A few months ago, television watchers like myself were bombarded by commercials featuring a young man attempting to “live” out of his car for a few days. However, this guy has been doing it since July 2005. Andy Bussell lives out of his pickup truck, sleeping in the back. He wakes up, showers at the university gym, attends classes, then goes to work at the Apple Store. To keep himself from going insane, he is a yoga-practicing, guitar-playing rock climber. Always pushing him towards insanity are the voluntary living conditions:
What he misses most are a kitchen and a bathroom. To deal with the former, he buys food such as yogurt and fruit in small quantities; for as regards the latter, he takes advantage of public facilities. On occasion, he has resorted to employing an empty Gatorade bottle.
Andy decided to lean towards the simpler life when his credit card debt kept piling up. Now that he has been able to save some money, his debt is almost all paid off.
This adventure takes place in California; living in the Northeast, you would need to leave the heat on in order to survive in your car. The frequent gasoline fill-ups would negate any savings you’d manage to keep.
Read the hundreds of comments below for more interesting experiences had by those living out of their vehicles. If this describes you, please feel free to share your experiences below, as well.
Updated September 8, 2011 and originally published February 27, 2007. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @flexo on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.
Rank: Platinum
{ 323 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
Positivebro, can we have an update on your current situation. Its very fortunate that they let you park at that VA compound. I have lived in my car before and I’m thinking of moving to the LA area.
I womder if it is ok to park at a travel stop all the time? I know that people that live in their vehicles do not stay in the same place due to not wanting a run in with the cops. But I wonder if it would ok to stay at a Loves travel station every night to sleep. I am about to live in my vehicle in less then 2 weeks. I looked around and found a Loves in a safe area. I really do not want to be going from place to place to sleep. But I will if that is what I have to do to survive. Any advice.
Hi SherryR!
That’s a really good solution. Obviously, truck drivers get to stay there all the time. In fact, they can even take showers, get food, etc. They *probably* allow them to do this at no cost because they buy diesel from them.
I’m still the advocate for checking with someone first. They probably have security walking the grounds and if they find you, they will probably ask you to leave.
Good luck.
I would rather not ask someone if I can park there every night due to the fact that I don’t want anyone to know that I will be living out of my car. I don’t want to be a “sitting duck” for any criminal activity. I don’t know maybe it is best to move around.
I dont want to be harassed by cops either. I had enough of that abuse from my law enforcement ex-husband. Well thank you for your advice, it is appreciated.
I have been in my car for almost a year now, and I get a lot of checking from police. I mean they are nice, and also offer help. but is this typical? really need to know.
I have found that neighboring cities can be very different. one city in the phoenix area the officers will encourage you to leave, Glendale, but in a neighboring city, Chandler, the officers will not.
if police do speak with you, ask them if there is a code or law where they could fine or arrest you. they will usually say that you just need to move your car.
also, security officers, if they are not totally intolerant, they are so suspicious that it makes parking there too uncomfortable.
Construction sites or stores in a mall that are not rented out, have been the best places for parking. since there is no business going on, just as long as you do not sit there 24 hours, but move around a bit.
ever noticed how all parking lots are designed so that there is no shade? the parking spaces have little or no shade? that is to discourage us, and other bums, loiterers. supposedly attracts crime or ugly people, not good for business.
No place will really let you setup camp in their parking lot. Truck stops, Walmarts, etc. are lenient b/c truck drivers & RV’ers buys a ton of gas. And they know that they will leave after a night’s sleep or so. But it’s not for vehicle dwellers. If they allow it, people can sue them should something bad happens as their parking lots are not zoned nor suitable for dwelling. You need to blend in and be stealthy. Many people get a cargo van for this purpose and are able to park like they’re there working. Apartment complex parking lots are another good place to park. But you cannot stay more than 2 nights at the same place. You need to scope out a new place just about every night. Anyone would immediately notice a stranger’s car in front or close to their house, let alone one that’s parked there night after night. And always stay away from playgrounds, parks with lots of kids, school zones, etc…as a van hanging out too long will look very suspicious. With out of state tags, it makes things even harder. Good luck.
I wouldn’t advise attempting to use Apartment Complex parking … these belong to the people who live in the apartments ,& these people most likely pay for them . Parking is hellish in LA so be aware you are going to generate considerable animosity if you do this . We have started to see more & more vehicle dwellers parking in our area ( Los Feliz) & i am personally ok with it as long as they respect other people & don’t dump their trash & blast music from their vehicles …sadly many do . If this persists i for one will be glad to call the police & have them removed . RESPECT is the key word here !
Dear sherry,
U can get away with it to some exstent but u really need to find more than one place like loves to park because ur gonna attract attention to yourself if u stay in the same place so find other spots ur comphy with an move around from place to place every 2-3 days,,walmarts are good,,travelers are always staying there while passing thru so u can use that as an excuse unless u have been camped out for days when u get asked,,,ive done it,,,the main thing is b polite if ur approched by secutity guard,,most of them dont care but is thier job so leave an give it afew dats before u come back an most wont mind!,,good luck an god bless!
i sleep in loves almost every night. had no problems thus far.
what is “loves”?
Love’s is a brand of truck stop like Pilot or Flying J. Love’s is a bit cheaper and less uptight than Pilot.
Travel stops are hotbeds of shady activity. I would NOT stay at one if I had a choice. I’m currently living in my vehicle and I have found that churches are fantastic places to park. Leave out the part about whether YOU are religous or not and ask to speak to the pastor of the church. Explain your situation and that you are living in your vehicle. They are very sympathetic to such circumstances. Explain that you will not be leaving trash anywhere or wandering around the parking lot in your pajamas during times when services are being conducted. Finally, tell the pastor that you don’t have a great deal of money to spare, but make an offer to contribute $20 or so to the church’s general funds (in most instances they won’t take your money). Granted, all you have is a parking lot and no showers or amenities, but in most cases they’ll tell you you can park there. Do this at several out of the way churches and those off the beaten path. Find ones that have parking lots that wrap around the building and you can park BEHIND the building so your vehicle can’t be seen from the main street. Nobody ever really cruises through church parking lots looking to cause trouble and, if you can’t easily be seen as a target from a main road, nobody will suspect you’re there. SAFETY IS GOLDEN!
I park at my job. Of course not everyone can. Not everyone can live out of their car either. However, I’m bouyed by the thought of the money I’m saving and not being stuck with 25 or 50 bucks after each pay period.
Well my last day living in my apartment is coming up. I know that this is going to be such a challenge. I can’t just be lazy and decide to take a shower in the morning instead of in the evening. I am going to have to take advantages of any opportunities. I found a gym that is rather cheap, but it is not open 24 hours a day.
I got a great deal on a storage. And it is open 24 hours, so if I need something I can just go by there to get it. On top of that they provide a moving truck for FREE!!! So I called and cancelled my Budget truck rental. Things seem to be falling into place for the good.
I think the only thing I am concerned about is finding a place to park without having to move around a lot, and keeping cool through the hot, humid summer days that are already here. Well wish me luck!!!!!
I wonder if you can make a deal with someone to park in their driveway or near their home. Maybe for $50-100 a month depending on what they allow you to use….ie. get water from their garden hose, plug in an extension cord for some electricity, etc. What kind of vehicle are you living in? To keep cool for a van, people install a ceiling hatch fan (used in RV’s) that runs off of a secondary battery. It pulls a lot of air, keeps condensation down, etc. Much safer than leaving your windows down. You need to check out some of the “van dwelling” sites for proven ideas.
i have a question for sherryr. could you not live in the storage area? discreetly of course.
