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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Good luck!!

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

Kim

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.

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.

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.

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.