How to Live in Your Car
from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Living in a car isn’t something that anyone would recommend. However, when you get laid off, your emergency fund runs out, your home is foreclosed (or you get an eviction notice) and there’s nobody to help, living in your car might be the only choice, especially if you don’t feel safe at a local shelter. Unfortunately, in many places, sleeping in your car is not only frowned upon, but also illegal. Here’s how to get by until something better comes along.
Remember, you are not alone and you have a vehicle. Lots of people have survived and even thrived while sleeping in cars.[1]
Steps
- You can only live in your car successfully if your car works. 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.
- Find a safe and inconspicuous place to park. First, 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, Wal-Mart 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.[2] If there are no such lots available, and you live in a 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.[3] Parking lots of big-box retailers (especially those that are open 24 hours and have restrooms, such as Wal-mart) 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. [4]
- Church car parks are often quiet during week days. If you check around, you may find a church that is less used than others. This could be a good place to park, and you may be able to ask for assistance at the church.[5]
- Industrial estates and business parks are often noisy by day, but very quiet at night. Small ones close to residential areas are best. They have to be quiet at night. You may encounter security in some places like this, but if you are honest, saying you are just sleeping the night in your car, they usually won’t bother you. Their main role is to protect the property.
- University car parks. This is okay if you are a student, but not so good if you are not associated with the university. If required, get a parking permit.[6]
- Camping grounds are another option, although they usually have time limits and some are almost as expensive as a hotel room. Some offer a shower for a nominal fee. National Forests have some free camping with a limit of 14 days.
- If there’s no restroom, having a creek nearby helps for rinsing purposes. Know how to safely defecate outdoors and make a poop tube. Five gallon bucket with a lid and lye for odour can also work.
- A free hospital parking lot is another option. If approached by a guard, you can say that you’re waiting to visit a sick relative.[7] However, note that in Australia, due to past murders of nurses, you may attract police attention by parking in a hospital car park. You may be asked to move on by security.[5]
- If you can establish rapport with the manager of a retail store or restaurant, they may not give you problems about staying overnight, especially if they see your presence as a form of overnight security.[8]
- Once you find a spot, try to arrive late at night, and leave before 7am. This will draw as little attention as possible to yourself.
- Due to noise, you might find that you will need ear plugs to sleep. Ear plugs will block a lot of background noise to a level that is bearable. Ear plugs are good for blocking out traffic, birds, animals, talking and background music. They will not block out very loud noise or close noise, such as some one tapping on your car.
- Find a place to shower. 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 showerand fully clean yourself without embarrassment.
- Gyms though 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 organisations 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.[9] 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.
- Community or Recreation centers that have gyms and showers are a cheaper option than the nationwide chains. Many Rec or Community centers yearly memberships cost about the same as the monthly memberships at a national gym. You may not be able to store your items as safely in these places though.
- The next best choice is to check into an affordable caravan park one or two days a week. These usually range from about $18-$26 a night in Australia, possible more in the USA. You will have a spot to park your car, you can do laundry (usually an extra fee), fill up on water, have a shower and even pitch a tent if you have one. They usually have powered sites, so you can recharge your electrical devices or run a fan or heater.[10]
- Another option, though possibly more expensive, is to book into a cheap motel or hostel once or twice a week and clean up thoroughly there (if you can afford it).
- Public pools tend to have showers, depending on whether they have private stalls or are set up gang style, they may provide a discrete place to shower. Another option to consider- when you can’t shower, use unscented baby wipes to clean up, or take a “bum shower” in a public restroom where you feel comfortable doing so.
- At a truck stop, you can ask around for a shower coupon, if you feel safe allowing people to know that you’re without a place to stay. Truck stops are good to sleep at too. Truck Stops can be noisy at night though, so ear plugs are recommended.[4]
- Some toll roads, especially state turnpikes, have large rest areas with free showers for truckers. Since these are usually open 24 hours, these plazas are also good places to sleep.
- Keep an eye out for community college athletic field houses– they don’t always check IDs, and can be a good free shower option. Check their fee schedule– sometimes you can take a single class for a nominal price, thus becoming a legitimate member of the college community, with access to their gym, library, wi-fi, employment office and other resources (in addition to learning something).
- Rest areas on National highways are good for a few hours and most have security.
- Be discreet. Keeping your situation under wraps 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.
