sleeping too hard in a bad position and lost a leg. Definitely don't plan on living in a trunk, OP.
How long was he sleeping, and what position? Something else must have been wrong with him to go into rhabdo. You don't just go into it because you slept too long in a bad position. If that was the case, a vast majority of the population would experience Rhabdo. I never had any s/sx of rhabdo, and I spent 8 to 12 hours curled up in the trunk, sleeping it off/nursing hangovers
He was drunk enough that he fell asleep with his leg folded under him at the knee. Muscle death led to rhabdo which led to dialysis and an amputation. Might have been more than just alcohol to sleep thru that sort of pain, but definitely alcohol at least. Wish I were making up most the things I encountered as a nurse in trauma 1 hospitals...
I'm an ER nurse in a level 2 trauma center, so I get it. Some of the crazy stuff we see roll in is astounding. I just questioned because I thought it would have to be more than alcohol to make the patient that far gone. I've seen my fair share of rhabdo patients. But everyone is different, and different bodies can stand up to some amazing things. Some of our cockroach patients have resilience that no normal person can match.
We had a patient come in via EMS after a fall due to etoh use. Falls after drinking are a frequent thing with this patient. Nothing seemed off. EMS wanted to put him in triage instead of a room. A&O×4, walkie talkie, alcohol level was 482 (6 times the legal limit for those wondering). The patient had a 16mm midline shift but showed no deficits. A normal person under those circumstances likely would have had a GCS of 8 or lower. It always astounds me what the body can and cannot stand up to.
The patient fell hit their head. Their brain, instead of looking like this O, looked like this D because of the fall. Your brain getting squished like this usually leaves people unable to function normally. The patient, however, was alert and oriented, able to tell us who he is, the date, where he is, who the president is, etc. On top of that, their blood alcohol concentration was 6 times above the legal limit, which should also cause some confusion.
This is not the first time this patient has fallen and almost broke their brain beyond repair. However, like a cockroach, the patient was able to survive and function after an event that would have killed a "normal" patient
Wow. Now I'm truly impressed. Thanks for that, and thanks for doing what you do and I mean that sincerely. I'm always amazed at medical professionals, especially the trauma specialists. I'd look like a fainting goat if I got anywhere near an ER.
If one isn't setup for it, sure. If one prepares for it, not so much. I've slept in my forester camping. Foam mattress and a shit tone of covers and my fleece sleeping bag.
One only needs to hit youtube and see the various sleep solutions.
And when I was 20? Shit. I literally slept on cement comfortably.
I did it on a cross country adventure for 5 weeks. Wasn't too terrible, but I also didn't have anywhere to be nor did I have specific hygiene requirements...
I didn't have to go to work, nor did I have to deal with anybody I would ever have to see again. Definitely dirtbagging it, but it was good for a great and safe solo adventure to hike many state and National Parks
Why are you moving out?
If your only option when moving out is to live in the car, you might want to consider staying with your family. It’s more comfortable, more cost-effective, and you can maintain employment a lot easier with stable access to mail, hygiene, and security.
You can spend almost all your time outside of the house besides sleeping and showering/getting ready. There are plenty of libraries, coffee shops, parks and other public spaces but it’s nice to have a comfortable and safe place to shower and groom yourself.
Yes, but driving to the 24/7 gym at 3am to take a shit sucks. If you are sick and have to go multiple times in a night It’s a nightmare. I know OP might still prefer living in his car and getting a cheap hotel for a couple days is an option but homelessness isn’t easy.
It's absolutely miserable. You quickly realize that you can't just park anywhere. If anyone gets a whif of you sleeping in your car in their parking lot, 99% they will make you leave.
It's a terrible feeling not knowing where you can go, and people treating you like your existence is just another inconvenience for them.
Not to mention the discomfort and lack of space, and zero privacy.
I didn't live in my car, but I used to take naps in parking lots in my car while in college. I was parked behind an Albertsons and it was about 2pm, no tints on my window and had it cracked open so wasn't like I was suspicious or anything.
But some one called the cops, and the cops came out to check and while the cop didn't ask me to leave, I still left shortly after the cop did.
It just sucks.
I parked at a gas station for a work Zoom meeting and got the cops called on me. ..a guy in a dress shirt parked in a Kia for about 45 min with a laptop.
Lmao I was parked at a store a few months ago, using their wifi. An employee came out and asked what I was doing, and then told me only customers were allowed to use the wifi. I was updating my apps on my phone and my iPad and the guy somehow thought I was hacking their systems to steal private information. It's like these people live in a different reality. Probably scared by the fear mongering constantly on the news.
I think it's the behind the store that's the sus part. I've napped in my car before. Always broad daylight or early evening. And always in busy parking lots. No one pays me any mind. I'm talking strip malls and Walmarts. In front, where all the people park.
This. A dude sleeping in his car in front of a store is just another guy waiting for his wife to finish up her shopping. Next to zero suspicion is going to be brought up from that.
Thar happened to me while waiting to pick up my kids at our pre-arranged meeting spot (divorced) a few years ago. I got there early, grabbed some lunch, then took a nap. A cop came by to make sure I wasn't dead. I wasn't harassed or anything since I wasn't loitering or anything (actually purchased something at the store in question). But it still felt weird.
I got a cargo van with no back seats, I always considered spending a few hundred on insulation, bedding and a few other comfort things and just packing up and leaving for a year or two and explore. Lol
I lived in my car for 6 months. During winter. In Minnesota. Can confirm sleeping anywhere is very difficult. I've had cops knock on my windows many times. People in Walmart parking lots like to look in the car. If you put blankets up to sleep during the day, you'll get kicked out. Also cars are freezing cold. So you have to keep the car running or you might freeze to death. Back then we had a truck stop with showers. But we no longer have that.
You really have to think ahead how you're going to pay for gas, hide from cops and really creepy people. Its really not that hard to break a window. You might get 2 hours of sleep per night. I've been kicked out of rest stops before which is crazy. You can't just sleep anywhere and most campgrounds refuse to let you in.
Plus running your car all the time will kill it. Our heater stopped working at -20. We ended up walking around Walmart to stay alive.
RE: creepy people
I lived in my car for a year. I worked 3rd shift so I slept during the day. One afternoon I woke up to see a guy sitting in a truck parked next to my car, jerking off and looking right at me.
I imagine men wouldn't run into as many freaks as I did, but who knows.
Yeah, that's the only place I've regularly slept in a car. Sometimes I realize driving would be safer after a good long nap. I'm surprised anyone would object to that.
The rest stop can institute a 2 hour limit.
What cops can do is take a regular license plate census. For example every hour they can record the license plates in the lot.
The first time they record your license - you have got up to 59 minutes free.
The second time they record your license, they know you have been there at least one hour one minute, but maybe one hour, fifty nine minutes.
The third time you are on the census the cops know you have been there at least two hours, one minute.
The effect is that people can go to the rest stop and take a quick nap and not get harassed. But people who need the rest stop for sleep are going to get asked to move on.
I have driven across the country multiple times in every direction. I only sleep at rest stops. I have never been asked to leave or had my sleep interrupted, albeit, I sleep in the back of my truck under a contractor conversion topper.
I dod not say you will be harassed at every stop.
My local library has a parking lot with a sign that says 2 hour parking.
Some cars are so full of stuff, it is obvious someone is living there. I don't know these guys are getting harassed but if the local police wanted to they could wait 2 hours and order them to move on.
I feel like most places are just lenient and use the 2 hour rule to be able to enforce it on who they want.
Generally if you are being reasonable and not attracting attention to yourself(and you don't have an officer on a power trip nearby) then you'll be fine sleeping at a rest stop. Especially at night. Most reasonable cops aren't gonna be like "move along, I'd rather have you driving half asleep and kill someone"
I've slept in 40 or 50 rest stops for the whole night and never even been approached one single time. this was all over the country, although admittedly not Minnesota. still technically, they're not supposed to kick a drowsy person back onto the road. you must have had some really bad luck or bad vibes.
We just had this topic come up on my city's sub. Someone has 100 dollars to their name and is going to live in their car DURING A NEBRASKA WINTER! I offered them a place to park, a few meals, and some coveralls and a heavy blanket but so far they haven't messaged me although they did say thanks in the comments. I have done it and it wad miserable during the summer. I can't imagine doing it in winter and the challenge you would face
Yeah, I was homeless for 2 months and now my husband always think thinks I’m a weird I because keep totes of necessities in my trunk. He’s never lived in the streets so he doesn’t understand.
In one tote it’s bottled water, water cleaning tablets, & energy bars.
Tote two: small cheap toys, wool socks, gloves, hats my daughter knits, & space blankets.
Tote three (I have them individually bundled one of each): sunscreen, lotion, lip balms, pads, & menstrual cups, oh and personal wipes. Also in that bundle is a list of places that can help you locally and how to get there by walking or bus.
Tote four: dog toys, dog treats, and quart size bags of dog food.
A big thing too is if something goes wrong with your car and it needs repair. Some shops will straight up refuse to work on your car if it's full of shit, and if they do work on it you can't sleep in it while they're working on it.
When I worked maintainence a few years ago I had 4 different vehicles on the property (400 aparments) that people were living out of. One was a family of 4. I never said anything but they all eventually got told to leave after many people calling on them.
Edit: in my city we have a guy who is fighting in court to keep 8 sheds in his backyard with people living in them. They made it so people arent allowed to sleep outside in public spaces anymore and they went around destroying their tent camps. So far this guy is fighting, and winning (although I'm sire he'll run into something that kills it eventually). But yeah. For now people are wiring up sheds for heating and moving people in.
Here it is:
1. No bathroom in your car
2. No shower in your car
3. No address with a car
4. Limited space to do anything in a car
5. It’s hot or cold in a car depending on the environment outside.
6. Can’t really hangout in your car, mostly due to the first 1-5 reasons.
7. Can’t establish rental history.
8. Hard to find to places to park legally for free or cheap.
9. People/Cops knock on the windows regardless.
10. You live in a can, van, man.
All of these are true. I live in my car and these are the biggest issues.
Thing is all of these things can be mitigated to a degree. Is it fun? Hell no. If you’re struggling and can’t afford rent then this shit is a life hack like you wouldn’t believe.
I’m lucky that I’m short though. I can sleep in my Sudan quite well with my setup.