Also, have you considered bug bombing your car? My car has teeny little spiders, even though i never have food in my car, and am a very clean person. would it be safe to set off a bomb?
The management for my storage facility lives on site, so I would not be able to stay there. They even mention it in their “rules.” I have a Nissan Altima. I have tinted windows thank goodness.
But right now I am not living in my vehicle. The day I was moving I feel and sustained a trimalleolar fracture to my lower leg, plus I dislocated my ankle. I had emergency surgery. I dont know what happened with things “falling in place?”
I am staying with someone but I feel uncomfortable, so I am waiting for me to get better and then I am going to try it again.
The good thing is that the weather here in the south has hit record highs, 100′s. So I have had some where cool to stay.
Shari,
I work nights and spend the days at a Korean Spa for about $12.00 per day. They usually have sleep rooms, fresh towels, and a way to pamper myself when I wake up. Unfortunately my home is several states away and is rented out at a loss…. but I still have a mortgage payment since the market is so bad. At my age I have to hold onto something. I never thought I would be homeless.
Sherry, here are other places to stay. At upper class hotels
Apatment complexes, truck stops, try to stay and blend in at
Residential places. At apartment complexes you can even do your
Laundry there. Find an ideal place with in 10 block radius where
You can hang out. Here are ideal living conditions; you sleep in your car
With tinted windows in a safe place. You wake up, put your cap on and go
To any hotel lobby where they have free coffee. Take two one for you
And one aunt sally. Try to join a fitness center between 10- 50 dlrs
A month, 24/7 you can exercise and shower there. If you have a job where
You earn 800 dlrs a month you can make it. Find a good Christian church to
Attend and learn from Gods word. Be faithful and attend regularly
And be a servant, help out in cleaning or anything else.
Gravitate towards the good things in life: good people, a good church, any
Good opportunities, get good advice. Stay away from those that want to
Hurt you. Hang in there, you will be ok…
I plan to live in my Land rover and the only thing holding me back is what to do with my mail?Do i have to have a permanet address to still be working full time?Will a PO box solve the problem?other than the mail thing I am totally down to doing this.Please help
Yeah it’s important to have some kind of address and a PO box will do.
I actually was living in my car for about 5 months while I rented a really cheap office in North Hollywood for around $200/month. I had free internet, air conditioning and electricity to work and do graphic design jobs all day and at night I would park somewhere safe to sleep in my ride.
you dont have to have a permanet address unless you have public assistance. They most likely don’t give it to homeless people anyway.
A PO box is not necessary if you use a debit card, you could get mail at your parents address if you have parents.
Privacy is a good reason to have a PO Box.
I was put out of my home maliciously and the Postal Servace has been the biggest one to discriminate against me. Small town postal workers don’t like to put my mail in the box, they just return to sender, I guess it makes their day. The rest of my mail was re-routed to bangor maine.
I sent myself mail just to see, and I was correct, not paranoid. They are funny ha ha.
Some shelters and other welfare agencies allow you to use their address to get all kinds of mail. all you need is your i.d. to get your mail. and you do not have to be staying at that agency. you will just have to call one of them in your area and ask. or a church will know their number.
Mark,
You spend about $6.00 a month and get a post office box. Its not that difficult. Instead of using the USPS, go to one of those mail box etc. stores to sign up… somehting on a convenient. I found myself on the highways about 3 hours per day and now feel like a turtle.
I have my mail sent to my job. I plan on a PO Box but I really don’t get paper mail except for utilities of which I have none. I use an ex’s address for my license.
Mmmm My story. I have a truck with a topper shell I’ve been in it for almost three yrs now in Colorado. Showers at the local rec center for a Buck. Cooler w ice and easy prep food. Have a job good pay. Just don’t NEED the whole house bathroom kitchen thing. Air mattress -40 sleeping bag. Toasty all winter long. If anyone needs help or pointers on staying sane or being inconspicuous or anything else don’t hesitate to ask.
Hi, I need to live in my car for at least a year. My only hesitation is that I live in Chicago, any suggestions on how to get through winter?
I am renting a a basement and was just told their house is being foreclosed on and I may need to live in my car for 6 mths as I paid my rent up with them for 5 when I moved in hence there was my savings I also live in a sub of chicago any tips thanks!
I highly suggest you get a marine battery deep cycle, like an optima or another kind that is not lead acid, and an isolator. you can use this battery for extra electrical power, like a small space heaterheat pad, or electric blanket . the isolator is a device that regulates the charging of your car battery and the marine battery, so that both are kept charged and in good condition. the marine battery recharges from the isolator whenever your car motor is on.
the lesson that I learned is not to use you car like a generator. for extra heat or electricity, but get a deep cycle marine battery that is not lead acid and sealed.
if you have access to an AC outlet several times a week, you can buy a regular marine battery recharger and get it recharged from that AC outlet. otherwise you will need an isolator.
to get the electricity from the marine battery to your heater or other electrical device, you will need an inverter. it will invert the DC power to AC power. an 800 watt inverter at the least is about $80. a 1000 watt inverter is about $100. try to find a liquidator store in your area to get these things at a discount or a sports outlet store.
here are some websites to start reading.
For Inverters
http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1RNAN_enUS434US434&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=inverter+1000+watt
if you can get some old marine batteries, maybe from a recycling center or a farmer or mechanic, that are not lead-acid (lead acid batteries will send off fumes into your car) you can desulfate them yourself which is far more cheaper than buying them new, and they will certainly last you six months.
For homemade desulfators
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=home+made+battery+desulfator
you car puts out 600-1000 extra watts of electricity when the motor is running, and this is a great way to capture that power without making any more pollution.
otherwise, buy a small 1000 watt generator (they run on gas like a car motor) and a good chain with padlock. you have to put it out the car to run it, it is illegal and dangerous to run it in the trunk of a vehicle or any where else. But it is not any louder than a car, if you get a small one – so people should not mind if you are discrete. chain it to something other than the car, in case you need to leave in a hurry, you can always go back and get the generator, so get a real good chain and padlock.
get a small generator like 1000 watts. because the larger ones consume a lot more gas just to get the generator to operate. the 1000 watt is just enough to run a couple of devices, like a small space heater and something else.
Get a good, I mean good, sleeping bag. Never sleep in your shoes and once you start to aquire money find a cheap motel with weekly rates for the coldest periods. Always be prepared to go back to the car and amass that money Jack!
hey you sound like you no how to do things being homeless, i ben homeless for the better part of this summer and right now im living in my truck with some bare essentials in the back and a bed frame in the bed but i sleep inside the cabin and no job except scrapping metal and finding money in parking lot anyway i ben sleeping at apts, walmarts, trcuk stops, rest areas, hotels but am running out of places to stay and getting low on money any suggestions? thanks
For work try Day Labor places otherwise I don’t know what to say. For sleep Walmarts are good – but always have a plan B and plan C. Only keep what u really need – there will be time to aquire “stuff” later. Carry only a week’s worth of clothes (tops) but two weeks of underwear. U can always throw clothes away and restock at the GoodWill, underwear u gotta buy new (expensive). Several loads of laundry can cost more than a pair of pants and two shirts at the G.W. although decent pants are the hardest to find. If u can, avoid fast food period. Train yourself to eat on 15 dollars a week. Cans Jack. Collards, peas, yams, beans. Treat yourself to burger on the weekends. Buy a 78cent gallon of water from Walmart and stay hydrated. Never pee in the cab of your truck if possible – one spill – even a little and you’ll regret it. Brush teeth every day. Have a secure place to do #2. Above all, save as much as possible and force yourself to see your own advantages. Take care of your vehicle. ” cash heavy and baggage light” – naturaly, money in the bank. Don’t be ashamed of your plan – no need to explain it to others – just be cautious, clean, smart, safe.
