Comments on: I live in my car http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/ renewable energy,survival,save money,self build,Green homes,Solar power, cheap power, 12 volt, Solar panels, Wind power, peak oil, Batteries, Inverter, Generator, Rainwater harvesting, survivalist, prepper, self-sufficient, vans, yurts, yachts, RVs Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:28:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Wretha http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-385372 Wretha Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:30:59 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-385372 Thanks for posting this <strong>Marueen</strong>, I'm reading your blog now, I'll contact you soon with some info you might like :) Wretha Thanks for posting this Marueen, I’m reading your blog now, I’ll contact you soon with some info you might like :)

Wretha

]]> By: Maureen http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-385325 Maureen Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:21:13 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-385325 I'm a 4o year old woman and I've been living in my van for almost 4 months. Click on my name if you want to read about my story and how I'm getting by. I’m a 4o year old woman and I’ve been living in my van for almost 4 months. Click on my name if you want to read about my story and how I’m getting by.

]]> By: meape http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-376975 meape Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:10:18 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-376975 I didn't have a choice. My wife and I separated and she cut off the bank account and left me high and dry. I still have a decent job, but the first week is the hardest. It starts getting easier and now I can't imagine sleeping in a bed with walls around you. I didn’t have a choice. My wife and I separated and she cut off the bank account and left me high and dry. I still have a decent job, but the first week is the hardest. It starts getting easier and now I can’t imagine sleeping in a bed with walls around you.

]]> By: Will http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-375865 Will Sun, 11 Sep 2011 06:51:15 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-375865 I am really thinking about doing this. I am pretty good on having little to go by and spending the day outside. You can also spend some time at the library during the day. I only have a part time job and hate the idea that my rent won't go down as my wage did. I am going to become a Gym member, so I can have a place to keep in shape and clean up. My only concern is parking to sleep. I think I worry about that because I've never done it. I used to think the same way when i decided to go camping alone. Now i do it with no worries. That's when you realize how dependent you are from the system. Can you imagine being forced to spend the might at Yosemite National Park during the weekend by the river, because you don't have an apartment or house to go to. I can and I love the idea!!! Yes, i will be driving a lot, but it will be for my own enjoyment. I already cut down my credit cards bills by almost half and the less I have to pay, the less I want to pay. It is a great feeling not being a total slave to the system anymore. You are never 100% free, you just do what you can to minimize the dependency. I am really thinking about doing this. I am pretty good on having little to go by and spending the day outside.
You can also spend some time at the library during the day.
I only have a part time job and hate the idea that my rent won’t go down as my wage did.
I am going to become a Gym member, so I can have a place to keep in shape and clean up.
My only concern is parking to sleep. I think I worry about that because I’ve never done it.
I used to think the same way when i decided to go camping alone. Now i do it with no worries.
That’s when you realize how dependent you are from the system.
Can you imagine being forced to spend the might at Yosemite National Park during the weekend by the river, because you don’t have an apartment or house to go to.
I can and I love the idea!!!
Yes, i will be driving a lot, but it will be for my own enjoyment.
I already cut down my credit cards bills by almost half and the less I have to pay, the less I want to pay. It is a great feeling not being a total slave to the system anymore. You are never 100% free, you just do what you can to minimize the dependency.