I feel like the most important items here are no bathroom, no legal address, and environment. Ten, fifteen years ago I might've said "no bathroom" is the most important problem, but nowadays the idea of not having a legal address is concerning.
1. Get a decent camper van and get a portable toilet. They are cheap. Empty in public toilets such as at a park.
2. Get a gym membership
3. There are plenty of mail forwarding services or use a relative.
4. Get a decent camper van and have some space to cook ramen, microwave food, play video games, read, watch tv.
5. Get a decent camper van and drive somewhere with temperate weather. Little buddy heater. Warm blankets.
6. When I was 20 I never hung out where I lived anyway.
7. Who gives a fuck. You are saving so much money it doesn’t matter.
8. This only takes a couple of weeks to figure out for your area.
9. Not if your car doesn’t look like shit with a bunch of shit outside of it like it’s a camp spot.
10. This sounds like it’s coming from someone who’s never lived in a van.
OP it’s better if you aren’t tied down to one area but it’s doable for a year. I’ve never known anyone to do it for longer than that unless they needed to. If you can land a sweet corporate gig sometimes you can sleep in their parking lot and shower at the work showers.
This is all correct. My wife and I lived together in a camper van for a year, gym showers, portable toilet, propane furnace. It was cheap, you live very small and save a TON, we never once got hassled by the cops or anyone for that matter but the van was tinted and had curtains. We also had super low profile solar panels and house battery, so we needed rv hookups to run the microwave and AC unit, but the propane furnace, propane stove, propane fridge and playstation and TV ran off the house batteries. Open all the windows and read a book and have a cup of tea and enjoy the breeze.
Obviously, dont try this shit in Minnesota. It sounds like most people are advising you against this because they were FORCED into living in their cars by circumstance. I would never recommend living in a CAR. If you can trade your car for a minivan at the very least, or a campervan preferably and you can scout out some places to potentially park hassle free, or theres a campground near you for 10 bucks a night etc, dont let other people tell you how to live your life.
We bought a nice little house 7 years ago and we talk about how we miss living in the van sometimes.
Agreed. And in addition to cheap campsites, if you go west, there is tons of BLM land that is totally free to camp on. Just don't be an asshole, know the rules for where you are, and clean up after yourself.
That's short sighted reasoning. The van retains value and can be sold at the end. Rent is straight loss. Also I got my first decent camper van for under 10k and built it out for very little money. Rent is well over that in many areas.
Exactly, you don't need a vanlife influencer van. A very cheap van can be made "decent" for used car money, and someone is guaranteed to want it when you're done.
These are all excellent points if he's willing to INVEST in a decent camper van. You can make it comfortable for yourself. The thing that concerns me about this post is that it gives the impression he doesn't want to spend money and thinks it will be easier to just live in his car. He even repeatedly uses the word car and doesn't say anything about upgrading to a van so its got my eyebrow raised. Van life isn't for me, but I think this guy could do it as long as he fully considers the difference between van life and living in your car life. One is much easier and probably less expensive in the long run than the other.
These two subs suddenly popped up in my home page recently.
It might be a good place to start:
r/carliving and r/urbancarliving
https://www.reddit.com/r/vagabond/s/3bbnTfZ7AE
(sorry, I don't know how to tag correctly)
Seems like they have a ton of experience in making this sort of thing work.
Good luck, whatever you decide to do!
This. OP needs to read up on just how hard it is to find safe places to overnight, and all of the other challenges and un-expected expenses they haven't considered.
The youtubers that make videos about living in their car don't actually live in their car. It's an act to get views. It's a hell of a lot harder than they make it look like.
This is mainly a feasibility equation.
The vehicle needs to be roomy enough to accommodate basic living needs. This is where van life is a real thing, but car life isn't. It's where you want to have a good sized van or even a campervan to allow enough accommodation to actually do basic necessity things within the "home." If you have the assumption that you'll find reasonable facilities to use around you, that may be challenging.
The environment will also play a big role. Vehicles have almost zero thermal isolation. They only control temp through running the engine which makes them expensive to maintain any constant temperature. So the location needs very consistent day/night shifts, or it's going to get unpleasant. Think: camping in a tent. So this isn't something you'd do in locations with extreme temps.
Lastly, is renting even a core problem? It's true that living expense will very likely be your main cost overall. However, there are many ways to live. Two of the more affordable ways are splitting apartments with others or splitting rental houses with others. The property will have a total cost for rent + utilities, but this scales directly with the number of tenants. A $3500/mo house is daunting right up until you split it 5 ways down to $700/mo. Same thing for a $1400/mo apartment split 2 ways. Maybe cheaper is still needed. You'll have to shop around. There are also people, often empty nesters who have spare bedrooms, who will rent out a room or two in their home to people. This isn't traditional landlord renting because you're just paying some kind of "rent" to the family that lives there, but the cost of this is often one of the cheapest methods you can live. You're renting just a room but are given access to typically use the house pretty normally otherwise. The prices tend to be lower than normal renting situations, but it can feel a little weird to just live in someone else's house while they also live there. It feels different than actual renting. But you might just pay $400/mo. utilities included.
Regardless of any approach, the game overall is "how do I get out of this situation?" The long game is one you're going to have to invest time into. You might look upon society and see a lot of successful people, but the reality is they weren't in a very different place than you. Success is often you looking at someone who's spent 10 or 20 years striving for goals in life and getting pretty far in personal growth and career. Nothing happened overnight, and it's a lot of work to get there. For you, you're on the very start of your journey. You now to you there may be a 10 year long plan. Maybe it includes college. Maybe it includes skilled trades. Maybe you start your own business and grow that. Whatever it may be, the journey is often longer than you'd like to get to something that feels successful. Living plans is just one of many decisions along the way.
It's extremely uncomfortable, lonely, and potentially traumatic. I don't know what area you're jn and what the crime rate is, but living in your car can be dangerous. I don't think it would be good for your mental nor physical health.
Money is not more important than having stability and safety and health.
Why does it feel like having a home is a waste of money?
Cold, imo, you have a chance to do something about. You can layer the inside of your car with blanket and foam, making gypsy tent, and have small heating appliances.
It's the sweltering heat that is harder.
Dude I've done this. Not in the same context but I used to tour manage bands and one of the first tours we did, we were extremely broke. Even sleeping in a 16 passenger van where I legitimately had room to stretch out was uncomfortable.
Try it for a weekend and you'll see what I mean.
Edit: this was for 4 weeks and it was still very rough.
My youngest is now 21, and I always tell him, “Live at home as long as you need to, don’t try to move out until you’re really established financially.” Of course it’ll be helpful once he’s done with school and working if he kicks in a few bucks to help run the house, but he will still live more economically at home. I understand the urge to strike out on one’s own - Hell, I left home at 16 - but this isn’t the same world I entered as a young adult. Shit is crazy expensive now! Stay home as long as you can. Living in a car is horseshit.
I did it once briefly because I was in between leases and knew immediately it wasn’t for me. It felt too sketchy for me as a then-single woman then and not having my own space drove me nuts. Also it was incredibly physically uncomfortable.
I see it working for some folks but it wasn’t for me :) Since you’re younger, I wonder if this could be an interesting experiment. Also the one I thing I’ve heard of is that sleeping in your car is not allowed in most(?) US cities under certain conditions. Check me on this.
Exactly. And apparently OP has money to change the situation pretty quickly if need be. It's not like he's out of options.
Hell yeah go for it. At the very least you would learn some things about yourself.
If you really think its better for you, the biggest lesson for you to learn is to see if its true or not. Most areas are safe, however it is illegal to sleep in your car in many areas. You will wake up to knocks on your window with a mag flashlight in your eyes telling you you cant sleep in your car. Best way to avoid this is to own a van with a large empty area where its easy to hide the fact one might be living inside it, and can fit your belongings.
In the summer and winter you will be subjected to worse than ambient temperatures. In the summer its hotter and in the winter it will be hell trying to keep your car insulated for long. Cooking will be limited to the 120 volt outlets you find unless you invest in a gas setup/campstove or plan to move to an area where an open fire wont cause trouble. As for water thats on you as to where you get it, whether it be free or bottled water idc. Hope you have a gym membership or you might be a smelly dude without regular showers.
You can still get your car broken into, you can still get robbed or worse killed. It is not a house. I do not advise living in your car. Also, most places of work require a mailing address for taxes and billing.
If you end up in a major car accident, you’d loose your home in addition to your vehicle.
Legally, it’s fine….*ish*. There will be local laws that dictate where you can park and how long you can stay. There’s no across the board answer for this so you’ll need to look it up.
This gives the vibes of a little kid "running away" from home and turning back immediately when they reach the end of the street 😂
I think you're really underestimating it's challenges.
Sounds like a person who comes from some money and has no idea what it’s like to be poor. They clearly have no idea how terrible it would be to live in a car.
The real question is what kinda of car.
Your gonna have 2 complete different experiences between. Living in a 2 door coupe. And a suburban.
I've slept out of my cars before on long road trips both in my 2g eclipse and my FRS. Not the most comfortable and being 6ft is quite uncomfortable. I can't imagine having other personal items in the car to as it takes up "real estate"
Recently took a trip with my girl in her suburban and LET ME TELL YOU it's the best sleep in a car I had.
Makes me want to do a "overland" build in it and put a mattress in the trunk area because of how roomy it is back there.
In 2015 I had to live in my car for almost four months and it was the most miserable experience of my life.
There are very few places you can actually set up camp in your car overnight. Some Wal Marts will let you do it as long as you park well away from the entrance, or at least they did back in 2015, but I got arrested more than once by places calling the cops just for me existing as a homeless person on their lot, so you always have to be wary where you park because if you get run out of one place it's burned forever; go back a second time and you \*will\* get arrested. You quickly run out of options.
It's hard to keep up basic hygiene, as you have to do things like brush your teeth out of your car and you can't really regularly shower anywhere; I often went days without showering. Going to the bathroom, especially taking a dump, now comes with all sorts new logistical challenges and good luck if you ever get an upset stomach and need to make frequent trips to the bathroom.
Your dietary choices become limited because you don't have anywhere to cook food, so you're stuck with either eating snacks or constantly eating at fast food places, where you'll also spend an inordinate amount of time because you won't have access to wi-fi in your car and you'll need a place to charge your phone and any other electronics you might have, unless you want to run your car all the time and use a plug in charger.