Hi Everyone my name is Rick From Edmonton Alberta in Canada.
I have been living in my van since August I really enjoy being on the Move all the time . I had an apartment that was fully furnished with all the amenities and necessities one can think of with wireless computers and flat screen tvs in the bedroom and living room yet I was bored out my fucking mind, i didn’t had a girl friend nor a wife so every day it was drudgery coming home to this isolated existence, I snapped when I lost my job at the Pick n pull and after listening to Lauryn Hill song I get out of all your boxes and psychological locks I get out I really did get out so I rented a uhaul took all my furniture to the good will store after hours and dump all my belongings except my clothing. I dont miss a thing up to this day I have a storage for my clothes which I visit twice a week I had a lock on it i recently took it off , I dont care if someone want to enter my unit everything is replaceable, I am glad I took the steps and doing the homelessness thing,I have found out that I have Attention Deficit Disorder Hyperactive Disorder which makes me cranky and restless , so far I hate apartments many acquaintances trying to get me back in an apartment but I hate apartment living,you cant blast your stereo ,you have no freedom , basically the landlord expect you to pay the rent ontime and shut the hell up , that is too much control over me .I like to be free, I have a full time job looking a part time as well too much time on my hands. Currently I am hanging out at the 24hour macdonalds surfing the net sleeping in the parking lot and my gym is just a few blocks away ,where I showered and work on my Cardo .My biggest problem area is eating a well balance diet Macdonalds doesnot cut it , I cant afford eating at buffet every day
My next dilemma is surviving winter in a dodge Caravan , but I am thinking the Eskimos did in igloos why cant I ?
I was wondering how to heat my van? I am in Michigan and it looks like am going to be in my van for awhile. What is the safest way to heat at night?
Kim
Hi, I would love to get some pointers from you about where to stay in Coloraod when living in your vehicle. I have a chvy blazer and I plan on buying a pop up camper to pull. I can’t afford rent anymore so please help.
Do you have one of those coolers that plugs into your lighter yet?
I have been living out of a vehicle for over 14 years, off and on. Some situations are cush, some less so. I worked trails and fire for the park service for years so it made sense. I now live in boulder colorado and sadly my little 85 nissan truck doesnt get much love these days…
I am always looking to connect with other people who have outfitted their trucks to make them livable. Do you have a water tank or solar panels. I knew a guy who had those to heat the back of his truck. So many ideas, sometimes I geek out on imagining all the ways I can live for free. Ever done it in Boulder? You have any special accouterment in your truck? Always curious-
z
hey im tired of living pay check to pay check I am going yo live in my car in wisconsin how do i make it threw the winter months. were are some places to sleep im going to go from first to third shift so I can sleep during the day I think i have a better chance not to stick out.and getting a gym membership to shower and work out. its open 24 hrs I hear walmarts churches and some truck stops are good.and I would be living in a jeep liberty I thought of tinting the windows also. any thing else can you think of. and I use to live in colorado im from longmont.
Ok so starting the 1st of july I will be living out of my car in san diego in order to save money but im having a hard time figuring out where I can park at night without being bothered by cops! Im busy all day with school, work and working out and i go to LA every weekend so I usually end up only getting 5 hours to sleep 4 days a week then im off to LA which makes it pointless to rent out an entire room for 20 use of 20 hours a week. Im completely prepared except for the thought of cops waking me up left and right. There has to be a better way or some trick I haven’t heard of yet! Im hoping that is. Please email me back if you have a solution to my problem :/ audreyspice89@gmail.com
So i have a full-sized conversion van. I has fold out bed in the back and it does not look too camper-like, no running boards and a latter. Right now I live in an apartment but when my lease is up in October Ist will not be able to afford to live here any more because they are going to raise the rent and I barely making it as is. So aI figure I live in my car and save up some money and find a cheaper apt in the future. I was thinking if I got a membership to 24 hour fitness I could shower there and I have a brand new porta podie. I live in Ventura right now but one of my big fears is staying away from areas that might have crime. I guess my question is, what’s a safe bet for places to stay without getting robbed or killed? I know I sound paranoid but I was attacked by a gang once back in2004 and ended up in the ER, I don’t want to run into that again? I hear some churches let you park and Costco? Thanks for any advice
Hey bvan. Places I like to stay are walmarts, costcos, big k’s, park n rides, apartment complexes, churchs, police stations sometimes will let you. Be careful of truck stops. Denny’s, village inn, 24 hr fitness.
I packed my car, just totally packed it. food, drinks, blankets, clothes, cleaning things, etc.
I use all kinds of organizers – different size clear plastic containers, so you can see what is in them. at wal mart or big lots. large travel bags of different kinds that have a lot of organizational sections is really helpful. I get these at thrift shops, they are way too expensive retail. so you have to shop around and be patient and PRAYERFUL .
I did have to remove the back seats entirely or I would never have enough space. some good mechanic school volunteered to do this and some other work. ask around at local car mechanic schools if they will do some small things or some repair or maintainance for reduced cost or free.
I put a 800 watt inverter under the front hood for electrical devices. Ran electric cord from inverter under hood to surge protector in car, has 8 outlets. for all kinds of things. use special heat reflecting tape to cover inverter – tape that sells at Auto Zone for $20, meant to cover things near engine, like wires, so they do not get hot. or the 800 watt inverter will turn off when it overheats, as safety. then you can cook in a little electric rice cooker anything, while driving.
when I need to sleep, I just move things from behind the driver’s seat to another place, like the dash board or near the gas and break pedal and rest my feet on them. Then I put the back of the driver’s seat down. I am short and cannot sleep flat anyways. but you can make it flat with blankets.
my cat travels with me and enjoys it. he alone requires one entire seat area, that is below the seat, all the seat itself and behind it, for his stuff. food, litter, bedding, carrier. but I let him sit anywhere he wants. his carrier is behind the driver’s seat, on a small tall plastic container with his food. So I can still put the driver’s seat all the way down to sleep in. his litter box is actual near the front passenger door. so that when he uses it I open the door and pull him out before he starts to scatter the litter about. usually we stop at a field and I put the litter box outside for him to use. you have to get a plastic container that comes with lid you can securely snap shut. so that when driving a higher speed, you put the secure lid on, so that the litter will not go everywhere in case of an accident.
all kinds of plastic durable boxes. It is very organized. but the space is packed. one most important rule that I found was never to stack more than 2 or 3 boxes up. 2 works best. because you will frustrate yourself trying having to move more than one or two loaded box to get to something underneath. and you will not do it. also do not stack things more than 2 or 3 deep in a box for the same reason. you will also forget what is at the bottom. that is why I use clear plastic boxes.
before I did this, made sure that I have at least $800 always accessible in case car breaks down and needs big repair. but you might need more depending on your vehicle.
my car broke down on the road one time and I slept overnight in the car at the mechanics place I was towed to and they did not mind at all. first time I slept in a car.