- Consider using a car cover. Not only will it maintain privacy (especially since condensation on the windows will otherwise make it obvious that you’re in there) but it will also keep the car warmer during winter. This is not a viable option, however, when it’s hot outside.
- 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.[11] Black cloth is best for privacy and blocking out light.
- If you can afford it, 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 a untinted window it screams homeless person. You hang the same on a tinted window it’ll be impossible to see inside and won’t draw attention.
- Keep the windows cracked open while you sleep, not wide enough for someone to reach in, but enough to allow fresh air and reduce condensation on the windows.
- Get the things you’ll need. The basic essentials for living in a car are a blanket, a pillow, and a mattress or some other padding. Due to the angles involved in the seating setup, you may develop dull back painfrom 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 water proof. 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.
- One essential item, if you can afford it is a porta potti, a chemical toilet. These devices can really make living in a car bearable. They can be purchased for under $100 new these days. If you can’t afford a porta potti or don’t have room for one, you can pee into wide necked bottles like gatorade bottles, or make an improvised bucket style toilet.[12]
- Find alternate ways of generating electricity. A cigarette lighter converter is one option. These are useful for powering low consuming devices (100 watts), but if you plan on using your vehicle for cooking, then you’ll need to draw power more directly from your battery or you’ll blow the fuse. Running electric cooking appliances from your car though is fairly impractical without an expensive dual battery and inverter system. There are small 12 volt water heaters and skillets, but these generally are not very efficient. You will also need a much more expensive inverter if you plan to run things that use mains voltage. You may need to idle the vehicle while drawing this power if you don’t have a dual battery system, however even then, car alternators are not designed for such use and may not be able to produce the current you need.[13] [14]
- A good buy for any car dweller is a low voltage cut out device.[15] This device protects your car’s battery by cutting off the electricity once the battery reaches a voltage where it can still start the car, but can’t really run plug in devices much more. These usually retail for about $25-$40. They are a very good investment for a car dweller, as continual flattening of your battery will damage it, resulting in a costly replacement, and inconvenience of not being able to start the car.
- An alternative to electric cooking devices is to use gas for cooking, but do not use this inside the vehicle for safety reasons. There are many dangers associated with cooking inside your car; unstable surfaces, fire hazards, burns from hot metal or spilled liquids, carbon monoxide build up, smells. Cooking is for outside of the car. If you live in a van with a stable set up for cooking, then cooking inside is okay, provided there is ventilation.
- Have a place to store items that is portable. Get bags you can fill with your soaps, clothes, cell phone, etc. Keeping things in order will save you a lot of hassle. A vehicle may seem like a small space, but losing things can be extremely easy. Also, keeping things neat inside the car will draw less attention from people passing by who happen to look in the windows. Hiding your bedding might be a good idea (consider the trunk). If there is not room in the car for a weeks worth of clothes and supplies, try to leave them at a friends for safe keeping and then you can have a reason to come over, and they may give you a shower and a place to hang out. When you do your laundry, be sure to get them bone dry, as you do not want damp clothes to mildew or smell bad in the car. When you’re not in the car, leave windows cracked and dryer sheets scattered about to keep the interior smelling decent. Wash your sheets once a month, or else you risk smelling like a homeless person, which will blow your cover and get you treated like a homeless person.
- Keep dirty clothes separate in plastic bags so they do not smell up all your clothing.
- Evaluate your food options. 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. They will be limited by the lack of refrigeration. Fast food is expensive when you’re living off of 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.[16]
- Before you start living in your car, use your permanent address to:
- Rent a P.O. Box or a Private Mail Box (PMB). Although PMBs tend to be more expensive, you can receive packages at them and some services will let you use a address format which makes it appear to be an apartment, which is useful for when someone requires a physical address.
- Sign up for a gym membership. (This however, can be expensive, and if your resources are limited, you may find it to be a drain.)
- Renew any paperwork that will require an address to process soon.
- Put valuables in a safe deposit box at a bank.
If you have friends or family who can’t (or refuse to) help you with your living situation (or you refuse to ask them for help) think about at least asking them if you can use their address.
- Stay positive. Keep reminding yourself that the situation is only temporary. Spend each day hitting the pavement and looking for jobs. Use the local library and bookstore not only to search for jobs, but also to become more knowledgeable in ways that will help you get through this and find a job. Most importantly, talk to people like social workers and religious organization workers who will sympathize and understand, and try to help.
