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May 17, 2024 · Living in your car, whether by choice or necessity, requires careful planning and preparation to ensure your safety, comfort and well-being. There are also things to consider regarding your insurance.
- Overview
- At the Start
- Finding Safe and Inconspicuous Places to Park
- Maintaining Hygiene
- Staying Under the Radar
- Finding the Essentials
- Eating
- Keeping Buoyant
Living in a car isn't something that many people would recommend. However, if by either circumstance or choice you don't have a home property, living in your car might be the only reasonable choice, especially if you don't feel safe at a local shelter. Unfortunately, in many places,
is not only frowned upon but also illegal. Luckily, there is some helpful information on how to get by until something better comes along. It's important that you choose the right car, find the right parking spots, and find appropriate and cost-cutting spots to access basic amenities such as showers. This however should be temporary.
Keep your car clean, especially the inside, so it feels comfortable. Invest in a cozy sleeping bag, a pillow, and earplugs to get a good night's sleep.
Find a safe and inconspicuous place to park. Try big box retailers that are open 24 hours, low-traffic streets without sidewalks, or camp sites.
You can only live in your car successfully if your car works. If you have any lead time and see the writing on the wall ahead of time, get a van; ideally a windowless delivery van of some sort: you will have room under your platform bunk for storage, you can install a rooftop skylight/hatch for air, a rooftop rack for storage and even lookout when the skylight is open. An anonymous-looking white Chevy van or Holden panel van in Australia makes concealment a lot easier. You're going to need a new or "newish" car or be a good mechanic to live in an older car. If you have an old car keep in mind that you're liable to break down at an inopportune moment if you don't stay on top of maintenance.
Rent a post office box
or a Private Mailbox (PMB). Although PMBs tend to be more expensive, you can receive packages at them and some services will let you use an address format that makes it appear to be an apartment; this can be useful when someone requires a physical address.
Sign up for a gym membership, or, if a gym is too expensive, a more affordable alternative is (depending on your location) to enroll at a local community college where you'll then be able to use their gym facilities.
Find a safe and inconspicuous place to
First, check with any friends or relatives to see if they will let you park on their property. If not, check to see if there are any organizations or businesses in your area (or a nearby area) that designates parking lots specifically for people in situations like yours; for example, Walmart allows people to camp overnight in their parking lots. It's not only legal, but the organization might screen the people who use the lot or even designate a women-only lot. If there are no such lots available, and you live in an urban area, look for streets with no sidewalks, no overlooking windows, and adjacent to woods; the area should be sparse enough to avoid nosy onlookers but populated enough that the car does not stand out. Parking lots of big-box retailers (especially those that are open 24 hours and have restrooms, such as Walmart) are great to clean up in and have security, as long as you spend a couple of dollars there and don't park in one place too often. Parking lots however can be noisy, particularly in the morning as trucks arrive carrying food and goods.
The most logical place would appear to be a gym. This will help you keep your sanity and give you a purpose to your morning. Don't settle for the first gym you find. If you look around, you may find nearly deserted gyms in which you can shower and fully clean yourself without embarrassment. Remember: the people who can least afford to sport the disheveled look of a homeless person are those who are homeless, so try not to look the part! Don't "let yourself go", as once descent starts, it is hard to pull out. Maintaining a well-kept appearance can only help you maintain a positive self-image during a time when it is being seriously challenged.
Gyms can be an expensive option. Many gyms range in cost from $35 a month to a more typical cost of $55 a week. This is pretty expensive just for a shower. Many councils, churches, and support organizations have free showers. It can be a false economy to use a gym just for showers, particularly as there are many free ways to keep in shape without a gym. Try to remember the flip flops or water shoes as not to get a foot fungus and let the towel dry out in the car.
Keeping your situation under wrap minimizes the embarrassment and helps avoid becoming a target for police officers and criminals alike.
Rotate among several parking locations to avoid getting noticed.
When you move around in the parked car, move slowly to avoid rocking the car.