Jcasil, you sound like a pro at living in your car. I’ll be traveling with two happy cats back and forth in my F-150 truck after I build a plywood camper top for it. These metal and fiberglass camper tops for sale now are extremely expensive and easy to smash with a hammer by a determined thief.
As the economy weakens even more and the costs of maintaining a house rise, I pretty much see myself living in a long wheeled base pick up truck for the rest of my life. Designing my new home now which will include a flushable camper potty and solar electricity panels on top for charging a deep cycle battery and inverter hookup. It’s a doable life and keeps me a whole lot less materialistic.
Do you know about homemade desulfating of an old deep cycle marine battery? I do not really have the money for a new one, so I was thinking of desulfating one that someone is discarding.
I would like to build a website where people can input and read really ORGANIZED information about how to live out of a vehicle. anyone interested?
I forgot to mention that if you are going to put an inverter under the hood by the engine, it needs to draw in cool air from below, because the air around the inverter will be extremely hot. the inverter necessarily has its own cooling system – just a fan, but that needs outside unheated air.
so I had to get a metal automotive hose. they sell ones that are already heat reflective. designed just for that purpose of drawing in cool outside air and keeping it cool. or you can get a metal one and wrap heat reflective tape around it, they sell that tape at Autozone, but the best thing is to get the hose that is already heat reflective. ask if they can special order it. I tried the tape idea, and the glue did not work, so I then had to buy metal foil tape at Home Depot and put that around it.
if not, the inverter will automatically shut off, sensing it is overheating. and you will have to turn it off and on manually to get it working again. if this overheating keeps happening, the fan or other part of the inverter will get ruined.
another thing about inverters under the hood or in the back, where you are not. do not get one with an alarm, or get one with an alarm, but then disable it. that is open the casing and rewire the wires so that they just bypass the alarm.
it is a stupid alarm, it goes off after it stops inverting power. not before as a warning, but after, continuing to drain power off the low battery. you get no electricity so you know the battery is low, it is just foolish to add an alarm. get an inverter that stops inverting when the battery is low, and disable the idiot alarm.
if you forget to turn off an inverter with an alarm, the alarm itself with drain the battery dead – very very low. and it will be hard to recharge it. if this happens several times, it can ruin the battery.
just walking away from the car for some hours, when the battery is low, or going to sleep, forgetting to turn off the darn inverter, and the battery is very dead.
I have a 600 amp jump start battery with me, this is also a must for living out of your vehicle.
but when the battery is very low, it takes 2 hours for the 600 amp battery to charge it.
I could get a jump start from a passer-by, that would take about 3-5 minutes when the battery is that low, but I hate attracting any more attention to myself. however, I have done that on occasion out of necessity.
Hey i really enjoyed reading your article and it gives me hope that while im living out of my truck that someday ill have a job soon and everything. I graduated college in may and have ben pretty much homeless eversince i had a gf for a week then she kicked me out and i met another girl and she didnt wanna date me cuzz im homeless, but alrthough parts of it are hard (shower, food, blending in etc…) i have found out a lot about myself these few months i ben out on the streets and you gota look at the positive of it… how many people can go from a subpar life and make it homeless? the answer not many! you dont take things for granted everyday and with a truck i can scrap metal and thats ben helping me out a ton and then some, i got $40 today for scraping and got me some fried catfish. I shower wherever i can school or truckstops you learn to be nice to people. Good traveling and God Bless ps i miss tv and video games but i also would like to comment that i believe it would be beneficial is one should try their own homeless experiment to learn about yourself more and no wats it like but i do not endorse anyone taking me up on that tho
Chris, I had some serious issue to deal with, totally forgot to check my email and this message board.
One thing is a must, if you are going to take a companion cat, dog or other, is pet insurance. gopetplan.com is a good one. monthly rates range from $15 – $30 for cats. this is really a must for any outdoor/indoor pet.
To not be bothered, make sure that you do your activity (around/in your vehicle) in a place separate from your sleeping space. not the same space. people will notice your activity and call the police. to pretend like they are seriously concerned, get rid of the “homeless garbage.”
a park is a good place to do your activity, no one will call the police there, but make sure you know and observe the closing hour of the park. the police come by a little while after closing to make sure no one is there.
but then, you will have passer bys looking at you in a park.
do your activity in one place, prepare you and your vehicle for sleep; then drive to your sleeping place and just sleep.
twice I had the police pop up from behind the bushes! at night. I was prepareing food and someone noticed me. you will have to realize, peopel are evil, and just want to get rid of the homeless bum – make them work, get a job. they know that you are not criminal. they just want you to “get off your but” so they will harrass you.
the police have to respond to a call, that is check you out, but they do not have to make you leave, unless the owner called them or it is really illegal. sometimes police will tell me, “just leave if someone tells you to.” or they will ask me if there is anything I need, like a shelter or social service. I was humored when a Colorado officer gave me his business card.
I currently do not have work, ect. Keeping a regular scheduel is a real complication I have not had to deal with.
Another warning, is that the police will often think that you are mentally ill. so be sound minded, calm (even mildly bored) and normal with them. police do not need a court & trial to take a citizen immediately to a mental state hospital – prison – for “observation.”
If I preceive a threat or tension of any kind, I stop all what I am doing, hold my CRUCIFIX in one hand and READ THE WORD . CHRIST IS the best COMPANION in all this, and I would not do or suggest so otherwise.
(written August 29, 2011)
From what I’ve read of other folks living in their rides, keep clean and conservative looking and that goes for your car or truck, too. No hippie or Mohawk haircuts, biker beards, weird clothes, marijuana leaves painted on your ride or dope promoting bumper stickers on your bumper or back window. Be very nice to the cops and their snarling dogs when you meet them.
Keep your car inspection stickers and car tags current. Keep your car insured, too, so the cops won’t have any reasonable reason to arrest you and tow your car or truck. If you have the time, volunteering a respectable organizations like the Salvation Army, Red Cross, or other community based non-political organizations keeps your street record 5-star, too. Here in Jackson, MS there is a city department that helps the homeless find safe places to live or stay. Some of these organizations throw in a free meal and shower, if you volunteer with them.
A clean and conservative image appears to matter a lot when living out of your car or truck.
Thank you Flexo for this place to connect. I have been sleeping in my car for about six months and am trying to figure out how to keep warm in winter. I have not found a battery powered small heater, but only propane ones, which might not be safe. Any suggestions?
Also, for what it’s worth, I am one of a growing number of people forced out of their homes by the installation of smart meters. A certain percentage of the population is sensitive and gets sick when exposed to microwave emissions. Before the meter went in, I already had discovered that using a cell phone would give me a headache and wifi was also a problem. Argh. I had nothing against technology, but there was a clear problem with these transmitting devices. Anyhow, you may see more people like me here if they have access to or can tolerate using a computer. The new transmitting utility meters being installed nationwide are creating a whole new group of nomads.