Video
Some introductory steps to sleeping in your car for the first time.
Tips
- If your car has the capacity, install a hanging bar. This will provide a bit more storage space as well as keep clothes wrinkle-free for job interviews, etc.
- Tint your windows for privacy; tinting works better than using barriers (blankets etc.) because it enables you to see out while others cannot see in. This could be helpful when trying to live unnoticed. Barriers also attract attention and advertise what you are doing, while tinted windows are very common on many cars.
- If you wear contact lenses you will need a disinfectant for your hands. Better yet, wear glasses.
- Sleeping will likely be a challenge at first because there is a good chance that your vehicle is not large enough for you to fully stretch out your body. Find a position where you can comfortably sleep with your legs bent or against your chest. Alternatively, you can try sitting up in the back seat and propping a pillow against the wall of the car.
- Get an automobile association membership. This will help you if you drain your battery, or break down.
- Make sure you have vehicle documentation and insurance. Without them, your problems will increase.
- Personal safety should always be your number-one priority. Knives used for food preparation and tire irons can be used as weapons. You may want to learn your state’s gun laws and purchase a handgun or other firearm if you do not already own one. Criminals seek out people who appear vulnerable, or travel alone. Sometimes the sound of a cocked gun will be sufficient enough to deter a potential mugger. However, be aware that if police become aware that you have a gun, they may shoot you for possessing a weapon. Police generally do not regard homeless people well and there has been many unfortunate cases of shootings of homeless people (even unarmed ones) by police.[17]
- Be aware that if you carry an unlicensed gun in Australia that there are extremely stiff penalties for doing so.
- If you are spending the night in your car and you have been drinking alcohol, do not have the keys in the ignition, If it is winter and you need to run the car for heat, move over to the passenger or back seat. Otherwise, you could get a DUI/DWI just for being in your car.
- The garbage truck or other neighborhood noises can wake you up. Consider earplugs.
- Pay attention to your instincts. If a parking spot feels weird for any reason, find yourself a new one.
- If you are on food stamps, and can’t afford deodorant or car deodorizer, baking soda is really good substitute that food stamps can buy. Also cheap dollar store hydrogen peroxide along with baking soda, are a phenomenal toothpaste. If for some reason you cannot bath for a day or two, baking soda will make your hair clean and grease free.
- Apply for HUD Housing in remote areas of the country where there is no waiting list.
- An outdoors shop, like REI in the U.S. or MEC in Canada, is a great place to get cheap things you’ll need to live outside of an apartment.
- Wal-Marts usually allow all-night parking and sleeping in cars.
Warnings
- Avoid driving the car. While it seems harmless, police do not take kindly to marginalized people. A danger is that they may write a report about you to a government office in the hope that they’ll cancel your license.
- Never sleep in the driver seat if you can avoid it. Your body will quickly associate that seat with sleeping, creating risks when you are driving – especially when you’re tired. Recline the passenger seat or lie down in the back if there is room.
- If you are sleeping in the car on a regular basis, do as few other things in the car as possible. Don’t eat, read, or anything else that will cause you to spend more time than necessary in the car. The more time you spend in it, the more smells will accumulate.
- If you use a car cover, never run the car or smoke while it is on. You could easily suffocate or get carbon monoxide poisoning. Also, do not use it on a warm day without adequate ventilation.
- Be careful who you tell about your living in a car. If they’re not likely to provide assistance, then don’t bother, because you might end up endangering yourself.
- Be aware that having a gun in the car carries its risks. If you are startled awake and point the gun at the wrong person (i.e. a cop tapping on the window), you can wind up being shot yourself.
- Don’t drink alcohol. Don’t even bring any alcohol into your car. If cops find you with alcohol in your blood or in your car, you could get in serious trouble, even if you’re not driving at the time.
Things You’ll Need
- Car with insurance and license
- Blankets and pillows
- Towels and wash cloths
- Water
- Gas
- Food
- Gym membership (you will stay clean and work off stress)
- Automobile association membership (if your car insurance doesn’t include Roadside Assistance)
- If you have been homeless for a while, you may not have money for car insurance. Be aware that you can be considered a vagrant. Your car will be impounded. No money, no recovery of your car and the impounder has just stolen your car. Now where can you go??????