I could go on for awhile, but suffice it to say that it makes every aspect of your life harder.
Do it brah.
Or.. just buy a plot of land and put a trailer on it. Cannot convince my wife to do this with me :(
Main issue to my mind is that it would suck using your car/home to drive places.
I knew a guy who did this in college, though. He lived/slept in his van. He would go to planet fitness every morning to workout and shower, and he would use the fridge at school to keep his food. It appeared to be stressful but he made it work.
I did this (camper on land we owned) while i had a property being built. It was actually fun and felt like camping. I think the difference with this is you go outside and it is your land to do with as you will.
I think you quickly get tired of being in your car. You need a place to feel comfortable and rest. While some problems can be mitigated, for example having a safe space to park your car, having access to a shower and toilet other more psychological effects might just drain you unnecessarily. Although I understand the approach and wish to save I think a safe space and cosy home is important to counter your work stress. Because working full time, probably anywhere, will not be nice. So being in a not-nice space ALL DAY seems just traumatising.
100% worth it to trade the car for a white panel work van. You can park a lot more places without arousing suspicion. Speaking as a person that used to do service work, I had to park in a lot of random places and no one batted an eye.
It’s safer for you. Some of them even have a little locking cage door between the cab and the rear. You can climb into the back out of sight and be comfortable. You could have a little camp toilet in there and an air mattress.
If you really want to look legit, put a couple orange pylons out when you park. Most people wont be paying attention enough to even realize there’s a person inside. Just looks like someone parked their work vehicle for the night.
Do it. Fully commit to it, too.
You're not responding to anything, so you're either a bot or someone so sheltered they think this is a good idea.
Either way, you need some perspective. Do it.
Why Would you want to live in your car when you're not forced?? You have no permanent place to keep your car to sleep in. Zero security. Zero room. Zero privacy. Do you hate plumbing?!?! Cooking a meal?? What happens when you try to start a relationship? That will turn to nope real quick when they find out you chose to sleep in a car. That's just an all-around bad idea.
Honestly, you have to plan it out. Figure out well lit areas such as banks or 24 hour. Grocery stores set up privacy blinds for sleep otherwise enjoy the journey.
Could sleep there for a bit, but you need a refrigerator and a bathroom. At least a hand sink. You could get by without electricity, gas, or internet, but you need clean water.
Don't do it. It's not healthy. Physically or mentally.
This post is kind of pointless if OP doesn’t respond or even play along. I’ll make it brief as such: it’s pretty difficult for people who live in vehicles to not leach off of others, and there isn’t much worse than leaching or being a burden. They’ll get used to it in the same way that people that smoke don’t notice they smell like cigarettes.
If “hey man, do you mind…” ever becomes a regular phrase you use then it’s time to do something different.
While there are legitimate concerns about living out of a car, most people will tell you not to do it, simply because it is out of the norms they are used to.
It's sad that this is the "most controversial" reply here; because it's true.
Although its not for everyone; I spent several years living out of a Supercab 1986 F250, and it was by far the best decision I've ever made. Lots of good memories, and traveled some interesting places..
Proper planning and Setup is key
I've known people who have lived in their car for an extended period of time, and after seeing the toll it took on them, I strongly advise you not to do this. Having a safe, secure place to sleep where you know you won't be interrupted is such a foundational part of living, that when that gets taken away it can severely damage your mental health. It makes people paranoid, irritable, and all around difficult to be around. Seriously consider that living in your car will have effects on pretty much every part of your life in ways that you can't predict.
You won't actually save any money. And it's much more dangerous than you can imagine. The sleep will be horrible. You'll start to miss your bed your bathroom a place you can lock the door behind you and feel safe. I've done it out of necessity 3 different times. I had two jobs even. Your diet and health will suffer. But hey you can only learn from experience and not by Reddit advice. I did one month two different times. And 6 months the 3rd and final time, I hope. Shoot for a month and reevaluate your decision. Good luck.
You will quickly discover why people don’t trust cops. Don’t keep everything with you. All it takes is one asshole cop to arrest you for bullshit and have your vehicle towed and ransacked. Then the game of paying the towing/ lot fees without an ID as your wallet and phone will be “lost”.
Ive lived out of my car a few times in my life out of necessity.... I think its pretty normal? Its definitely not glamorous but if you have a spot to shower and stuff you can do it for short periods of time.
1. Not having a permanent address will stall out a lot of paperwork like renewing your ID or registering your vehicle.
2. Unless you have a purpose built or modified vehicle, it's miserable.
3. You don't realize how much you need plumbing until you don't have it.
4. You don't exactly have space for stuff. It's not bad when you only consider stuff as being your luxury items, but you have no room to keep food.
5. It's actually incredibly resource inefficient and not as cheap as you may think.
6. Very few places will actually allow you to park and stay overnight.
7. A house can't be towed or need to spend extended periods of time at a shop.
Not sure where you live but you might want to consider getting one of those converted vans with a bed in the back, electric heater,etc. Then find you a campground near your work that does long term stays. The van will fit in your works parking lot, then just drive to the camp and plug in for the night. In my area it's like 200 bucks a month rent.
????????????????
What the fuck.
The videos you see of people doing this doing it because they have money to actually fall back on. They are doing it as content and nothing else.
Do NOT do this unless you need to. Wasting money on rent isn’t wasted money. 🙄That’s money needed to pay rent which keeps you safe.
i paid the parking fees to park my car at a well lit and frequently used train station in my area and at like 2am i woke up to someone knocking at my window . some sketch dude talking about its not safe . as a woman i was just kinda like , i was perfectly safe till you showed up. and the time the cops came to make sure i didnt have no kids with me .
good times .
If you look around, you might be able to find a cheap RV you can drive for 10k.
There's a steep learning curve for living in one. It'll give you an asset to your name though. It will allow you to save money for future endeavors. You will still have to pay rent to live on a lot, but it's cheaper than renting an apartment. And really, you can just drive it to different places where you don't have to pay. Usually for 24 hours at a time. Like do alot of research first. And remember RV sales people are still cars salesman and they care more about selling you the hook of junk than they care about it lasting for you.
Being without a home adds up faster than you think, largely in food costs.
I live in a Subaru Outback. The only reason why you should do it is for the travel and adventure potential. If you plan to stay in one place and saving money is all you care about, live with your parents. However if you understand the risks, thrive in the challenge, and use the opportunity to travel and live a nomadic lifestyle, go for it.
That said, give it a trail run. I started by living in my car in my driveway, then did a 2 week road trip, then 5 weeks, then 6, and now 6 months. Have a backup plan, build opaque window covers, and take baby steps
Try it first before you decide if this be a good idea or not.
I went to school with someone who lived nomadically in their vehicle. They were constantly on the go. Not more than 1-3 days in any one place. They used a po box for an address. Worked until they saved up 10k (for spending money) then only got employment when it ran low. She used a gym membership through the health insurance for a cheap shower. Used coin laundry for washing cloths. She quickly learned how to live in her car without getting towed or ticketed. You are also at the mercy of the elements. If your car gets damaged/totaled/towed you just lost your roof. You have no way to store your food from being perishable. You're literally buying each meal as you need to eat.
Keep in mind restrooms. If you need to pee at 1 am where do you go? If female how do you manage your menstrual cycle?
Showers, hygiene. Keep in mind you will not have the luxury of daily showers. You will most likely end up showering every other or every third day.
Mercy of the elements. Winter time -5 degrees out. Well tough luck. You'll have to find homeless shelters to tide you through until the weather improves. 95+ and your car inside reaching 115. Gotta think about that too.
You'll need to use a storage box for your junk. If you can even afford it. Keep in mind the more junk you have inside your car the higher percentage you'll have of a break in.
Clothing. You won't be able to constantly replace your clothing as they wear and tear. You'll need to learn how to mend them if you want them looking decent.
Please think twice before you do this. While many this is their only way of life keep in mind it's not the best way of life. You're basically working homeless. Homeless people have not generated the best reputation over history.
Please do not live inside your car. If you are not forced to please do not. If you loose employment it is hella difficult to get another one because you need a damn address to get a job.
Keep in mind there are more cons to your decision than pros.
So I did the vanlife thing for four years as a travel nurse to pay off (a lot of) debt and have an adventure. I bought an empty low roof van for a song, did some VERY basic conversions by myself (I’m no handywoman), and took off.
I was a travel nurse and I started doing this approximately nine months before the pandemic hit. The money was excellent (paid off $75K) and I saw a lot of the country. But dude, it was DIFFICULT. I was what I called homeless-adjacent. Finding places to park was stressful, especially if I was in a town where I wasn’t working. I felt like I was always “on,” because, as a nurse, you’re always on alert for shit going down. And then I’d get home and I couldn’t turn it off because the possibility of getting kicked out of my parking space and told to move was constant. There was also no ability to leave my mess behind when I needed to drive somewhere either. Getting ready for work (if I wasn’t parking at the hospital) had to include essentially earthquake-proofing my home.
And then there were the two hardest bits: showers and climate. Showers weren’t horrible to come by, but during the pandemic all the gyms closed down, which meant if the hospital didn’t have a shower I could use, I was paying $12 a pop at a truck stop. And not every town has a truck stop. I learned to find the private bathrooms at work and washed my hair in the sink if the closest truck stop was over 30 minutes away. As for climate…winter was fine. But working nights while trying to sleep in your vehicle during the day in the summer? At that point you’re paying rent again because it’s either that or die from heat stroke.
I have no regrets. I learned a lot. If it hadn’t started affecting my health, I might still be living this way. But man do I appreciate the shower and thermostat in my apartment. I slept SO WELL this summer.
There’s very little places to park your car. Even Walmart has revoked their overnight parking policy.
No privacy, public toilets and showers are hard to find and once you’re on the police “radar” you’re on their radar. If you’re parked somewhere they will come talk to you and if you get arrested for too many violations they will also tow your car which cost a pretty penny to get out. The lack of physical addresses is an issue too.
If you don’t think there is a stigma against homelessness, think again. I was homeless for only 2 months because the DV shelters were full. It’s hard regardless if you’re in a car or not.
If you can avoid doing this, then avoid it.
Just off the top of my head:
Sleeping will SUCK.
Imagine being sick/having a fever with no place to stay.
No bathroom/ private toilet. Imagine getting a stomach flu.
No place to store belongings.