Needless to say, places with “free wifi” do me no good, and sleeping near a cell tower does not work too well. BTW, I go home during the day and spend as much time I can there before feeling too bad to stay. Then, I drive to a park or lot and bring things to do. The utilities have refused to replace their smart meters with the old, safe ones even if you have a letter from your doctor, or a legislator tries to intercede. As I said, they are creating much suffering and a whole new group of homeless people with nowhere to turn.
Once a person is sensitized they cannot go back to not being sensitized. Putting smart meters on people’s homes puts everyone at risk for many health problems. Smart meter protests are building, esp. in California, Maine, Texas and Wisconsin. Some of the sites include Stop Smart Meters and the EMF Safety Network. Thanks for letting me vent.
I wish you all safety and security out there.
a sleeping bag for sleeping in the cold.
lots of blankets – three or more folded ones. I make sure to cover the ares where drafts come out of. the come under the car seat and around the door.
heating pads, two or three, that people use for muscle aches. they only draw out 50 watts each. you can get a 100 watt inverter to plug into your cigareet lighter. but usually these heat pads are designed with an automatic shut off after an hour. so try to find ones that don’t. ask the pharmacist. go online. inverter is about $20 and a heat pad about $13. try to find a salvage store or liquidation/outlet store.
I usually use these during the day, when resting, reading, or napping. because I have ones with the hour-limit. Use them on my lap or for a cold stomach. when you are cold in one place, like your lap, your whole body will feel cold and it really is not. Good warmth from one area, like your lap, which is a large area, also spreads quickly to other parts of you.
Also I use an electric blanket. but that requires an inverter, to turn the car battery (which is DC) into AC electric power, which is what you plug into in your house. a 400 or 800 watt inverter. check how much total wattage you need to run all your electrical devices. for boiling water., that will require an 800, because most hot pots use that
an 800 watt inverter will cost about $80 or $40 at a liquidation or outlet store.
but that will run your battery empty in a few hours. the inverters have an alarm and stop invertering power, but the alarm itself may not shut off and that can drain your battery.
you can get an optima deep cycle battery, $200-$250. and this will give you all kinds of electrical power. like for your electric blanket all night long. connect it to the car with cables so that when the car is running, it is charging the optima battery. an optima yellow deep cycle battery or blue deep cycle battery will give you lots of electrical power. you can drain it to almost nothing lots of times and not ruin the battery. it does not put out fumes. only get an optima battery, others put out toxic fumes. they are more for boating or open air applications.
I have not installed one in my car as of now.
Thanks for the heat ideas. A sleeping bag and a couple small dogs at the foot might work, too, until the dogs hear something to bark at. ..
Have you seen those small personal portable fans that run on 4 batteries? Why couldn’t they make a small personal heater like that? I don’t like electric blankets, but maybe could warm up the car inside and turn it off to sleep.
Thanks lots for the ideas.
space heaters require a lot of energy. the lowest wattage that I have seen is about 700 watts, that will drain the car battery in a few minutes, and those batteries are large and heavy. blankets and heat pads use a lot less.
as far as I know, optima batteries are the most advanced, and they are still heavy.
a car like mine, when running on the highway, puts out about 1000 watts of extra energy continually, and it just gets wasted, and in stop and go driving, 600 to 800 watts. that is why I have an inverter, only that I need to get an optima or other battery to capture that power so that I can use it when not driving.
there are electric blankets that are designed to take weight, that is you lay on top of them. used to sell at wal mart, twin size, 5-year warranty for $25. better, more versitle, than the top-only electric blankets.
another way to keep warm without danger might be to try soy candles. read this article:
http://www.massagetherapy.com/articles/index.php/article_id/1149/Can-lit-candles-be-toxic
about toxic candle fumes.
I have not tried this. I don’t know where to get soy wax cheaply – as finished candles it is very expensive. but you can use any old large tin to put block soy was in and use regular yarn for a wick.
Blankets are more versitle than a bag. you can drape one around yourself to keep warm while seated in the car. or for a pet or stray pet for warmth. and also to go to an outhouse, drape one all around you to keep warm all around.
there are a lot of electrical devices that I found I use and trying to get battery powered all the time, will require then a battery recharger and lots of rechargeable little batteries, like lighting even. Might as well just get devices with a cord and an inverter and a deep cycle marine battery.
I plan to do this and when I do I will write how it goes: There is something called a desulfator, you can find online or ebay – about $40 – $50. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Battery-Desulfator-Optimizer-Solar-Wind-Bank-any-Ah-/200658557885?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb82e9bbd
these can repair most dead batteries to about 70% efficiency I had read. a farmer or garage mechanic might have old dead batteries that they do not want, ask them for a few of the largest ones and run the desulfator on it and see if it repairs the battery. you can run the desulfator from the vehicle battery directly, so that it is working while you are driving.
just remember when you run a battery, it puts out toxic fumes, Only the optima batteries do not. if it is a lead-acid battery you will need to place it outside of the car when using it, or seal it in a battery box and vent it, so the fumes go out the window. and any fumes that are in the trunk will get into the passenger area. so you cannot put it in the trunk without sealing and venting. usually it is only some thick carpet like fabric that separates the trunk from the passenger area. and the gas/fumes easily go through the fabric or sofa material.
you can always put the battery right outside the car when parked, being that when the car is running, you use the car’s electricity. get some bulk chain at home depot (whatever size and length you want) – and a padlock – and chain it to something, not the car, if you are concerned about theft. you might need to drive away in a hurry, so do not chain it to the vehicle.
P.S. Flexo, since you are focused on aspects of consumerism at your site, what do you think of the forced installation of products consumers do not want on their homes by the utilities? That is NOT capitalism or a FREE market. Consumers should have a voice and a choice regarding products to use in their own homes, especially when health concerns or issues exist, not to mention protecting our property rights.
Thanks everyone for your post here. I too find my self in the same position. Very good information here.
Has anyone written a blog or a book on the points to remember to successfully live out of a car or truck? As the economy grows weaker and weaker, such a book or blog will be very useful.
Will be living out of my truck within a couple of years or less, after I put a plywood camper cover over it. I own a hiking tent, but would feel safer with four solid walls around me as I sleep. Plus, I will have two cats with me and don’t want them wandering around while I’m trying to rest.
I was hoping to find a forum or something like it. Saturday I have to haul my motorcycle to a friends house 3 hours away and store it there. For how long I don’t know. Keep the post coming.
Hi, Im getting ready for living in my Volvo . Big Car . Im going with my dog pepper. i want to get some gold. My dads maps are cool. they are all mapped out. know that i have lost everything, except for my son, who lives with my ex. I wanta go gold panning whilke i camp out. ? what the hec, im totaly bored bummed out salesman dude. i am on unemployment and caught up on support. THOUGH the toll it will now taken. Im totaly embarressed to the point of anger with myself. I have lived out off a car for 6 month once before. It’s been 1 yr. im on the bottom with now else to go ,but up. bri
Don’t give up hope Brian. I am very lucky to have some really good friends. I lean on them hard. I don’t want any of there money I just want someone to talk to, and they have been there for me. It has helped me get through some thought time like now. With out them I would not be here. Good luck panning for gold. I hope you find lots of gold.
im gonna be living out of my mini-van for awhile. just graduated college and dont feel like going into the work world right away. just wanna drive around, travel, explore. i hate running into cops. For awhile I didn’t have internet in my house, so I would drive around to the nearest public place to surf the web. This led me to have so many run ins with cops. hate it. i can’t imagine how hard it’ll be to avoid cops when i’m living out of your van. I’m planning on going to the southern tip of florida in order to be in the warmest place possible for the winter. I wonder if it will still get too cold there at night during january?
im pretty much fed up with life. school was such a drag, and i’ve just been ITCHING to be free. i’ve got a bunch of books i want to read. I’ve got a bit of savings to pay for food. a portable propane stove. figure i’ll wash clothes at a laundramat or in a bucket. it would be great to just find a hassle free place, to just live, read, meditate…find myself. shower could be a problem. i figured i could just find a local gym, and go there morning and night; but then I worry about finding a good place to sleep. i swear i’m alergic to cops knocking on my window in the middle of the night. i wonder if it’ll ever get too hot in my van all closed up. maybe i’ll have to get a battery powered fan, i’m not trying to mess with any complicated stuff to extract electricity out of my car battery that might drain it.
i just want to be free. i don’t need much.