Related wikiHows
- How to Find a Place to Live in LA
- How to Make Money Fast
- How to Panhandle
- How to Become a Hobo
- How to Stay Positive when You Know Your Life Sucks
Sources and Citations
- ↑ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003590929_outofdebt27.html
- ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/19/homeless.mom/index.html
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/us/02cars.html
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.carliving.info/101.htm
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.carliving.info/parking.htm
- ↑ http://www.carliving.info/parking.htm
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/us/02cars.html
- ↑ http://www.pitch.com/2008-09-04/news/joco-s-hobos-when-a-working-man-doesn-t-have-a-home-in-johnson-county-a-wal-mart-parking-lot-is-the-next-best-thing/2
- ↑ http://www.carliving.info/myths.htm
- ↑ http://www.carliving.info/parking.htm
- ↑ http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=G7-gPZEzVy4
- ↑ http://www.carliving.info/bathing.htm
- ↑ http://www.carliving.info/isolator/index.html
- ↑ http://cheaprvliving.com/howtohaveelectricity.html
- ↑ http://youtube.com/watch?v=BBtFT7LRY4o
- ↑ live-frugal.blogspot.com/2008/02/stealth-living.html
- ↑ http://www.the-spark.net/np749603.html
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March 4, 2012 at 8:09 pm
If traveling long distances, away from cities, and depending on the particular state, rest stops along major interstate highways in USA allow people to stay from 2 hours and more; Texas allows 24 hour (or longer) stays and sleeping in a car is allowed; Tennessee allows only 2 hours (does not like to see “poor” people, so cops will be notified if you try to overstay anywhere) – not only for public rest stops, but all private business parking lots (excepting WalMarts) do not allow more than 2 hours.
For privacy – cut a large black-colour plastic trash bag into 2 (2 bags for 4 pieces). These can be held by the car door windows – rolled up tight – with the main portion hanging down thereby covering most of the window.
Travel with a sleeping bag for colder weather car sleeping. Extra cushions, blankets can be used to make the car seats more even and comfortable to sleep in …
Truck stop showers cost US$10-12 and laundry about $5
Best foods – fresh fruits (that don’t need refrigeration), nuts (raw, organic, not processed with oils, salt, chemicals), water; not too expensive and provides reasonable nutrition.
March 4, 2012 at 9:31 pm
I lived in a Ford Taurus car with my teenaged son and husband AND a German Shepard dog for 3 months and did NONE of the stuff you said to do. Turnpikes have NO free showers for truck drivers. Where did you get that ridiculous notion from? Truck stops charge $10 per shower and all 3 of us showered at once. Bumming a shower ticket is impossible due to the price of the shower without one and you have to buy a LOT of diesel to get a free coupon. We lived almost exclusively on McDonald’s and Burger King cheapest items on the menu for 3 months. We survived. Homeless shelters will let you shower if you say you are staying the night. You CAN wash your clothes at rest areas in cold water and then hang clothes outside car to dry. Don’t try in winter though. I would NEVER get a gun – way too dangerous.
Buy a heater pouch to heat up canned food in. Truck stops sell them for $50 and you can fit 2 cans nicely in and plug into the cigarette lighter and 4 plus hours later you have hot food. Or buy a single burner Coleman stove that uses very little fuel for about $60 and fits one pot or skillet on. Or get a 2 burner Coleman stove – kerosene models only please as you don’t want a propane tank to explode on you in a hot car scenerio. Wash plates, pots and pans at rest area restrooms (I did). As far as applying for HUD places in rural areas – they are just as backed up (if not more so) than the other areas. Don’t bank on getting anything from them in a hurry. Everyone is waiting for a Metro apartment or home everywhere. Try to get on food stamps if you can. At least you can buy non perishable items to eat. Forget ice chests as the ice is expensive to keep stuff cold. Learn to eat sandwiches or cook perishables the same day as a treat.
Just ask me – I’ve been there, done that and quite frainly whoever wrote this silly article has NEVER been homeless.