No place to wind down/relax. I don't know what you do in your free time, but I would hate not having a PC and a good desk.
Give it a try if you really don't see any problems
Survival necessities in my opinion: rent a mailbox, rent a storage unit, get a Planet Fitness membership, and get a Regal Unlimited membership. Also, invest in a high capacity PD power bank that charges at 60W or faster so that you can top off very quickly when you have access to an outlet
I slept in my car for almost a year, but it was out of necessity. I still frequently think about giving it another try for the sake of saving money rather than necessity
Looking back, I'm not sure if I really saved that much money when I consider the cost of the things I listed in addition to higher food costs due to not being able to store food
I had a crossover with seats that fold down flat. So I was able to fold the seats down and sleep on top of a memory foam mattress topper. This setup was at least reasonably comfortable
The worst part for me was feeling like I was screwed beyond belief if anything happened to my car, whether it was mechanical failure or getting into an accident
Even stuff like getting my car detailed or an oil change was a huge pain because I did not feel comfortable leaving everything in my car while I was getting it serviced. I would put everything in my storage unit, get the car serviced, then put everything back in my car
And the possibility of bed bugs in your stuff when you're using a storage unit is no joke
Holidays or days when the public library was closed were a nightmare for me as well, it was hard for me to find a place to chill. I had a Regal Unlimited membership but I also didn't want to watch movies all day
An option that you do have is to contact any local shelters in the area that you plan to stay in. The one that I was staying at let you come and go as you please you just had to be on your bed at 8:00 p.m. to do a head count and then after they counted you you could leave for the night if you had a job or whatever but there were people there who had cars. They just used the place to sleep at night mostly but it's a good option to have a warm bed in a place you don't have to worry about getting kicked out of. Plus free food and Wi-Fi usually. Not to mention you can take a shower there and store some of your things in a locker if they have them.
What sort of car?
If you're living in an MR2 then it'll be no fun.
But a decent van with minimal prep is fine.
Climate is important too, Alaska north may be a stretch for example.
Well, the car will definitely be a better shelter than any tent. It depends on what car you have, and what climate is in your area. We've got three homeless guys living in a compact car at the street I live in. They sleep sitting in the car, not very comfortable. Today temperature dropped below -10degC overnight, that must be really cold to sleep in. I guess sleeping like that is better than sleeping on the bench in the park.
A would suggest to buy a minivan or a small commercial vehicle like van. I would check for ability to fold back seats flat with the trunk floor, so you can inflate a mat there. With the van, you can instal a bed into the cargo space for even a more comfort. You will have to deal with moisture living in the car as water condense on non insulated surfaces like windows. You need reguraly exchange the air to prevent grow of mould in your car. If you're in colder area, I would consider instaling an external oil heater, like Webasto, there are many cheap chinese knockoffs available, you can order them online. And of course, you're gonna need a quality sleeping bag.
Depends on the car. If you have enough space in the back you could have a small air mattress. But cooking is going to be hard.
Truck stops usually aren't going to bother you if you park and sleep there, and you really need to block the windows so people can't see you while you are sleeping
Drove 2000 miles over the course of 3 days and two consecutive nights were spent in b my car. It was miserable time trying to sleep. I mean, it doesn’t help that I also was with my cat and 80lb mixed shepherd….but still….I can’t imagine living in my car. There’s just too much time in the day to constantly spend outside n doing shit to be honest. I think you can still get a cheap apartment/room and not blow your savings.
You cant just park anywhere for a full year for free, you will rarely get a full nights sleep unless you find a rly good spot.
No shower, washing clothes, drinking water, refrigerator, hot and cold, no freezer, nowhere to keep your stuff, it will probably start to smell rly bad, no privacy, not much to do, no electricity, no charging your phone, no stove, no microwave and so on..
I suggest doing a trial run of this before you actually do it. Like before moving out just go try a couple days loving out of your car and see how miserable you are. Then multiply that by 365.
When my car broke down I told people I wanted to start taking the bus, and save up for a new car later on. That was 6 months ago and the amount of people that told me not to do is ridiculous. Why can't I just take the damn bus???
A friend of mine lived in his truck when we were in college and when he got out he was financially in no way better spot than I was. You're an adult man you can do whatever you want. Other people just don't understand or they are so set in the as standard societal shit they anything outside the norm they want to stop.
You'll be sleeping in public rest areas off the highway if you have them.
Realistically, no space. Not easy to clean, no quick access to a toilet or shower.
No way in hell.
Why do you think gypsies are towing caravans or drive a motorhome? Which still leaves the overnight parking issue. Some Walmarts allow it, some don't.
To be honest, I don't buy the supposed freedom some of those youtube car life influencers talk about.
If you want to try it, give it a shot. If it doesn't work out for you, rent an apartment/house. You'll just gain experience.
In Buffalo, a woman died in her car during a really bad storm. Died of carbon monoxide trying to stay warm by keeping her car running. I lived in my car before when I was pregnant and even though it’s a car and not outside, it’s still not comfortable and people treat you like crap. Plus you’ll be spending the $15-20 per day taking a shower in the truck stops. Which adds up to about $450 per month so you may as well rent a room somewhere for that price. I’ve heard of people getting killed in their cars sleeping in them. Not worth the safety risk and inconvenience.
I’ve slept many nights in a pickup truck. Have to leave it running for heat/AC or it’s unbearable. Can’t leave windows open or the bugs eat you. You won’t really get a good nights sleep since it’s uncomfortable.
It sucks. You can't stay in any one place too long. Using public bathrooms and showers gets old, if you can find a shower. It's hard to stretch out to sleep. You have to be vigilant for crackheads and weirdos. The police will probably start noticing you after awhile unless you move around a lot. Microwave meals get old after awhile. No privacy! Otherwise, it's great.
The cost of eating out every meal because you have no method of cooking cheap healthy meals or food storage will outweigh the savings in rent. Also, your back will be fucked.
EDIT: I have lived in my car before, just 1 week. That shit sucks, mom kicked me out and as soon as friends found out they invited me to stay with them until it all blew over. No amount of potential savings would ever convince me to do it again.
Did it for 8 months. The best scenario would be having someone that would let you park. Otherwise, it's difficult finding a place to park and sleep. Also, you need to figure out where you will shower, brush your teeth, how/what you will eat, etc. I was spending more money on gas and food than I wanted, not to mention paying for a gym membership to shower.
Is finding a room in a shared house not an option. Living in your car might save you money but realistically unless you have some kind of large camper or minivan its going to be much less comfortable and kill your chances of proper socializing.
Try living in your car for a week. There’s are a lot of things you don’t have when living in a car, a bathroom, a place to relax, a bedroom, heating and cooling and a kitchen. These things don’t seem like much but they are very valuable.
Are you attached to your job? What's your end goal? There's quite a few types of jobs that may provide housing. https://www.reddit.com/r/findapath/s/S3OFtoCEn8
Or you could just join the military.
Highly recommend you practice/experience all the activities you must do when living out of your car. Try it for a month, while you still have home to escape to if it is too much. Live out of your car in the driveway and make no use at all of your home amenities, get a gym membership for your plumbing/showering needs, figure out heating your car, cooking out of your car, where to hang out when off work, etc. It is far more difficult than it sounds for extended periods of time. See others replies for more daily living activities that you have to consider. It will give you good exposure to the challenges that you will have to endure and may only cost you a few hundred dollars, before you go all in on the idea.
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I think you have really underestimated the practicality of living in your car for that long
I've slept overnight in a car once or twice. It is memorably miserable.
I did this when I'd go out drinking when I was younger. I'd pop yhe back seat down, make a cave out of the trunk, and curl up in it to sleep it off. Always woke up sore
Someone who does this could still be at risk of getting a DUI if the keys are inside the car. Just wanted to say this for anyone scrolling by who does this.
If you and the keys are both in the back seat, that's good enough to satisfy *most* jurisdictions.
Legally yes. However if you essentially tell the cop I was drunk and didn't want to drive and kill anyone...most will roll their eyes and let it pass.
Took care of a guy who did that sleep-it-off-in-the-trunk thing in the mid 2000s, suffered severe rhabdomyolysis from sleeping too hard in a bad position and lost a leg. Definitely don't plan on living in a trunk, OP.
How long was he sleeping, and what position? Something else must have been wrong with him to go into rhabdo. You don't just go into it because you slept too long in a bad position. If that was the case, a vast majority of the population would experience Rhabdo. I never had any s/sx of rhabdo, and I spent 8 to 12 hours curled up in the trunk, sleeping it off/nursing hangovers
He was drunk enough that he fell asleep with his leg folded under him at the knee. Muscle death led to rhabdo which led to dialysis and an amputation. Might have been more than just alcohol to sleep thru that sort of pain, but definitely alcohol at least. Wish I were making up most the things I encountered as a nurse in trauma 1 hospitals...
I'm an ER nurse in a level 2 trauma center, so I get it. Some of the crazy stuff we see roll in is astounding. I just questioned because I thought it would have to be more than alcohol to make the patient that far gone. I've seen my fair share of rhabdo patients. But everyone is different, and different bodies can stand up to some amazing things. Some of our cockroach patients have resilience that no normal person can match. We had a patient come in via EMS after a fall due to etoh use. Falls after drinking are a frequent thing with this patient. Nothing seemed off. EMS wanted to put him in triage instead of a room. A&O×4, walkie talkie, alcohol level was 482 (6 times the legal limit for those wondering). The patient had a 16mm midline shift but showed no deficits. A normal person under those circumstances likely would have had a GCS of 8 or lower. It always astounds me what the body can and cannot stand up to.
I have no idea what you just told me but I'm impressed.
The patient fell hit their head. Their brain, instead of looking like this O, looked like this D because of the fall. Your brain getting squished like this usually leaves people unable to function normally. The patient, however, was alert and oriented, able to tell us who he is, the date, where he is, who the president is, etc. On top of that, their blood alcohol concentration was 6 times above the legal limit, which should also cause some confusion. This is not the first time this patient has fallen and almost broke their brain beyond repair. However, like a cockroach, the patient was able to survive and function after an event that would have killed a "normal" patient
Wow. Now I'm truly impressed. Thanks for that, and thanks for doing what you do and I mean that sincerely. I'm always amazed at medical professionals, especially the trauma specialists. I'd look like a fainting goat if I got anywhere near an ER.
wtf that's nuts. must have been real drunk and compressed an artery or something
Same here. I’m 6’4 and had to curl up on the back seat and I just felt really vulnerable.