Since you want time to meditate, you might look into meditation retreats — sometimes they are free/donation-based and would give you a safe break from the world.
Good luck!!
Do you have any recomendation for where to find these free meditation retreats? I would really REALLY love to do something like that.
Here’s one organization — mostly West Coast, but a few out your way:
http://www.dhamma.org/
I been living out of my Saturn for almost 22 months here in the L.A. area. Staying everywhere from Long beach to compton to Hollywood. The best places are dennys, 24 hr fitness, some ralphs are 24 hr and even street parking in some spots is cool. Just don’t stay in 1 place for more than 2 nights in a row and be careful that you park from locations that may allow you to get hit. I got hit by another car last night while I was sleeping. I’m still living in my car and hope to get out soon. If you don’t have to, than don’t because it does mess with your sanity. Anyway godspeed!
I am male 38 years old and I have lived in my 2005 Prius in Dallas,Texas for 9 months. I have chosen to adapt my life to living out of a car to see what life it might create. After getting rid of 85% of my stuff and buying a Dreamtime Therma-rest pad from REI and a piece of plywood to extend the backseat by 4 inches beyond the seats laying down, I am living in plushville. So far missing a internet connection in the car has been the biggest thing i would like. I am thinking the 3G iPad will be my next logical leap. I also realized that past 85 degrees sleeping in my car is unpleasant ( i am a bit of a princess and i prefer not to sleep with the car on except in extreme weather conditions). I need to procure a solar powered fan with a battery by next summer (note to self).
This post was inspired by my first experience with a police officer. I was parked in the Mockingbird DART station parking lot( I really like this spot for some reason). After having parked there for over 4 months I got a knock on my door. They told me to get out and hand them my license. They checked my record and asked me to move on. They asked me has anyone ever told you you can’t park here? I said no.
No warning
No ticket
Just move on.
Oddly i am wondering what attracted their attention.I have a low profile vehicle – i mean NO ONE lives in a Prius. did you know a 6foot 4 man can sleep fully stretched out in the back with the front passenger seat pulled fully forward. I use a front windshield sun visor to block the light in the front(which i am guessing is what did it -since it is winter and sun is not an undesirable thing) I also use fabric stretched from the rear hatchback to the sun visor to block out the light on the two sides. I usually back up to a wall or a bush.
I would love to find out if I could be charged with anything. I do realize that at City run DART station is more likely to have a law protecting it. I just wonder what they would charge me with. If vagrancy is the charge i would be charged with what does that mean for my record?
I guess i am just sharing since i am starting to realize how fantastic this mobile life really can be..
I saw that people are worried about showers. I have a yoga membership that i am going to and will be moving to the King Spa in Town at the end of the year but in a pinch or baby wipes are a dream. In fact I find it more comfortable to wipe down before going to bed every night. I like my bed clean all the time.
I see this form of living to be more and more common. Whether it is by choice or not. I am excited to see how this new understanding of living can become a part of a nomadic life. I admit it has taken some time to figure out what i need and don’t need.
still curious ( and happy about it)
Gregory
In the Dart parking lot they likely would or could charge you with trespassing, since you are not a customer of Dart.
I’m a 40ish year old woman living out of her van in Southern California. At the time of this posting (November 2011) I’ve been doing it for just over two months. Click on my name if you want to read about my experience.
I have been living on a college campus for 6 months out of my truck. I am a professional staff, but find it amazing how much money I can save. The biggest problem I have is in teh summer the sun is up at 4:30 am or 5:00 am and it doesnot get dark until about 10:30 pm, so I have to fill my days up.
Anybody tried this in Austin, Texas?
Jeff: Yeah, I was in Austin about a month ago living out of my van. I’m travelling across country and have got this down to a science. If you’re in an RV it would be A LOT harder, cuz you would be 100% visible all the time. In my van, I had the back seats removed and spread out a small mattress & sleep down below the window line. I can pretty much do that anywhere where there are cars. I find it’s better to park “in plain site” so that it doesn’t raise red flags to cops if you’re parked in some dark corner somewhere. Get a membership to some ymca for showers. Get a portable stove to do cooking if you want to save money on food. I didn’t have even one run in with any cops and I was there for like 3 days.
For heat when sleeping in car or truck the absolute best thing is electric blanket, in the northern areas and am sure online you can buy them in any truck stop they plug directly into your cig. lighter and work awsum. A great blog I found that may answer many of your questions is: http://guide2homelessness.blogspot.com. I just found it the other day, the dude is a fantastic writer and wrote a small book addressing most issues you can think of regarding being homeless in a how to fashion.
I’ve been living in my car for 22 months so far and it has been a pretty interesting experience. I started doing this because I was about 2k in debt and had trashed my credit to the point where I felt I probably wouldn’t be able to move into a nice apartment. My goal was to pay off my debts and have enough money to start over again. I paid back all I had owed in a little over 2 months, but decided that I needed to have a little bit of money in the bank before trying to put my life back together, something like 2k. I would eat a loaf of bread a day and drove my car as little as possible to cut my expenses. I really was so frugal, but it had paid off, I had reached my goal, saved up 2k and could move into an apartment now. But I looked at my life and it was 100% better than it was when I was living with my ex. I was happy, I wasn’t drinking anymore, I had time to think about what I really wanted, and the more I thought about it, the less I wanted my old life. So I stayed in my car and continued just throwing money in the bank and living frugally. Since the first day I moved into my car, I have learned how to play guitar and harmonica, built a website learned how to program in HTML, CSS, Javascript, and some PHP, traveled a ton, and read classic books that I should have but never did when I was younger. It has been almost 2 years and I have been able to save almost 30k working at a low wage part time in retail. I have never been happier in my life, and I still eat a loaf of bread a day.
wutwut, 22 months wow! If you read this some tips and advice on you you do it would be greatly appreciated. Your day to day living, where you park your car at nights or how you find a good spot, what you do during the winters ets.. Any contact with the police when you were living in car, how did you deal with it? Any tips and pointers would be great for me and rest of people reading.
You need to keep your body and mind in good shape. Eat as good as you can and exercise regularly. You should already have a gym membership for the hot showers, take advantage of the gym since you are paying for it. Get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night. You don’t need to have a huge social circle, but a few friends will help you from feeling lonely. If you can’t make friends, there are tons of people on line to talk with about whatever you want to(this conversation counts). Doing all of these things will keep the chemicals in your brain and body at healthy levels and keep you from such feelings as anxiety or depression. Also you should try to lift weights when you are at the gym. Heavy lifting increases your testosterone levels which will give you motivation.