Don’t sleep in rest areas if you can help it as the cops cruise thru a lot at night and some cops like to roust you at 7AM so begone before 7AM. Goodwill is a great place to buy pots/pans/dishes/cutlery and blankets as well as clothes. I would not sleep at Walmart. Where do you get this silly notion from? If you have a motorhome or camper MAYBE but NOT in a car and the cops come thru on a regular basis as well there. And there are signs posted at many Walmarts saying no overnight parking. AND WM is a great place for gangs to go and congregate in and you can and will be robbed if you are in their terriroty. Think again where you stay. Get a heavy wooden cane or metal cane for protection. No law against having a cane versus a GUN or a big KNIFE.
Window tinting at night means you can’t see OUT either!!!! to see who is outside of your car. WRONG!! VERY DUMB. I had tinting on my windows for many years in Florida and could not see out at night in the pitch dark with only moonlight to see by. If you are parked in your car with tinted windows parked in the boonies how do you expect to see out the windows?
Buy crank flashlights so you don’t need to buy batteries. Don’t cost much more than a regular flashlight. Dynamo flashlights are great. Come in many sizes from small hand held ones to bigger models (lantern styles) and have LED lights in them that last for 10 years or more.
If you must have insurance on your car buy only the cheapest state minimum liability insurance to stay legal and pay in full in person. Watch for the expiration dates on your license tag and go in person to get renewed. Same with your driver’s license. Don’t drive fast or carelessly to attract the cops attention to you. Obey all signs about No Trespassing or No Overnight Parking or you risk going to jail.
Beware of rest areas or information centers. Some make you sign in to spend overnight in their rest area. Those are on state lines called Welcome Centers.
If you need drinking water get it from rest areas in the bathrooms or drinking fountains to fill your water jugs at. I did.
I survived and so can you.
March 4, 2012 at 9:46 pm
Great Article…Very Thorough. Marinas are also a good place to sleep in your car & also have restrooms with showers. I am talking about marinas in towns that have a large contingency of commercial fishing Vessels not ‘yuppie’ marinas. Fishermen come & go all night so activity is normal. You can always take a look at some of the boat names & if asked say you are waiting to go out on the ‘blank’ as a deck hand. All-in-all one needs to be creative as it is harder to live as such where people used to be left alone. Even high-livin’ RVers cannot just pull over somewhere & sleep without being hounded. If you are off the beaten path try driving on roads that border streams & rivers as it is not unusual to see cars & trucks parked alongside such in areas where fishing is legal. Usually very early in the morning as well. Good luck.
March 4, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Rven – Texas has a No Loitering law so be VERY careful where you loiter waiting for someone to come out of a convenient store or the cashier will call the cops on you!!! They did it to me when my son was making a phone call!! Also the black plastic bags on the windows just SCREAMS homeless!!!!
Or you could be in a high meth making area and someone could call the cops on you thinking you are up to something. Don’t expect much, if any privacy when sleeping in a car and for heaven’s sake NEVER leave your car unlocked either with you in it or you out of it.. Keep valuables out of sight in your trunk or cover with a blanket when out of the car. We always had one person stay with the car. And the big dog certainly helped us as well. Big barking dog chased off many people up to no good. If you have a dog – keep it as they tend to stay awake and keep watch while you sleep or they sleep very lightly and wake up to alert you of any motion or sound. Big Sheba learned her new job quickly and paid for her food many times over with her alertness.
If areas are heavily tagged with gang grafitti, don’t stay or even park there. i.e.spray paint all over walls.
I traveled literally all over this country in the 3 months we were homeless or about 30,000 miles!!! I’ve been everywhere at least twice!!
Check your car fulids regularly and change the oil every 10,000 miles or less.
AND NEVER RESORT to SHOPLIFTING as you car will be impounded along with all your posessions. It’s not worth it. Don’t even try. If you need money to eat try panhandling for it. And ask other people nicely and not pushy or demanding but extreme kindness in your voice. I did this and lots of folks helped me out with anywhere from 25 cents to a hundred dollar bill!! And I graciously thanked each person as if they had given me a $500 bill. Don’t display your religious jewelry hoping someone will give to you just because you are of a certain religion either. I wore no jewelry and did just fine.
If someone wants to fill your car up with gas – follow them to a gas station and let them. If someone wants to buy you a meal – follow them to a restaurant and let them buy you a meal. There are more good hearted folks out there that will help you. BUT beware if you feel that person is hinky then don’t follow them anywhere as it might be a trap!
March 4, 2012 at 10:35 pm
EXCELLENT BLOG. I’ll be adding you to my blogroll.