When it's sunny in the daytime, use a sunshade for the windshield.
You may find that you need and want more privacy than windows offer. There are a few cheap ways to gain this privacy. Reflective window shades in your back and front window help. Similarly, fold-up shades on the side windows are good. You can also buy some cheap cloth and either stuff them in the windows, tape them in, or hold them in place by magnets.Black cloth is best for privacy and blocking out light.
If you can afford it, and local laws allow, and you don't mind driving with it, get your windows tinted as dark as legally possible. This along with the front sunshade and dark cloth or towels can provide a lot of privacy. If you hang a towel or cloth on an untinted window, it screams a homeless person. You hang the same on a tinted window it'll be impossible to see inside and won't draw attention.
Get the things you'll need.
The basic essentials for living in a car are a
or some other padding. Due to the angles involved in the seating setup, you may develop dull back pain from the cramped quarters. Should this happen, be sure to have pain medication on hand. Once you have your sleeping gear, you'll want a blanket to place over the back seat, and draped over the two front seats. This will block light and people's views.
A cheap cooler will help make life easier. The main thing the cooler needs is to be waterproof. Cold food will cause condensation, while ice will melt. You don't want that water inside of your car. A cooler will help keep your perishable food cool. It will work most efficiently when full, so add bottles of cold water to it as you take out food. If you choose to buy an electric cooler, it will need good ventilation to work. For this reason, it will not work well in your car's boot. It is best placed within the car when running. Make sure it is only running when the engine runs, or use a low voltage cut-out device, as explained below. Make sure the cooling vent grille is not touching anything as it exhausts waste heat and may set some things on fire.
Peanut butter, tuna and crackers are great staples. Have a box for food so it does not get smashed. Gallons of water are a necessity for a lot of things. The amount of food you can keep at any one time will be limited by the lack of refrigeration.
is expensive when you're living off it. With old-fashioned (large flake) rolled oats, powdered milk, bottled water, plastic cups, and chocolate protein powder, you can ensure that you always have a nutritious snack to fall back on.
Keep reminding yourself that the situation is only temporary. Spend each day hitting the pavement and
Use the local library and bookstore not only to
, but also to become more knowledgeable in ways that will help you get through this and find a job. Search the Internet for free community voicemail services, and/or get a prepaid cell phone so employers can call you. To build your funds, consider food stamps, food banks and soup kitchens. Most importantly, talk to people like social workers and religious organization workers who will sympathize and understand, and try to help.
You can visit the US Department of Labor website for federal programs for people experiencing homelessness. The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Homeless Assistance Program for chronic homelessness also provides vocational services.
- Choose the Right Car to Live In. This may seem painfully obvious, but the right vehicle is crucial when planning to live in such a small space. Consider your lifestyle, needs, and preferences as you make this decision.
- Figure Out What to Bring. When transitioning to living in your car, downsizing and choosing what to bring can be challenging. Car living essentials might look a little different than you expect.
- How to Sleep Comfortably in a Car. Crafting a way to sleep in your car comfortably is incredibly important to ensure you get a good night’s sleep, every night.
- Organizing Your Car to Live in. When you’re about to live out of a car, you’ll need to learn how to keep things very organized. With a few DIY modifications, you can transform the back seat of your car into a cozy home on wheels.
Aug 26, 2019 · Whatever your own reasons are, living in your car can be a great way to save money, but it’s not without its own set of challenges. In this in-depth guide, I’m going to be showing you how to live in a car legally, safely, and cheaply.
Jun 19, 2023 · Here’s everything you’ll need to stay safe, sane, and happy when living in your car (or truck or van) for a few weeks or even longer.
May 30, 2024 · In this article, we’re diving into 14 tried-and-true tips and tricks that make living out of a car manageable and even enjoyable. From cooking hacks to finding places for personal care, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to discover how to make the most of your car living experience!
Sep 8, 2022 · Living in your car can be a great way to save money and travel more. However, there are some rules to car living you must know before you go!