The little things like what to eat or where to park are easy problems to solve. I’ve only once been encountered by police and that’s because I was parked in a very obvious area. Stay out of big parking lots, or if you are going to park in them, don’t park far far away from any other cars, park with the crowd and it will draw less attention to you. If you are going to park on the street, park on the side of a house (at the street corner)where people can’t see you if they look out there front windows. I prepark somewhere before I go to where I got to the place I will sleep for the night just to get all of my bedding set and ready to go so that all i have to do is climb in the back.
You should try to get in the best physical and mental shape that you can though. Once you get those things in line, everything will fall in to place effortlessly. Fix Your diet, exercise, make a friend or two.
This is amazing. Do you supplement your intake with vitamins? I mean, a loaf of bread is great, but what about the nutrients one needs on a daily basis? just curious.
I get my carbs from bread and oatmeal, my fats from raw almonds, and my protein from fat free milk and whey protein. I sometimes eat out just to feel like a normal person, but the nutritional value is much worse than what I normally eat. I drink water, OJ(for vitamin C) and coffee (for internet access (I’m writing this post from a starbucks) and because I love it. I don’t take any multivitamin but am considering fish oil. Sometimes I get tired of bread and treat myself to some bagels. I get around 2.5k calories a day, sometimes less.
For over 3 years, I have lived in my Van. I am 54 years old. One Thing homelessness has taught me is that, we people do not need as much as we think we need. There have been many people who try to laugh, and look away from my situation. However, they do not realize, they could be in this situation very easily. Since I have an east coast style of dressing, many californians are shocked when they find out that I live in my Van, because I wear double-breasted, mohair, silk, or wool skirt suits. I use baby wipes to clean my body when I cannot shower. I buy my food at the 99 cent store, and I wash my clothes every week the same way I did when I had my house. I stay near a lot of factories, and the reason they don’t chase me away, is because I never throw any garbage or waste on the street. The people know me now in this neighborhood, all the cops know me, they are all very friendly, because I am a very clean woman. They always see me on my laptop looking for more work, or attending online college. In my spare time, I write music, read my Bible, and sell my hand-made pouches. I am a good-looking woman, so ocassionally, I accept invitations to dinner dates.
I might be an odd one, but..
I like a car because it is small, meaning the driving is easier, cheaper, more fun, and I can easily fit into any space. It also keeps me from collecting too much stuff. and forces me to organize and keep things clean.
but I like my comforts, so I have the car packed up to the window line, Actually about 1/3rd up on the side windows, but I can still see what I need to see.
So it is obvious that i am either living in my car or moving in my car. but close up, it looks like living in my car.
and I like the alone places, because I love quiet for meditation. For thinking, for studying, for anything and everything, I love quiet, stillness. even lots of continual motion just looking out the window makes me sick and I have to cover it up.
so I do get an usual number of police encounters. I think they look on their computer and keep some kind of journal of me there, by my license plate. it is a like a conversation in series from one officer to another, one town to another, in whatever area I stay in.
My only regret is that I do not have room for someone needing a ride, I meet homeless hitchhikers and they are nice people, but I can never give a ride, so I give food and money and company. they have some great stories, really important, especially the older ones. I suggest you try this.
About sleeping in truck stops.
I am an ex trucker. The major truck stops are: T/A (Travel Centers of America), Loves, Pilot, Flying J (Pilot bought out Flying J). Those companies listed are about 95 percent of all truck stops. They create the standard that almost all few smaller ones follow. Truck stop parking areas (for trucks) are all considered private property. This prevents the DOT from harassing truckers and gives the T/S owners and management more controll.
Some things to keep in mind. Truckers get harassed mercilessly at truck stops by beggers looking for handouts, lot lizards (prostitutes), people trying to sell pirated DVD’s or other hot items ets… Becouse of this most truckers have a very low tollerence for homeless people or beggers. DOT HOS (when you can drive and when you cant drive and HAVE to shut down) are very strict, and places to park an 18 wheeler are limited especially if you are not familiar to an area. Needless to say, if a trucker especially if they are using E-logs which cant be tweeked aka cooking the books needs to shut down at a certain time and the truck stop is mostly full they will be very unhappy if truck parking areas are full of 4 cars/jpickups and they risk loosing there job. Truckers are nasty fockers. A lot crap and urinate in sleepers becouse they to lazy to walk to bathroom. If you sleep in truck stop area look out for plastic bags filled with poop, or poured out urine and or used tampons/pads. Truck stops are a cesspool for diseases. If you do use on never walk bear footed, and always wash your hands when you touch anything. Never sit on a toilet seat without using an ass gasket. Showers are easy to acquire though. Virtually all truck stops give out a free shower to any truck driver (and co-driver) who purchases $50.00 of fuel or more. Truckers usually acquire a surpluss of showers on the variouse fuel cards they use. You want a free shower, just look like a trucker (homeless bum is perfect) with your little back pack or whatever and hang out near deisal counter and ask any of the drivers if they can spare a shower. Most will be glad to give you one becouse it doesnt cost them anything. They will hand you a little slip, this slip will have a customer #, example: customer 62. You look for the sighn for showers there will be a little screen nearby usually waiting area that says showers. When you see something like 62 shower #3, you find shower #3 in the back and punch in the code at bottom of shower slip into the touchpad by door, it unlocks and your good to go. Leave the towels in the shower unless told to do otherwise. Last thing is that Truck Stops gouge the hell out of truckers. The price of food/drink is way overpriced much more so that the normal convenience store
While my name is fictitious so that I can remain somewhat anonymous and cower in shame, slightly. I am an educated person who is currently living in her mini-van due to a long arduous and exhausting set of circumstance. I have been living in my vehicle for 2 weeks now and I can’t say I much like it. I pray it’s temporary. I’m working hard to overcome it. I can say a few things about the posts listed above…
1. If you are homeless, living in a vehicle (which by all means can be a cleaner and safer place then some of the homeless shelters out there, believe me one that I tried to stay at had body lice/bedbugs crawling everywhere. I took off like a chicken with it’s head cut off running from that place, gasoline is expensive. Limit your driving to school, work, or job hunting. Truck stops are on the outside of town usually and are likely a bit of a drive. Many organizations in the Minneapolis area provide free showers for the homeless staying in a shelter, the Salvation Army is included. However, if you elect not to stay at the shelter, you are on your own in showering here in MPLS most of the time. I have a LA Fitness membership for $29.99 per month and it pays to have a shower every day, especially considering it allowed me to interview and not be so smelly I didn’t get the job. I have two jobs now, which equate to full time, but it will take time to save enough money for deposit and first month rent.
My suggestion to those living in their vehicle is this. I follow some very simple rules.
1. Don’t park on the public street in a rich, upper class area. They are more likely to have security and it is too risky.
2. Don’t park in a bad, inner city area, where crime is more prevalent. I like to park in a suburb of Minneapolis. Yes, I have to drive there, but it’s quieter and I feel safer.
3. Do not park, ready to bed down for the night, until after 11 pm, as people usually don’t go to sleep until that time or later. When I pull into a spot. I sit real still and survey the area. Is anyone looking? Can I bed down safely? Is anyone peering out their windows at me. If anyone is seen in 5 minutes of sitting real still in the drivers seat, I leave and find a new place.