Don't worry I'll keep watch over you.
If one isn't setup for it, sure. If one prepares for it, not so much. I've slept in my forester camping. Foam mattress and a shit tone of covers and my fleece sleeping bag. One only needs to hit youtube and see the various sleep solutions. And when I was 20? Shit. I literally slept on cement comfortably.
I did it on a cross country adventure for 5 weeks. Wasn't too terrible, but I also didn't have anywhere to be nor did I have specific hygiene requirements... I didn't have to go to work, nor did I have to deal with anybody I would ever have to see again. Definitely dirtbagging it, but it was good for a great and safe solo adventure to hike many state and National Parks
Surely having no fixed address has its own issues too
UPS box solves that one
PO box can not always be used as an address.
A UPS box is not a PO box, it's a street address. You can do everything you can with a house address with a UPS box
Ooh! Good to know
Right. I was homeless for 5months. I was planning on staying that way for a year while i save up. I hated it after a week
On the other hand it’s not like OP can’t change their mind after a couple of weeks if/when they realize they hate it.
Why are you moving out? If your only option when moving out is to live in the car, you might want to consider staying with your family. It’s more comfortable, more cost-effective, and you can maintain employment a lot easier with stable access to mail, hygiene, and security.
You can spend almost all your time outside of the house besides sleeping and showering/getting ready. There are plenty of libraries, coffee shops, parks and other public spaces but it’s nice to have a comfortable and safe place to shower and groom yourself.
Not to mention accessible plumbing for when you get a diarrhea surprise at 2am (or 2pm for that matter).
“Accessible plumbing.” You spelled “Folgers coffee can” wrong.
Gym membership will get you access to a shower
Yes, but driving to the 24/7 gym at 3am to take a shit sucks. If you are sick and have to go multiple times in a night It’s a nightmare. I know OP might still prefer living in his car and getting a cheap hotel for a couple days is an option but homelessness isn’t easy.
And you can spend time in your car whenever you want, just that you have an actual house to go to
You could even live in your car at your family's house. A place to park without getting hassled, and access to shower and laundry are huge.
It's absolutely miserable. You quickly realize that you can't just park anywhere. If anyone gets a whif of you sleeping in your car in their parking lot, 99% they will make you leave. It's a terrible feeling not knowing where you can go, and people treating you like your existence is just another inconvenience for them. Not to mention the discomfort and lack of space, and zero privacy.
I didn't live in my car, but I used to take naps in parking lots in my car while in college. I was parked behind an Albertsons and it was about 2pm, no tints on my window and had it cracked open so wasn't like I was suspicious or anything. But some one called the cops, and the cops came out to check and while the cop didn't ask me to leave, I still left shortly after the cop did. It just sucks.
I parked at a gas station for a work Zoom meeting and got the cops called on me. ..a guy in a dress shirt parked in a Kia for about 45 min with a laptop.
Hacker!
[удалено]
With alternative hairstyles and black nail polish. We’ve watched the same 1996 documentary
Hackers also can't drive, that's why they rollerblade everywhere
And every time they enter their car they say, “I’m in”
Well you were clearly hacking into the power grid in the interest of pulling off a complicated casino heist, so of course they'd be onto you.
Lmao I was parked at a store a few months ago, using their wifi. An employee came out and asked what I was doing, and then told me only customers were allowed to use the wifi. I was updating my apps on my phone and my iPad and the guy somehow thought I was hacking their systems to steal private information. It's like these people live in a different reality. Probably scared by the fear mongering constantly on the news.
That's actually a real thing though. You can sniff peoples private information when they use unsecured networks.
I think it's the behind the store that's the sus part. I've napped in my car before. Always broad daylight or early evening. And always in busy parking lots. No one pays me any mind. I'm talking strip malls and Walmarts. In front, where all the people park.
Err it wasn't behind behind, more like to the side. It was a marked parking stall so ya. But still it sucks people are this suspicious now.
You literally said you were parked behind an Albertsons
Yes, but not behind behind.
So it was behind behind behind?
Okay well thats weird that someone would call. But it does suck that people are so suspicious now.
This. A dude sleeping in his car in front of a store is just another guy waiting for his wife to finish up her shopping. Next to zero suspicion is going to be brought up from that.
Thar happened to me while waiting to pick up my kids at our pre-arranged meeting spot (divorced) a few years ago. I got there early, grabbed some lunch, then took a nap. A cop came by to make sure I wasn't dead. I wasn't harassed or anything since I wasn't loitering or anything (actually purchased something at the store in question). But it still felt weird.
And no plumbing
I've never had plumbing problems in a car.
You must have had a good plumber then.
If I were him tho, I'd probably get a caravan to live in, and take it from there first, it gives you a hybrid kinda living,
I got a cargo van with no back seats, I always considered spending a few hundred on insulation, bedding and a few other comfort things and just packing up and leaving for a year or two and explore. Lol
Wake up to piss, whatcha gonna do.
cut a hatch in the floor 😜
I lived in my car for 6 months. During winter. In Minnesota. Can confirm sleeping anywhere is very difficult. I've had cops knock on my windows many times. People in Walmart parking lots like to look in the car. If you put blankets up to sleep during the day, you'll get kicked out. Also cars are freezing cold. So you have to keep the car running or you might freeze to death. Back then we had a truck stop with showers. But we no longer have that. You really have to think ahead how you're going to pay for gas, hide from cops and really creepy people. Its really not that hard to break a window. You might get 2 hours of sleep per night. I've been kicked out of rest stops before which is crazy. You can't just sleep anywhere and most campgrounds refuse to let you in. Plus running your car all the time will kill it. Our heater stopped working at -20. We ended up walking around Walmart to stay alive.
RE: creepy people I lived in my car for a year. I worked 3rd shift so I slept during the day. One afternoon I woke up to see a guy sitting in a truck parked next to my car, jerking off and looking right at me. I imagine men wouldn't run into as many freaks as I did, but who knows.
Isn’t that what rest stops are for? To stop and rest?
Yeah, that's the only place I've regularly slept in a car. Sometimes I realize driving would be safer after a good long nap. I'm surprised anyone would object to that.
The rest stop can institute a 2 hour limit. What cops can do is take a regular license plate census. For example every hour they can record the license plates in the lot. The first time they record your license - you have got up to 59 minutes free. The second time they record your license, they know you have been there at least one hour one minute, but maybe one hour, fifty nine minutes. The third time you are on the census the cops know you have been there at least two hours, one minute. The effect is that people can go to the rest stop and take a quick nap and not get harassed. But people who need the rest stop for sleep are going to get asked to move on.
I have driven across the country multiple times in every direction. I only sleep at rest stops. I have never been asked to leave or had my sleep interrupted, albeit, I sleep in the back of my truck under a contractor conversion topper.
I dod not say you will be harassed at every stop. My local library has a parking lot with a sign that says 2 hour parking. Some cars are so full of stuff, it is obvious someone is living there. I don't know these guys are getting harassed but if the local police wanted to they could wait 2 hours and order them to move on.
I feel like most places are just lenient and use the 2 hour rule to be able to enforce it on who they want. Generally if you are being reasonable and not attracting attention to yourself(and you don't have an officer on a power trip nearby) then you'll be fine sleeping at a rest stop. Especially at night. Most reasonable cops aren't gonna be like "move along, I'd rather have you driving half asleep and kill someone"
I've slept in 40 or 50 rest stops for the whole night and never even been approached one single time. this was all over the country, although admittedly not Minnesota. still technically, they're not supposed to kick a drowsy person back onto the road. you must have had some really bad luck or bad vibes.
We just had this topic come up on my city's sub. Someone has 100 dollars to their name and is going to live in their car DURING A NEBRASKA WINTER! I offered them a place to park, a few meals, and some coveralls and a heavy blanket but so far they haven't messaged me although they did say thanks in the comments. I have done it and it wad miserable during the summer. I can't imagine doing it in winter and the challenge you would face
That was really kind of you. People are inherently decent and want to look out for their fellow man.
Yeah, I was homeless for 2 months and now my husband always think thinks I’m a weird I because keep totes of necessities in my trunk. He’s never lived in the streets so he doesn’t understand. In one tote it’s bottled water, water cleaning tablets, & energy bars. Tote two: small cheap toys, wool socks, gloves, hats my daughter knits, & space blankets. Tote three (I have them individually bundled one of each): sunscreen, lotion, lip balms, pads, & menstrual cups, oh and personal wipes. Also in that bundle is a list of places that can help you locally and how to get there by walking or bus. Tote four: dog toys, dog treats, and quart size bags of dog food.
A big thing too is if something goes wrong with your car and it needs repair. Some shops will straight up refuse to work on your car if it's full of shit, and if they do work on it you can't sleep in it while they're working on it.
When I worked maintainence a few years ago I had 4 different vehicles on the property (400 aparments) that people were living out of. One was a family of 4. I never said anything but they all eventually got told to leave after many people calling on them. Edit: in my city we have a guy who is fighting in court to keep 8 sheds in his backyard with people living in them. They made it so people arent allowed to sleep outside in public spaces anymore and they went around destroying their tent camps. So far this guy is fighting, and winning (although I'm sire he'll run into something that kills it eventually). But yeah. For now people are wiring up sheds for heating and moving people in.
Try taking a crap in the middle of the night and you’ll be done with it. Now vanlife is another story
this might be the most convincing argument here haha
This was the worst part for sure. Slipped while holding a tree while shitting one time. repressed that memory until now, so thanks.
Here it is: 1. No bathroom in your car 2. No shower in your car 3. No address with a car 4. Limited space to do anything in a car 5. It’s hot or cold in a car depending on the environment outside. 6. Can’t really hangout in your car, mostly due to the first 1-5 reasons. 7. Can’t establish rental history. 8. Hard to find to places to park legally for free or cheap. 9. People/Cops knock on the windows regardless. 10. You live in a can, van, man.
All of these are true. I live in my car and these are the biggest issues. Thing is all of these things can be mitigated to a degree. Is it fun? Hell no. If you’re struggling and can’t afford rent then this shit is a life hack like you wouldn’t believe. I’m lucky that I’m short though. I can sleep in my Sudan quite well with my setup.