]]> By: NH http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-375565 NH Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:41:48 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-375565 @ Raymond, No a sleeping bag isn't enough. Have you considered snow birding, heading south for the winter? Spending winter in the northern climate isn't a good idea and you would be most uncomfortable and then you would literally despise car living. Go south young man! @ Nate for keeping cool in the "free" sense if you could park in an area very near where water sprinklers are going all night the spray cools the air when you are in very close proximity and being downwind is the best and most effective. Parking under large shade trees at night also helps when in the morning when the sun begins to pound down on your little vehicle causing an instant and tremendous unbearable heat build up. A 12 volt fan in the window can also help. @ Mina, Toronto in winter is so cold! Do you think you could talk someone in letting you stay in a heated parking garage? @ JulieC, It is important to save your money and do so in a bank (for security purposes) and since you have to have a physical address in having a bank account ask a friend if you can use their address. The trick is when you are on a fixed income is to conserve your finances. Your vehicle must always be in running order so don't scrimp on oil changes and light maintenance. if your car breaks down then where will you be but full blown homeless. Keep looking for work. Temporary employment agencies are a great place to get quick work and fast money. I have lived out of several vans and in my opinion vans are the best way to go. If you can afford it please over insulate an area of your van creating a small and cozy area for winter use and a way to plug in for an electric heater or two. Living in a car, the only way you can be comfortable is to take out the passenger seat and create a real bed using a small mattress, then only will you be comfortable enough for a good nights sleep. I have a small car and the seat only goes back so far and is extremely uncomfortable. Do a web search and hit up vandwellers websites and glean much useful and necessary information. There are pages on stealth camping and is a must for the serious adherents of car living. Camp toilets the kind that use just a folding seat and small trash can liners work well. When done just tie off the bag and toss in a bucket and snap on the lid. When you find a dumpster just dump the contents of the bucket and no one will be offended. Showers in your van are best accomplished by heating up water on a heat plate or propane stove and sponge bathe. Another more labor intensive way to shower inside your van is use the Shower Jug Method. You need to have inside your van an area set up with a chair over a drain to the ground. Use biodegradable soap to keep it legal. You will need a very sturdy one gallon jug with a heavy duty screw on lid (eg. laundry detergent bottle). Take an average sized nail and while holding it with a pair of pliers heat up the pointed end over a heat source and poke about six holes around the perimeter of the lid and one in the center making sure you are well within the lid so as not to mess up the threaded area to ensure a positive seal. Fill up your Shower Jug about half way with water, then heat up about a quarts worth of water not boiling but really hot and pour it into your Shower Jug. You can purchase a thermometer strip the kind with a sticky back and adhere it to your jug so you can best determine water temperature so as not to scald yourself. Put on the lid and now you are ready for your shower. The best and most proven method is the Navy Shower and I can tell you first hand it works very very well. In fact you will feel cleaner than taking an ordinary shower. Here's how, First start by getting your hair wet and then using biodegradable shampoo tip the jug over your head getting it wet and lather up. Now leave the shampoo in your hair and begin to tip the jug and get the rest of you wet and with a wash cloth and biodegradable soap lather and scrub your self well. You will notice that you have to keep tipping the jug up to let air in so as not to form a vacuum, this you'll get use to. Now with the remainder of the water in the jug starting at the top of your head and begin rinsing off. By the time you are done you may still have water left in the jug which just goes to show you that you can shower thoroughly with less than a gallon of water. Also by letting the soap remain in your hair and on your body for a time you will notice how squeaky clean you will feel when done. Of course this method works well outdoors if you have a private place to shower. Keeping clean is one of the most important aspects of car or van living. I hope this was helpful to you. Best Regards! @ Raymond, No a sleeping bag isn’t enough. Have you considered snow birding, heading south for the winter? Spending winter in the northern climate isn’t a good idea and you would be most uncomfortable and then you would literally despise car living. Go south young man!
@ Nate for keeping cool in the “free” sense if you could park in an area very near where water sprinklers are going all night the spray cools the air when you are in very close proximity and being downwind is the best and most effective. Parking under large shade trees at night also helps when in the morning when the sun begins to pound down on your little vehicle causing an instant and tremendous unbearable heat build up. A 12 volt fan in the window can also help.
@ Mina, Toronto in winter is so cold! Do you think you could talk someone in letting you stay in a heated parking garage?
@ JulieC, It is important to save your money and do so in a bank (for security purposes) and since you have to have a physical address in having a bank account ask a friend if you can use their address. The trick is when you are on a fixed income is to conserve your finances. Your vehicle must always be in running order so don’t scrimp on oil changes and light maintenance. if your car breaks down then where will you be but full blown homeless. Keep looking for work. Temporary employment agencies are a great place to get quick work and fast money.