4. Do not play music, talk or do anything loud in your vehicle. Get a cheap sleeping bag or nicer one if you have one already, climb in it in the farthest back space available in your vehicle, put a hat on if it’s cold, gloves, also, and take some melatonin to sleep. I rarely ever can sleep without it. Do not move around alot or rock the car, be still. Set your alarm, cell phone if you have one, or just be ready to wake early. In my mini-van, I’m concealed with the tinted glass more then you would be in a car, so I generally can sleep longer. If you’re in a car or other more visible vehicle, leave early. I would say 5:30, so no one notices you. You can always nap in your car later, when your not working. During daylight hours I think it’s fine to sleep parked in a McDonalds parking lot or other less conspicuous place and nod off a few hours. If someone wakes you, simply say that you’re working a 12 hour shift and trying to get an hour of sleep in between. Most people will leave you alone. People get more concerned at night, about burglary and theft.
Anyway, that’s my two cents. My difficulty right now is figuring out how to not spend so much of what I’m earning on food right now. With living in your car, you don’t have any cooking stove or refrigerator, so you end up eating out which is very expensive. There are some food kitchens that are free at dinner, but there’s driving and at $3.89 a gallon, is it worth it to drive 15-20 miles to get a free meal, when you only get 16 mpg because you have an old crappy minivan. Any ideas on somewhat healthy, yet non perishable, yet portable food that doesn’t need cooking would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Autumn
My personal experience living in my car. First thing is Im a dude. In order to get out of bad relationship with my ex i got my CDL and got a job at as a truck driver OTR living out of tractor trailer while on the road for a few years till I rolled it, I have enough savings to get an apartment for a solid year or so with no worries, but worry about loosing financial safety blanket. So I bought low miles car and been living in it last couple months.
I live very frugal cutting expenses at every corner in a series of routines here is how I do it. I live in a smaller city (about 300,000 people) in California. The car I bought is a smaller car (I’m a small dude) with large trunk which is perfect for me, it gets great fuel mileage, even though its tight, it has enough space to store my stuff and still be livable. . I keep it spotless inside and out, dark purple, looks like a granny car. I keep all my stuff extremely neatly concealed at all times. The back of the rear seats fold down over the top of the back seat to expand storage. As far as general public and cops go the car is invisible.
I bought a cheap gym membership close to the center of the city. I store a couple towels and my gym clothes in a locker and lock it so I dont have to store it in my car. The gym has signs saying you have to pay to rent a locker, if you want to keep your stuff there overnight, and all lockers not paid for can be cut and stuff removed by staff. I just change lockers every couple days or every day if I feel paranoid, Its a cheap gym how are they going to know.
Where I sleep at night. There is five large department stores in completely different locations close to downtown but bordering on the outskirts with huge parking lots that I sleep at on a rotation. I picked them out because they are huge, there is lots of shrubs on most of the borders, and best of all there are always a few cars parked in them in the back 24/7. A lot of people park there cars in all of them to car pool, some park in them to walk to where they work close by dew to limited parking ets. In two of them there are even little tree and shrub islands more so in the rear areas of the parking lot. Sleeping in my car is not as hard as I originally figured it would be. I usually crash at between 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. I have a -10 degree sleeping bag I bought a few years ago witch gives me lots of padding and ensures I never get so much as even a slight chill in the brutal California winter. I lay the backs of the rear seats down so the bottom of the trunk of my car extends to the backs of the driver and passenger seat. Crawl back into my trunk and curl up in my sleeping bag which goes diagonally with stuff on both sides. I have a semi folded up dark sheet that I set in the rear window ledge and let the unfolded part run down. Giving me a perfect tent. I keep all my stuff in my trunk or the foot areas of the rear seat area, the passenger side is bare and clean armor-all clean. So when I sleep me and my car are also almost invisible to cops and public.
How I spend my time I wake up whenever between 05:00 and 09:00, hit the gym (about 8 blocks from closest sleeping spot, 2 miles from farthest sleeping spot) for about 45 minutes or so, shower shave change cloths and I am gone again. There is a unemployement/welfare building about .5 miles from gym. I dont collect unemployment, or any other government money or subsidies (dont qualify for any), a few times a week I go there after the gym to kill a few hours using there free computers to check my email and look for work online. They did an awsum job helping me put together a great resume, perhaps the first gov. assistance I have ever received in my life.
I spend a lot of time in one of the few parks going for walks and just being lazy, I go to the library a lot and use my own laptop with the free wifi to get on the internet to do things the govt. building would frown on like coming and posting here and other web sites, reading news, playing games ets.. I do make it a point to turn in 3-4 job applications a week sometimes more and am on call at 5 temp agencies which I keep in contact with. I also read a lot which kills lots of time.
How I keep my cost low. I drive a fuel economical car which sucks, but being homeless aint an easy gig, and its lots harder without money, with the price of fuel and high unemployment rate its a necessary compromise to long term survival. Even though I have a nice car I force myself not to use it as much as I like. I often put on back pack and walk to gym in the mornings. I try to park car in central areas and spend most of the day on foot. I dont have to I have the cash for fuel, but I force myself to. I almost never eat out, when I do I usually hit the little ceasers $5 pizza cause it taste great and for 5 bucks you get more than other fast food places. The stuff I eat mainly comes from a can all generic labeled. I’ll hit the super walmart and buy lots of different cans of fruit, cans of mac and cheese, chilli. Walmarts great for saving money because it list the price per ounce in little red tag next to food, Those little red tags is what I always look at when I buy food. I always buy a few of the generic 2 litter Cola for like ninety cents cheep cookies ets, cause its cheap and you gota treat yourself, life is two short. Besides I am small, in great shape, and cant easily gain weight so not an issue there aether.
One last thing is if anybody has the option of a shelter or living there car, always choose a car. Even if you cant afford fuel, you can always park it a couple days and move it and so on. All a shelter gives you is shelter (what your car provides you and so much more). What they take from you is your pride and most importantly your freedom. They say you have to be in at a certain time, you have to leave at a certain time and a gazillion other rules nessary to efficiently manage such a place. Maby you can only have so much stuff ets… Lots of rules that take away your freedom and pride a tiny bit at a time till its all gone. I have never been in a shelter so could be wrong. The free meals and showers offered by shelters I think you can get without sleeping there probably depends on which shelter. A lot of drug users people with mental disorders ets use the shelters. Which means risk of theft, loss of safety, lots of potential diseases ets is always a present risk. Probably quite a few disruptive people ets. Once you figure it out temparily living in a car is something you can do, and you still you have all your freedoms, your life revolves around you not some institution used mainly by less-desirables. Live in your car, look for work, keep yourself clean and in shape, spend time in the parks, libraries ets.. Life could be worse, how I choose to cope with the hard time I am facing hope something I said helps somebody else cope a bit easier.
I wish I could live in my ford focus, but my 4 siblings would freak out and commit me.
Everything posted above is great information
From California to Mile High City
I sign up at a homeless shelter… use their proof of address to receive a new id card with the state I am residing..
any new tips I can not think of that is not mention above
all the tips above are great
MRE are very very awesome… if you know anyone who have MRE I strongly recommend
tThey are Military Meals Ready 2 Eat….. I bought mine for $5 each… just wish I knew how handy they are…. would had bought more
← Previous Comments