March 4, 2012 at 11:32 pm
When I was car camping I did find a local chiropracter who I made friends with and he allowed me (and one other) to part over night in his office’s parking lot (but it was a secret as there were other offices there too).
It worked well because he also (we were good friends by then) let me have an extra office key so I could use the bathroom and microwave/refrigerator.
so there are ways.
I think the worse part is not fitting into a small compact car and not getting any sleep because of it.
And the next hardest part is finding other places to park (in general) as the police seem very hard to get along with these days (and people are extra sensitive about the homeless).
I finally talked a old relative into letting me live free at their place, though I am in the den and have no privacy (except when I sleep). But at least I can shower for free and cook food (important when you get ill,….as that is why I had to ‘find a place more appropriate to my condition”.
I had to learn to be very humble. Another key. I recommend extra training in any of the various spiritual traditions that help you maintain a calm aura or make you feel better. Otherwise, you find yourself extra angry and helpless….which is hard to work from (get things down) as it wears you down into the ground. And can lead to a stress condition (happen to me). Which is only helpful in getting social security (you need a mental issue sometimes to receive this benefit in the US, don’t ask me why). But the other side is if you start being extra afraid of everyone, you can’t get through your days…as everything starts to appear ‘scary’.
just my thoughts
March 5, 2012 at 2:25 am
If you want to hide things and want to live in your vehicle get a van. Get a van that has just one small window on the side. You can sleep in a van and have sex in a van and if nobody can see you you’ll be safe. If you pull up in a parking lot and someone comes by maybe the police and they see a van sitting there and the doors are locked you can be sound asleep, but all they know there is a van sitting there and if they can’t see you what can they do? IN a car everyone can see you sleeping and it’s not safe to sleep and if the cops come by they will harass you and of course if they see one beer can they will search your vehicle and if you got a gun in there you are in trouble, IN a van you can have guns and everything is out of sight. If cops can’t see your stuff they can do nothing. THe best van would be one of those high top conversion vans complete with toilet and a frig.
March 5, 2012 at 2:44 am
I’ve never been homeless, but I’ve worked in many different states on the water living out of motels. I’ve been to many places around the world. If you do get a van you want something that looks nice. If you want to hang out go live on the beach during the Summer. You can surf fish to eat. You can get one of those inflatable boats and go fishing. You can shower off with just a couple gallons of water.. You wet yourself down and scrub and then rinse off with just a couple gallons. You can find some remote place and live in a tent. Along the river where you could fish. You could trap muskrats. So it’s better to have a river where there is plenty of food. NOt much food in the woods, except for maybe a squirrel and you have to wait for them and shoot them,
March 5, 2012 at 4:26 am
Alcohol baths! A wash cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol is a good substitute for a shower. You will feel cleaner and it eliminates body odour if you follow up with deodorant. I learned this when I was homeless. Rubbing alcohol is cheap, too.
Alcohol baths are used in hospitals and nursing homes.
March 5, 2012 at 5:18 am
Vinegar is the cheapest deodorant and will stop most smells and nearly all yeasts whether on food or skin. Vinegar sterilizes and kills bacteria on food preparation plates/trays.
Vinegar destroys most protein based bug bits from bees to scorpions.
Pure honey is good as energy food. Pure honey is good for all skin wounds from burns to cuts.
Check if the passenger seat can be turned around i.e. back to front. Also check if the back rest of the rear seats can be removed. Sleep with the legs in the trunk and the head on the reversed front seat.
March 5, 2012 at 7:27 am
So, it sounds like there is NO GOOD PLACE to park your car. I see all the places NOT to park. Where can you park without the cops cruising by all the time and hasseling you?
March 5, 2012 at 8:02 am
you can make a tiny food heater from a drink can, using metho as the fuel. ok for one person, and easy enough to replace when it gives out.
see youtube theres a few how to vids there.also Instructables web page.
in aus some(few and getting less) caravan parks will allow you and dogs for a max of 6days, on the seventh you need to leave and come back again a full day later as a new rent for site. councils own a lot of these and rurals likely to be more amenable. the cheap shops sell personal handface wipes that are affordable for a general scrub over tidy up.. rural roadsides have truck sleep areas you should be ok for about 12 hrs. use ebay for cheaper porta loo buying. the chems expensive but it lasts ok.all food in sealed containers its amazing how ants can get into a car!
