Who has lived in a car or truck to save or to be able to do what they love?

[Sohcrates]

I noticed that the fixer is a part time van dweller and makes me wonder how many others here have done/are doing this.

Please reply with

1.  Is it a past, current or future situation
2.  How did you arrive at the decision to do it, and to stop
3.  Did you do it to save money by working or to play?
4.  Tell me something interesting that you learned, or experience/story
(Feel free to go long on 4, I'm fascinated by you people!)
5. A photo of your(house) or you in your home
6  Anything else that is interesting

I did myself for 5 years and will go into the detail above if this proves to be an interesting thread!

[oldladystache]

I never did but I often think about it. Please tell us about your experiences.

[daverobev]

Also thinking about it a lot. Watching vids, etc.

"Problem" is we just had a baby... and my wife's into working. So I'm really torn between.. some kind of family-friendly vehicle, but which would be expensive (ie, Class B) - to drive AND maintain, or doing something fun in a minivan (cheap to buy, cheaper than a Class B to maintain and run)... or just taking a car and staying inexpensively at hostels and whatever. Perhaps sleeping in the car in the wilderness. Hatchback? Estate/wagon?

Also thinking about cabins, etc. Few acres somewhere a) cheap b) not cold in the winter, build a little cabin... In the mountains overlooking an ocean would be ideal!

Le plan is for me to be SAHD though, so it's all wonky. Plus I'm in Canada, but a Brit, so only 3 months in the US... Bleh.

Post any good blogs, though. I've worked through a few.

http://www.tosimplify.net/ is a favourite, and current.
http://livinginmycar.com/ was good but finished

[Sohcrates]

Thanks for the blogs!
Have you considered a "tiny house"?

We thought about building one and buying some land but it would have made our lives much more complicated for awhile and we are ok enough with our current situation to stay put.
I have a buddy that went for it though, he's putting the last bit of work into it this month and we're heading over there this afternoon- I'll take some pics

[shadowmoss]

Some more blogs for you.  Van dwelling is a sub culture of the rv boondocking world.  And lots of those folks blog.

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/   A basic primer of how to do it and his on-going blog of his travels.  An excellent place to start looking to see if this is the life for you.

http://www.thegoodluckduck.com/   While traveling this duck lives in her Prius.  She also had a blogroll on the bottom right side of van dwellers' blogs.

[Stacey]

We've been living out of our car for the past ten months.  We started in a 2001 VW Eurovan, but when that met an untimely death in May, we switched gears and have been traveling around the country in an Audi wagon and sleeping mainly in our tent - with nights at homes of friends and family and occasional motel nights.  We've been staying with family for the next month and are now looking to transition back to living inside four walls, but it was a great experience and enabled us to spend tons of time together doing the things we love and exploring the country.  You can see photos of our trip on my blog - www.bottlingmoonlight.com. 

As for things we learned - there's the obvious - you really do not need many material items to be happy.  When we began, our van was pretty full of things for me, my husband and our two year old.  By a month in, we had already compiled a list of things to jettison when we reached family.  But, downsizing to a wagon forced us to get rid of even more.  And then, even with the streamlined amount of things, we still felt like we carried around things that were unnecessary. 

I know I can add so much more, but I have to run and grab my son so my husband can continue watching his beloved Broncos.  :)  I'd love to hear about others who have lived this sort of lifestyle, you too, Sohcrates!

-Stacey

[Sohcrates]

Thanks for the links!
Stacey- can't wait to peruse your blog when I have some more time- nice work!!!

[AlmostIndependent]

I just cooked my breakfasts and lunches for the week and boxed them up. $1 or less per serving. If I had to buy my meals, I'd have to up that by a factor of FIVE.

What kind of meals are you cooking a week in advance? I like cooking a lot at a time, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas that survive alright as leftovers.

[Stacey]

I've thought about this topic since the largest single fixed expense I (and probably most people) have is shelter.

The big challenges I've thought of: food prep / storage?

I just cooked my breakfasts and lunches for the week and boxed them up. $1 or less per serving. If I had to buy my meals, I'd have to up that by a factor of FIVE.