I have lived out of several vans and in my opinion vans are the best way to go. If you can afford it please over insulate an area of your van creating a small and cozy area for winter use and a way to plug in for an electric heater or two. Living in a car, the only way you can be comfortable is to take out the passenger seat and create a real bed using a small mattress, then only will you be comfortable enough for a good nights sleep. I have a small car and the seat only goes back so far and is extremely uncomfortable. Do a web search and hit up vandwellers websites and glean much useful and necessary information. There are pages on stealth camping and is a must for the serious adherents of car living. Camp toilets the kind that use just a folding seat and small trash can liners work well. When done just tie off the bag and toss in a bucket and snap on the lid. When you find a dumpster just dump the contents of the bucket and no one will be offended. Showers in your van are best accomplished by heating up water on a heat plate or propane stove and sponge bathe. Another more labor intensive way to shower inside your van is use the Shower Jug Method. You need to have inside your van an area set up with a chair over a drain to the ground. Use biodegradable soap to keep it legal. You will need a very sturdy one gallon jug with a heavy duty screw on lid (eg. laundry detergent bottle). Take an average sized nail and while holding it with a pair of pliers heat up the pointed end over a heat source and poke about six holes around the perimeter of the lid and one in the center making sure you are well within the lid so as not to mess up the threaded area to ensure a positive seal. Fill up your Shower Jug about half way with water, then heat up about a quarts worth of water not boiling but really hot and pour it into your Shower Jug. You can purchase a thermometer strip the kind with a sticky back and adhere it to your jug so you can best determine water temperature so as not to scald yourself. Put on the lid and now you are ready for your shower. The best and most proven method is the Navy Shower and I can tell you first hand it works very very well. In fact you will feel cleaner than taking an ordinary shower. Here’s how, First start by getting your hair wet and then using biodegradable shampoo tip the jug over your head getting it wet and lather up. Now leave the shampoo in your hair and begin to tip the jug and get the rest of you wet and with a wash cloth and biodegradable soap lather and scrub your self well. You will notice that you have to keep tipping the jug up to let air in so as not to form a vacuum, this you’ll get use to. Now with the remainder of the water in the jug starting at the top of your head and begin rinsing off. By the time you are done you may still have water left in the jug which just goes to show you that you can shower thoroughly with less than a gallon of water. Also by letting the soap remain in your hair and on your body for a time you will notice how squeaky clean you will feel when done. Of course this method works well outdoors if you have a private place to shower. Keeping clean is one of the most important aspects of car or van living. I hope this was helpful to you. Best Regards!

]]> By: LBD http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-353465 LBD Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:30:35 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-353465 Greetings Julie C. I'm afraid I can't offer advice about the "hassled" part. However, I can tell you that when I walk my dog late at night, I see many people sleeping in their car along my route. I live between three parks (it was one of the "benefits" of this neighborhood... now it's drug central) and there's a lot of police activity. But it could be they're so busy focusing on the parks they don't look too hard at folks inside a car minding their own business. Anyway, I live at the corner of Mississippi and Oneida. There's tons of condos in the area, and you can't miss the parks. I wouldn't park inside the parks, but beside them, perhaps. Maybe between Oneida and Quebec. Best of luck to you. Greetings Julie C. I’m afraid I can’t offer advice about the “hassled” part. However, I can tell you that when I walk my dog late at night, I see many people sleeping in their car along my route. I live between three parks (it was one of the “benefits” of this neighborhood… now it’s drug central) and there’s a lot of police activity. But it could be they’re so busy focusing on the parks they don’t look too hard at folks inside a car minding their own business. Anyway, I live at the corner of Mississippi and Oneida. There’s tons of condos in the area, and you can’t miss the parks. I wouldn’t park inside the parks, but beside them, perhaps. Maybe between Oneida and Quebec. Best of luck to you.

]]> By: JulieC http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-353178 JulieC Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:50:43 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-353178 I may have to live in my car, not out of choice, but because I'm homeless. I lost my job last January, and right now, I'm living in an extended stay hotel. My unemployment check is only $165 per week, and I can't afford to stay in the hotel for more than a week at a time. I'm in the Denver Metro area, and would like to know where one can park and not get hassled. I may have to live in my car, not out of choice, but because I’m homeless. I lost my job last January, and right now, I’m living in an extended stay hotel. My unemployment check is only $165 per week, and I can’t afford to stay in the hotel for more than a week at a time. I’m in the Denver Metro area, and would like to know where one can park and not get hassled.

]]> By: LAtramp http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-343757 LAtramp Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:18:42 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-343757 What a relief. I'm getting closer to living in my car for the life experience and of course to save money to pay off debt. I was beginning to have second thoughts about my happiness. This is great motivation and I thank you for the extra push. Pretty soon I'll be moving out of my wagon and into a nice 20-footer on the beach stress free. Thanks again. What a relief. I’m getting closer to living in my car for the life experience and of course to save money to pay off debt. I was beginning to have second thoughts about my happiness. This is great motivation and I thank you for the extra push. Pretty soon I’ll be moving out of my wagon and into a nice 20-footer on the beach stress free.