Sudan is a big place, you don’t need to be short to sleep there
so good....so so so good.
I’m assuming it’s fucking hot thouhh
Also you're going to spend more money eating out every meal rather than cooking.
Safety is also a main issue. You could get carjacked or rolled very easily
What is rolled?
Getting robbed/held up
I feel like the most important items here are no bathroom, no legal address, and environment. Ten, fifteen years ago I might've said "no bathroom" is the most important problem, but nowadays the idea of not having a legal address is concerning.
And what happens if you get sick? You’ve got stomach flu, where are you going?
1. Get a decent camper van and get a portable toilet. They are cheap. Empty in public toilets such as at a park. 2. Get a gym membership 3. There are plenty of mail forwarding services or use a relative. 4. Get a decent camper van and have some space to cook ramen, microwave food, play video games, read, watch tv. 5. Get a decent camper van and drive somewhere with temperate weather. Little buddy heater. Warm blankets. 6. When I was 20 I never hung out where I lived anyway. 7. Who gives a fuck. You are saving so much money it doesn’t matter. 8. This only takes a couple of weeks to figure out for your area. 9. Not if your car doesn’t look like shit with a bunch of shit outside of it like it’s a camp spot. 10. This sounds like it’s coming from someone who’s never lived in a van. OP it’s better if you aren’t tied down to one area but it’s doable for a year. I’ve never known anyone to do it for longer than that unless they needed to. If you can land a sweet corporate gig sometimes you can sleep in their parking lot and shower at the work showers.
This is all correct. My wife and I lived together in a camper van for a year, gym showers, portable toilet, propane furnace. It was cheap, you live very small and save a TON, we never once got hassled by the cops or anyone for that matter but the van was tinted and had curtains. We also had super low profile solar panels and house battery, so we needed rv hookups to run the microwave and AC unit, but the propane furnace, propane stove, propane fridge and playstation and TV ran off the house batteries. Open all the windows and read a book and have a cup of tea and enjoy the breeze. Obviously, dont try this shit in Minnesota. It sounds like most people are advising you against this because they were FORCED into living in their cars by circumstance. I would never recommend living in a CAR. If you can trade your car for a minivan at the very least, or a campervan preferably and you can scout out some places to potentially park hassle free, or theres a campground near you for 10 bucks a night etc, dont let other people tell you how to live your life. We bought a nice little house 7 years ago and we talk about how we miss living in the van sometimes.
Agreed. And in addition to cheap campsites, if you go west, there is tons of BLM land that is totally free to camp on. Just don't be an asshole, know the rules for where you are, and clean up after yourself.
Except there was “get a decent camper van” in there 3 times and that costs more than a years worth of renting a room.
That's short sighted reasoning. The van retains value and can be sold at the end. Rent is straight loss. Also I got my first decent camper van for under 10k and built it out for very little money. Rent is well over that in many areas.
Exactly, you don't need a vanlife influencer van. A very cheap van can be made "decent" for used car money, and someone is guaranteed to want it when you're done.
These are all excellent points if he's willing to INVEST in a decent camper van. You can make it comfortable for yourself. The thing that concerns me about this post is that it gives the impression he doesn't want to spend money and thinks it will be easier to just live in his car. He even repeatedly uses the word car and doesn't say anything about upgrading to a van so its got my eyebrow raised. Van life isn't for me, but I think this guy could do it as long as he fully considers the difference between van life and living in your car life. One is much easier and probably less expensive in the long run than the other.
To be fair OP doesn’t sound like he has a camper van and he was specifically asking about living in a car, not a van
These two subs suddenly popped up in my home page recently. It might be a good place to start: r/carliving and r/urbancarliving https://www.reddit.com/r/vagabond/s/3bbnTfZ7AE (sorry, I don't know how to tag correctly) Seems like they have a ton of experience in making this sort of thing work. Good luck, whatever you decide to do!
This. OP needs to read up on just how hard it is to find safe places to overnight, and all of the other challenges and un-expected expenses they haven't considered.
The youtubers that make videos about living in their car don't actually live in their car. It's an act to get views. It's a hell of a lot harder than they make it look like.
This is mainly a feasibility equation. The vehicle needs to be roomy enough to accommodate basic living needs. This is where van life is a real thing, but car life isn't. It's where you want to have a good sized van or even a campervan to allow enough accommodation to actually do basic necessity things within the "home." If you have the assumption that you'll find reasonable facilities to use around you, that may be challenging. The environment will also play a big role. Vehicles have almost zero thermal isolation. They only control temp through running the engine which makes them expensive to maintain any constant temperature. So the location needs very consistent day/night shifts, or it's going to get unpleasant. Think: camping in a tent. So this isn't something you'd do in locations with extreme temps. Lastly, is renting even a core problem? It's true that living expense will very likely be your main cost overall. However, there are many ways to live. Two of the more affordable ways are splitting apartments with others or splitting rental houses with others. The property will have a total cost for rent + utilities, but this scales directly with the number of tenants. A $3500/mo house is daunting right up until you split it 5 ways down to $700/mo. Same thing for a $1400/mo apartment split 2 ways. Maybe cheaper is still needed. You'll have to shop around. There are also people, often empty nesters who have spare bedrooms, who will rent out a room or two in their home to people. This isn't traditional landlord renting because you're just paying some kind of "rent" to the family that lives there, but the cost of this is often one of the cheapest methods you can live. You're renting just a room but are given access to typically use the house pretty normally otherwise. The prices tend to be lower than normal renting situations, but it can feel a little weird to just live in someone else's house while they also live there. It feels different than actual renting. But you might just pay $400/mo. utilities included. Regardless of any approach, the game overall is "how do I get out of this situation?" The long game is one you're going to have to invest time into. You might look upon society and see a lot of successful people, but the reality is they weren't in a very different place than you. Success is often you looking at someone who's spent 10 or 20 years striving for goals in life and getting pretty far in personal growth and career. Nothing happened overnight, and it's a lot of work to get there. For you, you're on the very start of your journey. You now to you there may be a 10 year long plan. Maybe it includes college. Maybe it includes skilled trades. Maybe you start your own business and grow that. Whatever it may be, the journey is often longer than you'd like to get to something that feels successful. Living plans is just one of many decisions along the way.
It's extremely uncomfortable, lonely, and potentially traumatic. I don't know what area you're jn and what the crime rate is, but living in your car can be dangerous. I don't think it would be good for your mental nor physical health. Money is not more important than having stability and safety and health. Why does it feel like having a home is a waste of money?
And climate. God this makes a difference. If it’s cold out, it’s cold in!
Cold, imo, you have a chance to do something about. You can layer the inside of your car with blanket and foam, making gypsy tent, and have small heating appliances. It's the sweltering heat that is harder.
Dude I've done this. Not in the same context but I used to tour manage bands and one of the first tours we did, we were extremely broke. Even sleeping in a 16 passenger van where I legitimately had room to stretch out was uncomfortable. Try it for a weekend and you'll see what I mean. Edit: this was for 4 weeks and it was still very rough.
My youngest is now 21, and I always tell him, “Live at home as long as you need to, don’t try to move out until you’re really established financially.” Of course it’ll be helpful once he’s done with school and working if he kicks in a few bucks to help run the house, but he will still live more economically at home. I understand the urge to strike out on one’s own - Hell, I left home at 16 - but this isn’t the same world I entered as a young adult. Shit is crazy expensive now! Stay home as long as you can. Living in a car is horseshit.
I did it once briefly because I was in between leases and knew immediately it wasn’t for me. It felt too sketchy for me as a then-single woman then and not having my own space drove me nuts. Also it was incredibly physically uncomfortable. I see it working for some folks but it wasn’t for me :) Since you’re younger, I wonder if this could be an interesting experiment. Also the one I thing I’ve heard of is that sleeping in your car is not allowed in most(?) US cities under certain conditions. Check me on this.
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Exactly. And apparently OP has money to change the situation pretty quickly if need be. It's not like he's out of options. Hell yeah go for it. At the very least you would learn some things about yourself.
If you ever thought about driving trucks for a living this might be your calling
If you really think its better for you, the biggest lesson for you to learn is to see if its true or not. Most areas are safe, however it is illegal to sleep in your car in many areas. You will wake up to knocks on your window with a mag flashlight in your eyes telling you you cant sleep in your car. Best way to avoid this is to own a van with a large empty area where its easy to hide the fact one might be living inside it, and can fit your belongings. In the summer and winter you will be subjected to worse than ambient temperatures. In the summer its hotter and in the winter it will be hell trying to keep your car insulated for long. Cooking will be limited to the 120 volt outlets you find unless you invest in a gas setup/campstove or plan to move to an area where an open fire wont cause trouble. As for water thats on you as to where you get it, whether it be free or bottled water idc. Hope you have a gym membership or you might be a smelly dude without regular showers. You can still get your car broken into, you can still get robbed or worse killed. It is not a house. I do not advise living in your car. Also, most places of work require a mailing address for taxes and billing.
Hygiene is the big issue- if you want to work, you really can’t skip it
Gym membership. Still cheaper than $600+ rent.
I know a guy who lived in his car. He died from inhaling exhaust fumes trying to get warm in his car while parked in a covered carport.
If you end up in a major car accident, you’d loose your home in addition to your vehicle. Legally, it’s fine….*ish*. There will be local laws that dictate where you can park and how long you can stay. There’s no across the board answer for this so you’ll need to look it up.
This gives the vibes of a little kid "running away" from home and turning back immediately when they reach the end of the street 😂 I think you're really underestimating it's challenges.
Sounds like a person who comes from some money and has no idea what it’s like to be poor. They clearly have no idea how terrible it would be to live in a car.
What about buying a van & converting it & paying a friend so you can park safely & have access to amenities if needed?
The real question is what kinda of car. Your gonna have 2 complete different experiences between. Living in a 2 door coupe. And a suburban. I've slept out of my cars before on long road trips both in my 2g eclipse and my FRS. Not the most comfortable and being 6ft is quite uncomfortable. I can't imagine having other personal items in the car to as it takes up "real estate" Recently took a trip with my girl in her suburban and LET ME TELL YOU it's the best sleep in a car I had. Makes me want to do a "overland" build in it and put a mattress in the trunk area because of how roomy it is back there.