If I could work that out, ditching a $1,000/month living expense to, say, live on a barge would be interesting.

It can be a challenge, but it's totally doable.  We kept a cooler in the car and a box of dry goods - much of which we bought at Costcos around the country.  We ate a lot of Museli and fruit for breakfast - no kitchen required.  Lunch consisted of hummus and veggies or cheese, crackers, and meat, or sardines or herring (not everyone's cup of tea, but we love them), crackers and pickles.  Again, no kitchen required.  We cooked dinners, but with a small stove, you can do that almost anywhere.  If you can find a park or a picnic table, that's the best, but you can really cook just about anywhere.  The key is not buying too many perishables at once, especially in the midst of hot weather.  Eating/cooking while living out of a car was one of our bigger challenges since we love to cook, but we made it work and didn't spend any more money than we would have otherwise.  And if you were living on a barge, well, that'd be even more awesome!

[Jamesqf]

3.  Did you do it to save money by working or to play?

I think you left out an alternative there: because that's all you had.

[Weestashian]

1.  Is it a past, current or future situation

I did it in the past (but not to do something I love), and now I'm seriously considering doing it again, this time to be able to do something I love.

2.  How did you arrive at the decision to do it, and to stop

Started because I was broke as a joke and had no where else to go. Stopped when I had the money to rent motels/apartments, went back in the car when I didn't have the money anymore.

3.  Did you do it to save money by working or to play?

To "save" money, although I wasn't actually saving.

4.  Tell me something interesting that you learned, or experience/story
(Feel free to go long on 4, I'm fascinated by you people!)

I learned a lot during my first homeless stint as a teen. And it wasn't what I expected to learn! It was a pretty bad experience at the time, but it also drastically changed my attitude for the better. It was one of the best things to happen to me in my life really.

There were four major cons:

a) I had WAAAAY to many possessions! The car was crammed. And they weren't even things I needed/used.
b) I lived in the car with my mom. It wasn't mentally healthy for either of us.
c) The car was too short to stretch out in, so my back/neck hurt.
d) Showering was hard.

And that was it really. Those were the only bad things!* During the day I went to work, I hung out with friends, I did some school work. During the day I was pretty happy. If only I could've thrown away some of the stuff in the car (3/4ths of the stuff in the car was my moms), been by myself in the car, and had a car model that I could lie in comfortably, I probably would've been perfectly happy. Seriously.

I'm thinking about going back to school in the next 5 years maybe, for something I'm very passionate about. But it's not something that will earn me very much money at all, so I want to pay off all my debt before then, and not take out any debt to fund school either. Living in a car would make that a lot easier. Going to university there would be lots of amenities closely available, like microwaves and the school gym (showers!) to easily take advantage of. Provided I keep few possessions in my car and have a car I can fully stretch out in, I think it should be easily do-able.

On the other hand, I could just not go back to school and probably be retired and own my own house in full before I'm 35. I'm pretty undecided on what to do!

This is all assuming I stay a spinster my whole life :) If I happen to meet someone and we pool our incomes, all the better.

^{*There was also a lot of stress from being worried about not having money to put gas in the car or to have food, but that's not really related to living in a car, that's related to not being financially stable.}

5. A photo of your(house) or you in your home

Just google 1994 nissan pathfinder. (again, that's not my current home, right now I'm in a cheap little 1 bed apt.)

[Sohcrates]

My first home- no mortgage :)

[the fixer]

We lived in a '98 GMC Savanna high-top conversion van for a month and a half while moving ourselves across the country and doing lots of hiking/climbing. We still have the van and occasionally use it for short trips. It also doubles as a "storage locker" for some of our outdoor gear. My wife is working full-time so I don't get out as much lately, but that's given me an opportunity to make some money with self-employed work. That van's going to get a lot more miles on it this summer.

My wife liked sleeping in the van more than in our old bed! I really wasn't expecting that. Our favorite nights were the ones where we pulled over on the side of the road by a raging river. I feel like when your house is a vehicle you get to enjoy the benefits of locations that would cost you millions to own.