March 5, 2012 at 8:14 am
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Simple-Beverage-Can-Stove
March 5, 2012 at 8:39 am
I suspect if you want to be left alone undisturbed the kind of people that will see you is as important as where you park. A motel parking lot worked well for me at night where I often paid for a room .No one ever bothered me. Maybe because I did not attract the attention of anyone because different people are coming and going all the time and I sometimes stayed overnight in a room so employees were familiar with my car..They were probably low paid employees that saw my car to begin with so they may be the kind of people that can relate to someone not as well off as most of society. It was not a run down place or a real fancy place. The police came to check me out when I was at Walmart.
March 5, 2012 at 9:02 am
Great ideas- but I have to tell you from my own experience- if you have to live in a vehicle, live in a van. It’s so less conspicuous, you are able to park it just about anywhere without drawing attention to yourself.
March 5, 2012 at 10:16 am
Good subject and cool comments:
The time to prepare for emergencies is before they happen.
Leading financial luminaries are betting their outstanding reputations on a global economic meltdown.
http://www.magnifiedview.com/2010/09/17/yodas-little-known-tactics-to-avoid-being-a-target/
Best of Yoda’s luck and may the force be with you.
Right on Curviving The Middle Class Crash……WRITE ON!
P.S. “May you live in interesting times.” Ancient Chinese curse.
March 5, 2012 at 11:57 am
The person who said owning a gun is way too dangerous is pure brainwashed sheeple. On the other hand, you might want something dangerous to a bad guy if you have to live in your car. Being discreet with firearms is the thing to keep in mind.
March 5, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Great stuff. Here’s another good site from Amerika: http://www.gypsycool.com
March 5, 2012 at 2:16 pm
I am really happy that I left America and moved to India. I am a 27 year old American man, and I can live VERY NICELY here for only 400 dollars a month.
Feminism is the single most cause that destroyed America. It destroyed millions of men’s lives financially through the divorce courts, alimony/support payments, and female affirmative action.
Now you people are paying the price- and it is interesting how many women end up homeless as well. You people made your bed- now lie in it.
March 5, 2012 at 2:37 pm
http://www.henrymakow.com/how_to_be_homeless.html
March 5, 2012 at 2:38 pm
I slept in a car for a few months a decade ago. I parked it in single-family home residential areas where there were plenty of cars on the streets and plenty of room for another. I scared a few people, but mostly I wasn’t bothered.
March 5, 2012 at 10:53 pm
As a truck driver, we don’t really use shower coupons near as much as we used to. We have cards (frequent fueling cards) that we swipe as we fuel and the available showers we have are loaded onto the card when we fuel. You will have to go up to the counter with the truck driver to get the shower. Sometimes people ask me and as long as you don’t look to bad, I will say here is a driver who didn’t fuel, I don’t mind using a shower that is on my card to help out. Don’t park in a really in a really busy truck stop in a truck parking space. In the less busy truck stops however, no truck drivers will complain, but you do wind up sticking out like a sore thumb. Police do go through many truck stops at least twice a night and check it out.
In this economy, there should be car park areas for people who are homeless, but are working. A small fee charged for parking there and showers and restrooms available. Sometimes people fall on hard times, even while working and need sometime to save money. The car park places should have security on hand and cameras to watch for crime.
I feel people should have some dignity while going through hard times, if your working and have become homeless, you deserve some dignity and sometime to get your life in order.
March 8, 2012 at 10:51 am
John,
nice to know that you are fortunate enough to live on $400 a month in India which would be considered a fortune by most Indian’s whom live on substantially less than that, you may count yourself lucky.
As for the demise of America, seems to me that you have the wrong end of the stick as it is hardly the entire fault of feminism.
Perhaps men should accept some blame too as it is the male dominated political arena where the governance of the country takes place, people that you all elected to lead you, but how were you to know with your limited educations and your mindless distractions to occupy your every waking moment that you were all being lead mindlessly, hypnotised by jingoism, to the fall of your empire.
You cant blame the women entirely, they represent only 50% give or take of the population.
It would seem that you are allowing a personal grievance to cloud your opinions and you have my sympathy if you were wronged, but women were kept in servitude, disrespected and treated as intellectually challenged second class citizens prior to feminism, all decent morally upstanding humans require to be treated as equals. I fail to see how you managed to equate the demise of the USA to feminism.