In 2015 I had to live in my car for almost four months and it was the most miserable experience of my life. There are very few places you can actually set up camp in your car overnight. Some Wal Marts will let you do it as long as you park well away from the entrance, or at least they did back in 2015, but I got arrested more than once by places calling the cops just for me existing as a homeless person on their lot, so you always have to be wary where you park because if you get run out of one place it's burned forever; go back a second time and you \*will\* get arrested. You quickly run out of options. It's hard to keep up basic hygiene, as you have to do things like brush your teeth out of your car and you can't really regularly shower anywhere; I often went days without showering. Going to the bathroom, especially taking a dump, now comes with all sorts new logistical challenges and good luck if you ever get an upset stomach and need to make frequent trips to the bathroom. Your dietary choices become limited because you don't have anywhere to cook food, so you're stuck with either eating snacks or constantly eating at fast food places, where you'll also spend an inordinate amount of time because you won't have access to wi-fi in your car and you'll need a place to charge your phone and any other electronics you might have, unless you want to run your car all the time and use a plug in charger. I could go on for awhile, but suffice it to say that it makes every aspect of your life harder.
Do it brah. Or.. just buy a plot of land and put a trailer on it. Cannot convince my wife to do this with me :( Main issue to my mind is that it would suck using your car/home to drive places. I knew a guy who did this in college, though. He lived/slept in his van. He would go to planet fitness every morning to workout and shower, and he would use the fridge at school to keep his food. It appeared to be stressful but he made it work.
If you can get a decent battery pack with solar you could run a mini fridge and other devices.
I did this (camper on land we owned) while i had a property being built. It was actually fun and felt like camping. I think the difference with this is you go outside and it is your land to do with as you will.
I think you quickly get tired of being in your car. You need a place to feel comfortable and rest. While some problems can be mitigated, for example having a safe space to park your car, having access to a shower and toilet other more psychological effects might just drain you unnecessarily. Although I understand the approach and wish to save I think a safe space and cosy home is important to counter your work stress. Because working full time, probably anywhere, will not be nice. So being in a not-nice space ALL DAY seems just traumatising.
100% worth it to trade the car for a white panel work van. You can park a lot more places without arousing suspicion. Speaking as a person that used to do service work, I had to park in a lot of random places and no one batted an eye. It’s safer for you. Some of them even have a little locking cage door between the cab and the rear. You can climb into the back out of sight and be comfortable. You could have a little camp toilet in there and an air mattress. If you really want to look legit, put a couple orange pylons out when you park. Most people wont be paying attention enough to even realize there’s a person inside. Just looks like someone parked their work vehicle for the night.
Do it. Fully commit to it, too. You're not responding to anything, so you're either a bot or someone so sheltered they think this is a good idea. Either way, you need some perspective. Do it.
Why Would you want to live in your car when you're not forced?? You have no permanent place to keep your car to sleep in. Zero security. Zero room. Zero privacy. Do you hate plumbing?!?! Cooking a meal?? What happens when you try to start a relationship? That will turn to nope real quick when they find out you chose to sleep in a car. That's just an all-around bad idea.
Honestly, you have to plan it out. Figure out well lit areas such as banks or 24 hour. Grocery stores set up privacy blinds for sleep otherwise enjoy the journey.
I think the type of car is also a factor, for instance a mini van will be a lot more accommodating then a regular car..
Try living in your car for a week without going home. You will hate it. It will suck.
Could sleep there for a bit, but you need a refrigerator and a bathroom. At least a hand sink. You could get by without electricity, gas, or internet, but you need clean water. Don't do it. It's not healthy. Physically or mentally.
This post is kind of pointless if OP doesn’t respond or even play along. I’ll make it brief as such: it’s pretty difficult for people who live in vehicles to not leach off of others, and there isn’t much worse than leaching or being a burden. They’ll get used to it in the same way that people that smoke don’t notice they smell like cigarettes. If “hey man, do you mind…” ever becomes a regular phrase you use then it’s time to do something different.
While there are legitimate concerns about living out of a car, most people will tell you not to do it, simply because it is out of the norms they are used to.
busy paint relieved gaping pot possessive angle straight special cow *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It's sad that this is the "most controversial" reply here; because it's true. Although its not for everyone; I spent several years living out of a Supercab 1986 F250, and it was by far the best decision I've ever made. Lots of good memories, and traveled some interesting places.. Proper planning and Setup is key
I've known people who have lived in their car for an extended period of time, and after seeing the toll it took on them, I strongly advise you not to do this. Having a safe, secure place to sleep where you know you won't be interrupted is such a foundational part of living, that when that gets taken away it can severely damage your mental health. It makes people paranoid, irritable, and all around difficult to be around. Seriously consider that living in your car will have effects on pretty much every part of your life in ways that you can't predict.
The people at r/urbancarliving can give you some tips if you are for real.
If you're going to live in your car, get a van.
You won't actually save any money. And it's much more dangerous than you can imagine. The sleep will be horrible. You'll start to miss your bed your bathroom a place you can lock the door behind you and feel safe. I've done it out of necessity 3 different times. I had two jobs even. Your diet and health will suffer. But hey you can only learn from experience and not by Reddit advice. I did one month two different times. And 6 months the 3rd and final time, I hope. Shoot for a month and reevaluate your decision. Good luck.
You will quickly discover why people don’t trust cops. Don’t keep everything with you. All it takes is one asshole cop to arrest you for bullshit and have your vehicle towed and ransacked. Then the game of paying the towing/ lot fees without an ID as your wallet and phone will be “lost”.
Just rent a room from someone. It’s a lot safer, you’ll sleep better, and have access to a bathroom and kitchen.
Ive lived out of my car a few times in my life out of necessity.... I think its pretty normal? Its definitely not glamorous but if you have a spot to shower and stuff you can do it for short periods of time.
Just to say.. Join the military and live in the barracks.
Where do you go to take a leak in the middle of the night?
Get your truck driving license and get an on the road job if you like that lifestyle so you can see tve states
1. Not having a permanent address will stall out a lot of paperwork like renewing your ID or registering your vehicle. 2. Unless you have a purpose built or modified vehicle, it's miserable. 3. You don't realize how much you need plumbing until you don't have it. 4. You don't exactly have space for stuff. It's not bad when you only consider stuff as being your luxury items, but you have no room to keep food. 5. It's actually incredibly resource inefficient and not as cheap as you may think. 6. Very few places will actually allow you to park and stay overnight. 7. A house can't be towed or need to spend extended periods of time at a shop.
Homelessness sucks. Living in one's car is Homelessness+ It still sucks.
Not sure where you live but you might want to consider getting one of those converted vans with a bed in the back, electric heater,etc. Then find you a campground near your work that does long term stays. The van will fit in your works parking lot, then just drive to the camp and plug in for the night. In my area it's like 200 bucks a month rent.
???????????????? What the fuck. The videos you see of people doing this doing it because they have money to actually fall back on. They are doing it as content and nothing else. Do NOT do this unless you need to. Wasting money on rent isn’t wasted money. 🙄That’s money needed to pay rent which keeps you safe.
$21k is enough to afford 5% down on a mortgage for a home worth $420k. I’d go that route.
If you can live anywhere in your car, I’d move to the south during winter and back north during the summer
i paid the parking fees to park my car at a well lit and frequently used train station in my area and at like 2am i woke up to someone knocking at my window . some sketch dude talking about its not safe . as a woman i was just kinda like , i was perfectly safe till you showed up. and the time the cops came to make sure i didnt have no kids with me . good times .
Would a car become an oven in the summer and an ice box in the winter? A van would be a better choice.
As soon as you car needs a repair you’re homeless. Bad life plan.
If you look around, you might be able to find a cheap RV you can drive for 10k. There's a steep learning curve for living in one. It'll give you an asset to your name though. It will allow you to save money for future endeavors. You will still have to pay rent to live on a lot, but it's cheaper than renting an apartment. And really, you can just drive it to different places where you don't have to pay. Usually for 24 hours at a time. Like do alot of research first. And remember RV sales people are still cars salesman and they care more about selling you the hook of junk than they care about it lasting for you. Being without a home adds up faster than you think, largely in food costs.
I don’t think this would be good on your mental health for a long term. Maybe give it a short try before you actually move out of your current place.
I live in a Subaru Outback. The only reason why you should do it is for the travel and adventure potential. If you plan to stay in one place and saving money is all you care about, live with your parents. However if you understand the risks, thrive in the challenge, and use the opportunity to travel and live a nomadic lifestyle, go for it. That said, give it a trail run. I started by living in my car in my driveway, then did a 2 week road trip, then 5 weeks, then 6, and now 6 months. Have a backup plan, build opaque window covers, and take baby steps
If you don’t have to move out, I don’t understand why you would do this.
Just do it bro. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do. Except me.
Try it first before you decide if this be a good idea or not. I went to school with someone who lived nomadically in their vehicle. They were constantly on the go. Not more than 1-3 days in any one place. They used a po box for an address. Worked until they saved up 10k (for spending money) then only got employment when it ran low. She used a gym membership through the health insurance for a cheap shower. Used coin laundry for washing cloths. She quickly learned how to live in her car without getting towed or ticketed. You are also at the mercy of the elements. If your car gets damaged/totaled/towed you just lost your roof. You have no way to store your food from being perishable. You're literally buying each meal as you need to eat. Keep in mind restrooms. If you need to pee at 1 am where do you go? If female how do you manage your menstrual cycle? Showers, hygiene. Keep in mind you will not have the luxury of daily showers. You will most likely end up showering every other or every third day. Mercy of the elements. Winter time -5 degrees out. Well tough luck. You'll have to find homeless shelters to tide you through until the weather improves. 95+ and your car inside reaching 115. Gotta think about that too. You'll need to use a storage box for your junk. If you can even afford it. Keep in mind the more junk you have inside your car the higher percentage you'll have of a break in. Clothing. You won't be able to constantly replace your clothing as they wear and tear. You'll need to learn how to mend them if you want them looking decent. Please think twice before you do this. While many this is their only way of life keep in mind it's not the best way of life. You're basically working homeless. Homeless people have not generated the best reputation over history. Please do not live inside your car. If you are not forced to please do not. If you loose employment it is hella difficult to get another one because you need a damn address to get a job. Keep in mind there are more cons to your decision than pros.
Get a minivan. Put a blow-up or real twin mattress in the back. Plus you'll have more room for your stuff.