[AlmostIndependent]

Not a vehicle but I lived part time in a storage unit to save $ while I was temporarily working in a different town.

[Sohcrates]

All interesting stories, thanks for posting!
It started out as an experiment for me(I'm always experimentin)
but I loved it and sold everything that I couldn't fit in my bronco(extra outdoor gear stored at friends)
5 years total- 2 going to college then 3 as a sys admin. 
The ability to just GO whenever I felt the need was awesome. Just wake up, brush my teeth and head to the mountains, ocean etc. As expected I was amazed that there was no loss from the things I gave up, but an indescribable feeling of freedom.
I finally gave it up when it was time to get married. Paid cash for a new car (that I'm hoping with care) will be my last. 2007 Subaru outback to get us to mountains etc. put a nice down payment on the smallest house we could find that was close enough to town to bike easily and in a  comfortable neighborhood. Since then, my spending has fluctuated all over the place, depending on travel etc, but my expenses including house payment always remained sustainable for 17-18 hour if it came to that.

All kinds of great stories/adventures but first one that pops into my mind was when a dude tried to break into my truck while I was sleeping in it.
He had a slimjim down the door with his face pressed up against the glass trying to look down I guess so I moved over and as hard as I could, slapped the window next to his face with the palm of my hand. I can't even describe what happened next- it was kind of like a freeze/jump aerial maneuver that landed fairly gracefully but then he staggered and I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He straightened up and sprinted into the night, slimjim abandoned in my door :D

[Thegoblinchief]

I couldn't (married with three kids). If I was single, maybe?

For what it's worth, our house falls with "tiny house" standards, at ~150 sqft/person and feels quite spacious most of the time. I definitely read up on the movement and could see my wife and I doing RV or car camping once kids are older and/or out of the house.

[Bigote]

Sohcrates - great story. 

[coconutpop]

I lived in my car for one year when I was 18. I was waiter in a restaurant during the day. Convince the boss to give me 3-4 meals for free during the day and in exchange I had to distribute flyers downtown on the weekend without a pay. Had a lot of fun doing this.

After work, I went to the gym to train and take my daily shower. Also had a free gym membership because I knew the gym owner and I just had to do a few jobs in the gym for him. Mainly maintenance.

I did not have a cellphone at the time. I made my friends contact me at the restaurant or at the gym.

Actually I lived in my car only for the spring, summer and autumn. Winters are really cold here. I found myself a girlfriend during the end of the autumn and I lived at her place during the winter.

I stopped because things went serious with the girlfriend.

What I learned from it? The only thing I need to be happy is music, a nice job, be healthy, own a car, friends and FREEDOM.

Revenue as a waiter: 750$ week.
week expense: 100$ MAX.

 

 

[NumberJohnny5]

This might count.

Bought a bookmobile. Think of a traditional yellow schoolbus, except with flat walls (not curved at top) and a bit higher ceiling. Also had some electric already run (an inverter and generator).

Converted that to a motorhome. Lived in it for the better part of a year with my wife and two young kids (and cats).

Did it to save money while my wife did travel nursing. She got a tax-free housing stipend. Anything not spent, stayed in our pockets. First assignment was in Houston, TX for three months. Spent a few hundred a month or so there. Next was in Anchorage, AK for four months (wife stayed an extra 1.5 months, we had to leave before roads got bad; turns out we left a day late). Did camper hosting for the school district, so cost $0 (except for the ENORMOUS amount of fuel it cost to get there and back). Next year got to stay in Tennessee for a couple months.

Found some pics from when I listed it for sale. Can see them at http://www.thetannerfamily.com/bookmobile/ . Start at P1020455.jpg for pics of the inside.

[Sohcrates]

Cool stories- anybody ever have a run in with the law?

[nawhite]

1.  Is it a past, current or future situation
Summers in 2008 and 2009 I worked at a Whitewater Rafting company which didn't provide housing for rookie guides. They were surrounded by a state park which prohibited camping outside of the designated campground. I had a tent when I could hide it and a car the rest of the time.