Thanks again.

]]> By: Gilligan http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-329149 Gilligan Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:28:52 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-329149 Just wanted to let you know I just turned 37 divorced and moved to Hawaii from SC. I purchased a ford cargo van and just moved in it. Its the best thing I have ever done. Weather is great no rent park at work and saving $1500 a month to buy a sailboat. Buy the way I also have installed a hot water shower for $200 bucks. I am set! Just wanted to let you know I just turned 37 divorced and moved to Hawaii from SC. I purchased a ford cargo van and just moved in it. Its the best thing I have ever done. Weather is great no rent park at work and saving $1500 a month to buy a sailboat. Buy the way I also have installed a hot water shower for $200 bucks. I am set!

]]> By: Sweet http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-321410 Sweet Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:04:32 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-321410 Lovely lifestyle. Im 16 and looking for car. I need good gas milage but something i can live out of(truck, suburban, vw bus...) any segestions? Great to finally see people live life and see our beatiful world instead of sitting in front of a tv or compter all day! I cant wait to explore california and surf every spot here! Lovely lifestyle. Im 16 and looking for car. I need good gas milage but something i can live out of(truck, suburban, vw bus…) any segestions? Great to finally see people live life and see our beatiful world instead of sitting in front of a tv or compter all day! I cant wait to explore california and surf every spot here!

]]> By: Mina http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-320791 Mina Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:19:15 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-320791 Great idea. I am looking into doing this very soon (starting next week). I wanted to know however, where do you park the car? I'm planning to live in Toronto (downtown), any ideas ? Great idea. I am looking into doing this very soon (starting next week).
I wanted to know however, where do you park the car? I’m planning to live in Toronto (downtown), any ideas ?

]]> By: Nate http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-319218 Nate Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:15:33 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-319218 I'm a single guy and thus have a lot of flexibility to do something like this. But I live in a warm part of the country, and wandered what any of you who have tried this recommend for staying cool at night without running the air conditioning all night. I’m a single guy and thus have a lot of flexibility to do something like this. But I live in a warm part of the country, and wandered what any of you who have tried this recommend for staying cool at night without running the air conditioning all night.

]]> By: Raymond http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-298602 Raymond Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:09:54 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-298602 I live where it gets cold in the winter....maybe a quality sleeping bag will take care of that problem...Rochester NY. I live where it gets cold in the winter….maybe a quality sleeping bag will take care of that problem…Rochester NY.

]]> By: Raymond http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-298600 Raymond Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:50:09 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-298600 I currently live in an apt.,pay child support and also pay for all my child's sporting activities.I have two maxed out credit cards,and a financial loan payment for the next year.My car is small...but it is a car.I have reached the point of seriously considering living in my car when my lease is up.I belong to a gym..so there is never a problem keeping clean and shaved.Does anyone have an opinion about my situation? If I did go to this venture...where is the best place to park and sleep? I was thinking apartment complex parking lots.Any advice? I currently live in an apt.,pay child support and also pay for all my child’s sporting activities.I have two maxed out credit cards,and a financial loan payment for the next year.My car is small…but it is a car.I have reached the point of seriously considering living in my car when my lease is up.I belong to a gym..so there is never a problem keeping clean and shaved.Does anyone have an opinion about my situation? If I did go to this venture…where is the best place to park and sleep? I was thinking apartment complex parking lots.Any advice?

]]> By: Chantel http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/comment-page-1/#comment-297862 Chantel Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:51:39 +0000 http://www.off-grid.net/2008/04/23/i-live-in-my-car/#comment-297862 Wow I am very inspired, I have a HUGE headache. I just found out I am totally screwed and I am pretty much going to be living in a warehouse. But now I want to live in a van! My friends told me about how awesome vans were but I didnt understand why till I read this. They have all had to live and sleep in the van..... I think I want to be a hippy.... I am already half way there, I blow glass and play guitar all I have to do is get a van and its on!!!! Wow I am very inspired, I have a HUGE headache. I just found out I am totally screwed and I am pretty much going to be living in a warehouse. But now I want to live in a van! My friends told me about how awesome vans were but I didnt understand why till I read this. They have all had to live and sleep in the van….. I think I want to be a hippy…. I am already half way there, I blow glass and play guitar all I have to do is get a van and its on!!!!

]]>