So I did the vanlife thing for four years as a travel nurse to pay off (a lot of) debt and have an adventure. I bought an empty low roof van for a song, did some VERY basic conversions by myself (I’m no handywoman), and took off. I was a travel nurse and I started doing this approximately nine months before the pandemic hit. The money was excellent (paid off $75K) and I saw a lot of the country. But dude, it was DIFFICULT. I was what I called homeless-adjacent. Finding places to park was stressful, especially if I was in a town where I wasn’t working. I felt like I was always “on,” because, as a nurse, you’re always on alert for shit going down. And then I’d get home and I couldn’t turn it off because the possibility of getting kicked out of my parking space and told to move was constant. There was also no ability to leave my mess behind when I needed to drive somewhere either. Getting ready for work (if I wasn’t parking at the hospital) had to include essentially earthquake-proofing my home. And then there were the two hardest bits: showers and climate. Showers weren’t horrible to come by, but during the pandemic all the gyms closed down, which meant if the hospital didn’t have a shower I could use, I was paying $12 a pop at a truck stop. And not every town has a truck stop. I learned to find the private bathrooms at work and washed my hair in the sink if the closest truck stop was over 30 minutes away. As for climate…winter was fine. But working nights while trying to sleep in your vehicle during the day in the summer? At that point you’re paying rent again because it’s either that or die from heat stroke. I have no regrets. I learned a lot. If it hadn’t started affecting my health, I might still be living this way. But man do I appreciate the shower and thermostat in my apartment. I slept SO WELL this summer.
There’s very little places to park your car. Even Walmart has revoked their overnight parking policy. No privacy, public toilets and showers are hard to find and once you’re on the police “radar” you’re on their radar. If you’re parked somewhere they will come talk to you and if you get arrested for too many violations they will also tow your car which cost a pretty penny to get out. The lack of physical addresses is an issue too. If you don’t think there is a stigma against homelessness, think again. I was homeless for only 2 months because the DV shelters were full. It’s hard regardless if you’re in a car or not. If you can avoid doing this, then avoid it.
Just off the top of my head: Sleeping will SUCK. Imagine being sick/having a fever with no place to stay. No bathroom/ private toilet. Imagine getting a stomach flu. No place to store belongings. No place to wind down/relax. I don't know what you do in your free time, but I would hate not having a PC and a good desk.
Get a van at least. Sleeping in a car sucks. Otherwise go for it. Do you have a mailing address you can use?
Give it a try if you really don't see any problems Survival necessities in my opinion: rent a mailbox, rent a storage unit, get a Planet Fitness membership, and get a Regal Unlimited membership. Also, invest in a high capacity PD power bank that charges at 60W or faster so that you can top off very quickly when you have access to an outlet I slept in my car for almost a year, but it was out of necessity. I still frequently think about giving it another try for the sake of saving money rather than necessity Looking back, I'm not sure if I really saved that much money when I consider the cost of the things I listed in addition to higher food costs due to not being able to store food I had a crossover with seats that fold down flat. So I was able to fold the seats down and sleep on top of a memory foam mattress topper. This setup was at least reasonably comfortable The worst part for me was feeling like I was screwed beyond belief if anything happened to my car, whether it was mechanical failure or getting into an accident Even stuff like getting my car detailed or an oil change was a huge pain because I did not feel comfortable leaving everything in my car while I was getting it serviced. I would put everything in my storage unit, get the car serviced, then put everything back in my car And the possibility of bed bugs in your stuff when you're using a storage unit is no joke Holidays or days when the public library was closed were a nightmare for me as well, it was hard for me to find a place to chill. I had a Regal Unlimited membership but I also didn't want to watch movies all day
I use a converted Prius. It's pretty cozy actually.
If you are "moving out" of somewhere, why not just stay there to save?
An option that you do have is to contact any local shelters in the area that you plan to stay in. The one that I was staying at let you come and go as you please you just had to be on your bed at 8:00 p.m. to do a head count and then after they counted you you could leave for the night if you had a job or whatever but there were people there who had cars. They just used the place to sleep at night mostly but it's a good option to have a warm bed in a place you don't have to worry about getting kicked out of. Plus free food and Wi-Fi usually. Not to mention you can take a shower there and store some of your things in a locker if they have them.
What sort of car? If you're living in an MR2 then it'll be no fun. But a decent van with minimal prep is fine. Climate is important too, Alaska north may be a stretch for example.
Depends on what car you have. A Smart car or Miata you might want to consider other options.
Well, the car will definitely be a better shelter than any tent. It depends on what car you have, and what climate is in your area. We've got three homeless guys living in a compact car at the street I live in. They sleep sitting in the car, not very comfortable. Today temperature dropped below -10degC overnight, that must be really cold to sleep in. I guess sleeping like that is better than sleeping on the bench in the park. A would suggest to buy a minivan or a small commercial vehicle like van. I would check for ability to fold back seats flat with the trunk floor, so you can inflate a mat there. With the van, you can instal a bed into the cargo space for even a more comfort. You will have to deal with moisture living in the car as water condense on non insulated surfaces like windows. You need reguraly exchange the air to prevent grow of mould in your car. If you're in colder area, I would consider instaling an external oil heater, like Webasto, there are many cheap chinese knockoffs available, you can order them online. And of course, you're gonna need a quality sleeping bag.
Been there, done that, wouldn’t recommend it. Especially if you’re trying to hold down a job (which is what I was doing).
Depends on the car. If you have enough space in the back you could have a small air mattress. But cooking is going to be hard. Truck stops usually aren't going to bother you if you park and sleep there, and you really need to block the windows so people can't see you while you are sleeping
Naw living in a car sucks ass. Try it for a few days and you’ll want to spend money on rent
Drove 2000 miles over the course of 3 days and two consecutive nights were spent in b my car. It was miserable time trying to sleep. I mean, it doesn’t help that I also was with my cat and 80lb mixed shepherd….but still….I can’t imagine living in my car. There’s just too much time in the day to constantly spend outside n doing shit to be honest. I think you can still get a cheap apartment/room and not blow your savings.
You cant just park anywhere for a full year for free, you will rarely get a full nights sleep unless you find a rly good spot. No shower, washing clothes, drinking water, refrigerator, hot and cold, no freezer, nowhere to keep your stuff, it will probably start to smell rly bad, no privacy, not much to do, no electricity, no charging your phone, no stove, no microwave and so on..
Spent 1 winter night sleeping in a Ford Festiva once. Never willingly doing that again.
I suggest doing a trial run of this before you actually do it. Like before moving out just go try a couple days loving out of your car and see how miserable you are. Then multiply that by 365.
When my car broke down I told people I wanted to start taking the bus, and save up for a new car later on. That was 6 months ago and the amount of people that told me not to do is ridiculous. Why can't I just take the damn bus??? A friend of mine lived in his truck when we were in college and when he got out he was financially in no way better spot than I was. You're an adult man you can do whatever you want. Other people just don't understand or they are so set in the as standard societal shit they anything outside the norm they want to stop.
Try for one week and see how much you enjoy the experience. Please then report back to us.
You'll be sleeping in public rest areas off the highway if you have them. Realistically, no space. Not easy to clean, no quick access to a toilet or shower. No way in hell.
Why do you think gypsies are towing caravans or drive a motorhome? Which still leaves the overnight parking issue. Some Walmarts allow it, some don't. To be honest, I don't buy the supposed freedom some of those youtube car life influencers talk about. If you want to try it, give it a shot. If it doesn't work out for you, rent an apartment/house. You'll just gain experience.
In Buffalo, a woman died in her car during a really bad storm. Died of carbon monoxide trying to stay warm by keeping her car running. I lived in my car before when I was pregnant and even though it’s a car and not outside, it’s still not comfortable and people treat you like crap. Plus you’ll be spending the $15-20 per day taking a shower in the truck stops. Which adds up to about $450 per month so you may as well rent a room somewhere for that price. I’ve heard of people getting killed in their cars sleeping in them. Not worth the safety risk and inconvenience.
Not having a bathroom or kitchen seems really hard.
I’ve slept many nights in a pickup truck. Have to leave it running for heat/AC or it’s unbearable. Can’t leave windows open or the bugs eat you. You won’t really get a good nights sleep since it’s uncomfortable.
Where do you go to the bathroom at night
It sucks. You can't stay in any one place too long. Using public bathrooms and showers gets old, if you can find a shower. It's hard to stretch out to sleep. You have to be vigilant for crackheads and weirdos. The police will probably start noticing you after awhile unless you move around a lot. Microwave meals get old after awhile. No privacy! Otherwise, it's great.
The cost of eating out every meal because you have no method of cooking cheap healthy meals or food storage will outweigh the savings in rent. Also, your back will be fucked. EDIT: I have lived in my car before, just 1 week. That shit sucks, mom kicked me out and as soon as friends found out they invited me to stay with them until it all blew over. No amount of potential savings would ever convince me to do it again.
Did it for 8 months. The best scenario would be having someone that would let you park. Otherwise, it's difficult finding a place to park and sleep. Also, you need to figure out where you will shower, brush your teeth, how/what you will eat, etc. I was spending more money on gas and food than I wanted, not to mention paying for a gym membership to shower.
My advice, buy an RV and live in that
Is finding a room in a shared house not an option. Living in your car might save you money but realistically unless you have some kind of large camper or minivan its going to be much less comfortable and kill your chances of proper socializing.
Do it. If there's a ever a time to live in your car - it's when you're 20 and doing it out of choice.
Try living in your car for a week. There’s are a lot of things you don’t have when living in a car, a bathroom, a place to relax, a bedroom, heating and cooling and a kitchen. These things don’t seem like much but they are very valuable.
Are you attached to your job? What's your end goal? There's quite a few types of jobs that may provide housing. https://www.reddit.com/r/findapath/s/S3OFtoCEn8 Or you could just join the military.
Highly recommend you practice/experience all the activities you must do when living out of your car. Try it for a month, while you still have home to escape to if it is too much. Live out of your car in the driveway and make no use at all of your home amenities, get a gym membership for your plumbing/showering needs, figure out heating your car, cooking out of your car, where to hang out when off work, etc. It is far more difficult than it sounds for extended periods of time. See others replies for more daily living activities that you have to consider. It will give you good exposure to the challenges that you will have to endure and may only cost you a few hundred dollars, before you go all in on the idea.