2.  How did you arrive at the decision to do it, and to stop
There weren't many options if I wanted to work there (it was the greatest job I ever had). In the end though, I had student loans that weren't going to pay themselves off so I got a real job.

3.  Did you do it to save money by working or to play?
Kinda both? The first season I only had 3 days off (7-day workweek) between April and September so I guess it was more to save money. I maybe could have paid $100/month for a room in the guide house but that was a lot at the time and I was low in the hierarchy.

4.  Tell me something interesting that you learned, or experience/story
(Feel free to go long on 4, I'm fascinated by you people!)

Keeping food in the car was a much better choice than in bins around the tent. One night I was kept up all night by the sound of a black bear destroying all of my stuff about 5 ft outside my tent. Everything except for my tent, sleeping bag and pad stayed in the car from then on.

Eventually I got a fairly safe spot to camp and I was able to build it up with some plywood for a platform and a giant tarp over the platform and tent. Really made life easier and more comfortable.

Sleeping in the passenger seat is almost always more comfortable for me than sleeping in the back of a subaru outback with the back seat down.

I realized that when you're working an hourly job, even if you have health insurance, you still might not go to the doctor because you'll miss work. As an upper- middle-class white kid growing up, that was a big awakening for me. I put a stick through my finger and really should have gotten stitches. Unfortunately, stitches meant that I couldn't get my hands wet (meaning no work as a raft guide) so I did the best I could with superglue and co-ban wraps to keep my finger together for 2 weeks before it started to heal. Still have the scar to remember that by.

5. A photo of your(house) or you in your home

I wish I had a good one but unfortunately never thought to take that picture. Tons of pics of me guiding though.

[a.g]

1.  Is it a past, current or future situation

Both. Technically I still live out of my car, although I haven't slept in a vehicle in almost 5 months. Current luck has me long-term house sitting, which is better than sleeping in a car, and they actually pay you!
 
2.  How did you arrive at the decision to do it, and to stop (& the other questions)

Simple- my credit card. I've been out of school and working full-time for a few years now, but with limited earnings and my 10.9% interest rate, it was nearly impossible to pay down the balance. Every month I put all my extra money towards working down the balance, but it was so discouraging to go to a job I disliked just to watch my balance drop by a meager $100 or $200 a month (on a good month). In October 2012 my old living arrangement was coming to a close, and I took the plunge and moved into my station wagon (vehicle living is something I'd been at fascinated with since middle school). After a few months of cramped sleep (what 1 more inch would have done!!) I upgraded to a van, keeping my car as a commute vehicle. Midway through this experience, I discovered MMM and my savings rate really skyrocketed. To read my one year review look here: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/one-year-on/msg144288/#msg144288. Even that post is now a little dated, as in less than a year and a half I've been able to completely pay off my credit card (was $7k), cut my student loan by $5k, and save up almost $10k, all on a very modest income. It feels really nice.

Some things I learned? Well, pick a spot that's low profile. For me this meant finding a quite residential street where both sides of the road had someone's solid wooden fence. This way, no one would look out from their house and notice you or your vehicle. I'd typically arrive late and leave early. I did have a few awkward moments where my timing getting into the front of the vehicle wasn't the best, but hey, I just wouldn't sleep there the next night. I never had a run-in with law enforcement, but I did receive one nasty note from a homeowner (and on the first night I parked on their street!) that had apparently seen my vehicle nearby and assumed it was a live in. I kept the windows blacked out so no one could see in, which you obviously would never want. Another very important thing is organization. Not only is it key to not store many possessions, but keeping everything in a place that makes sense really helped me. After a few weeks I'd learned where the best spots to keep things were (that kept them both accessible and out of the way) and that really helped my comfort level. A big reason I made the choice to part with my rent was because it was relatively easy in my situation. Yes, living out of a car could be trying. But compared to many people in that situation I had it easy. My work had a gym with a shower, and my lovely girlfriend made sure I always had yummy fresh food to pack with me. These two things made the experience doable.

So do I miss it? Yes and no. I absolutely miss the freedom of always having my home right next to me. I love spontaneity and trips, so it's amazing to have a vehicle that's comfortable to stay in. My current station wagon is literally an inch too close for comfort, but it works for short stints. It might not be mustachian to the core, but owning a vehicle that can handle sleepovers is such a reassuring and amazing upgrade to my lifestyle, that I always plan on having a live-in ready car. It's been an amazing experience, one I truly wish more people got to enjoy.

[coconutpop]

1.  Is it a past, current or future situation

Both. Technically I still live out of my car, although I haven't slept in a vehicle in almost 5 months. Current luck has me long-term house sitting, which is better than sleeping in a car, and they actually pay you!
 

I am really curious about the house sitting part. How do you find your clients? hows the pay?

(sorry for hijacking thread, just think it would be interesting to know)

[a.g]

1.  Is it a past, current or future situation

Both. Technically I still live out of my car, although I haven't slept in a vehicle in almost 5 months. Current luck has me long-term house sitting, which is better than sleeping in a car, and they actually pay you!
 

I am really curious about the house sitting part. How do you find your clients? hows the pay?

(sorry for hijacking thread, just think it would be interesting to know)

Yeah, I've been asked this before, and unfortunately I'm not much of a help. It was something I stumbled upon through a family friend of my girlfriend, not something I thought to seek out. I know there are a few websites where you can connect with wanting homeowners, but I don't know much more than that. The rate is really variable- for places with no pets it might not be much. Add in animals though, and I've read of people charging between $25-50 a night, sometimes more, sometimes less (again, it all depends on the situation and individuals). Factor in paying no rent, and it can be a real good side hustle.

[shadowmoss]

I once went to a couple of the house-sitting sites looking for someone to move into my 3 br house out in the country.  I was going into a time in my job where I would be gone 3 weeks at a time and didn't want the house to sit empty, and I also had a cat that needed company even if I could get someone to stop by and take care of his necessities.  I had 2 or 3 responses, and one woman traveled out from the east coast (I lived in Nashville at the time) checking out opportunities to house sit.  She was aghast.  I think she thought everyone lived in mansions and she would just sit and sip tea in a garden.  My house was a smallish modular on 6 ac of woods.  I didn't expect any work other than taking care of and loving on the cat and cleaning up after herself.  I also had a washer/dryer in the house.  Seemed fair to me, free rent out in the country, alone in the house about 50 percent of the time.  No one was interested, though.  I have thought that once I'm not working full time I might try doing the house sitting thing, travel with one suitcase and just be open to new experiences.

A couple of the responses I got, now that I think about it, were couples who wanted to 'manage' my property and be paid to do so.  That was not in my budget.  So, my advice is to be clear with yourself what you want, and what you expect, before starting the process.  This was about 10 years ago, but I just searched for house sitting on the internet to find the house sitting referral sites.

[Kaminoge]

I just cooked my breakfasts and lunches for the week and boxed them up. $1 or less per serving. If I had to buy my meals, I'd have to up that by a factor of FIVE.

What kind of meals are you cooking a week in advance? I like cooking a lot at a time, I'm always on the lookout for new ideas that survive alright as leftovers.

Fascinating ideas. I'm planning to spend a few months this summer living out of a VW T4 or similar (not sure exactly yet, we're still looking for the right vehicle) and camping. I can't wait. Very different to doing it long term when working though. I think I'd find it difficult to live in a car or similar and get myself in a presentable state to go to work every day. I admire those who do.

As to the cooking question I only ever cook once a week and then eat it all week. I'm vegetarian and I believe pretty much anything lasts up to 2 weeks. In fact every weekend I make 5 salads (put them into individual plastic containers - just cheap ones from a supermarket) and 5 portions of whatever I've cooked that weekend (this week it's a beans and tofu dish) - also put into plastic containers (with screw top lids so they don't spill). That's my weeks lunches done. Then for dinner I eat whatever other dish I cooked on the weekend or, if I was lazy and didn't cook I eat rolled oats and non-dairy milk (which I love). I've also found non-dairy milks can easily keep for a few weeks despite what it says on the packet.

[GoodLuckDuck]

Hello! I noticed a little traffic coming from over here, and I've definitely heard of MMM! Glad to join the forum.

1.  Is it a past, current or future situation
2.  How did you arrive at the decision to do it, and to stop
3.  Did you do it to save money by working or to play?
4.  Tell me something interesting that you learned, or experience/story
(Feel free to go long on 4, I'm fascinated by you people!)
5. A photo of your(house) or you in your home
6  Anything else that is interesting

I did myself for 5 years and will go into the detail above if this proves to be an interesting thread!

It's a current situation.

My partner wanted to un-partner, and my choices were to take the big motorhome or do whatever else I wanted. I decided to take the Prius.

At the moment, it felt like the only viable option. I didn't want the huge motorhome - never had - and another blogger had already detailed how she travels in her Prius for months at a time.

I've learned that I can be very cozy and comfortable in the car.
 I like to be online, so getting-online-technology has been important for my contentment (but not essential - I did well surfing on free wifi).
I've learned what small items greatly increase my quality of life, and what large items just aren't worth the bother. I've learned that every, single, tiny item must carry its weight or get gone.
I've learned that I can be very organized, and that X-treme organization is a must.
I've learned that I carry way too many books.
I sometimes consider a van, and may still go that way, but 52 mpg is a tough thing to give up. I sometimes think about cooking my own meals, but things come along as I want and need them, so I've mostly stopped worrying about anything.

Since I went small, I've bought a tiny, off-grid cabin in the mountains. The price was so low that it was literally the cabin on 13 acres, or a used RV, and that made the choice pretty clear.

http://thegoodluckduck.com

[a.g]

@ GoodLuckDuck: Great read!! It's nice to hear your story. I'm glad you decided to go small, and like me quickly learned the importance of organization. The prius is probably about the same size as my hatchback, what's that interesting tent dohickey you got on the back there?

[Sohcrates]

Hello! I noticed a little traffic coming from over here, and I've definitely heard of MMM! Glad to join the forum.

1.  Is it a past, current or future situation
2.  How did you arrive at the decision to do it, and to stop
3.  Did you do it to save money by working or to play?
4.  Tell me something interesting that you learned, or experience/story
(Feel free to go long on 4, I'm fascinated by you people!)
5. A photo of your(house) or you in your home
6  Anything else that is interesting

I did myself for 5 years and will go into the detail above if this proves to be an interesting thread!

It's a current situation.

My partner wanted to un-partner, and my choices were to take the big motorhome or do whatever else I wanted. I decided to take the Prius.

At the moment, it felt like the only viable option. I didn't want the huge motorhome - never had - and another blogger had already detailed how she travels in her Prius for months at a time.

I've learned that I can be very cozy and comfortable in the car.
 I like to be online, so getting-online-technology has been important for my contentment (but not essential - I did well surfing on free wifi).
I've learned what small items greatly increase my quality of life, and what large items just aren't worth the bother. I've learned that every, single, tiny item must carry its weight or get gone.
I've learned that I can be very organized, and that X-treme organization is a must.
I've learned that I carry way too many books.
I sometimes consider a van, and may still go that way, but 52 mpg is a tough thing to give up. I sometimes think about cooking my own meals, but things come along as I want and need them, so I've mostly stopped worrying about anything.

Since I went small, I've bought a tiny, off-grid cabin in the mountains. The price was so low that it was literally the cabin on 13 acres, or a used RV, and that made the choice pretty clear.

http://thegoodluckduck.com

Cool setup!

[daverobev]

Reading backwards? Forwards? Through the Good Luck Duck now.. I'm at the start of 2010 I think, you've just bought a Class A.. I've been skim reading so I didn't quite know what was wrong with the Duallie + 5th (apart from not being able to drive away...). But obviously I know there is a lot of story to get through, a lot of personal change and so on - enjoying it so far!