How do you keep gas in the tank & food in your belly?

[Satellite5812]

Curious what percentage of VanDwellers are employed in a mobile capacity, retired, freelancing, etc...

 

[SoulRaven]

SSI, which is very different from SSDI, in that the latter is an amount of income intended to be livable and the former is not. I get by with reducing my travel footprint to save on gas, utilizing food banks, selling off my stuff on CL and possibly soon making a buck or two in some task-oriented freelance jobs.

 

[T.he I.nvisible M.an]

WORK! (at least for now)

And now you know ...

T.I.M.

(Seems I drive in circles in a few counties up to 1,000 miles a month or so (and Betty CAN get thirsty from time to time))

 

[ramblingvanman]

Mobile auto/small engine repair and other stuff. I have been looking at some RV dealers with the thought of learning the eccentricities of RVs before I hit the road full time. I am also looking at Mechanical Turk and whatever work I can pick up like the beet harvest or whatever.

 

[SoulRaven]

Before retirement, I worked regular jobs and just lived in my van.

Before retirement, that was my life, and I didn't know how easy it was to make money online or without having a regular job. During my working career, it was rare to earn over $20k yearly. Since retirement, I can make more than that in a month!

There are many ways to make money online, NOT working for some one else, but working for yourself. I make considerably more now in my spare time than I ever made working full time for someone else.

With the multitude of workshops at the rallies about how to make money either online or otherwise working yourself, I see no need for anyone to ever have to work for someone else ever again.

I do know many van dwellers who work temp jobs on a regular basis, but they are no longer doing it for the money, they are doing it for the sake of having something to do. Idle hands or mind can make for a very boring life. For the past year or so, I have been volunteering building camper vans and other structures for the homeless. Very rewarding, and never a lack of something of something to do.

I really enjoy having a purpose in life, and feel more like I'm contributing something to society now than I ever did when I was working regular jobs.

 

[cyndi]

Besides my annuity I house and pet sit. A 2 week gig brings in a few hundred bucks, long, hot showers, free food, unlimited internet,

 

[highdesertranger]

I am not full time yet but do make some money while on the road. I have done house sitting/pet sitting for affluent people. that pays really well because I can take care of horses, people are funny with their pets and even more funny if the pets are horses. there is also my gold prospecting that brings in a little money. well it would if I would sell the gold. but up till now I just sit on it. highdesertranger

 

[cyndi]

Hahaha!!! Those horse people are a whole different breed of crazy than the dog people, eh? Can't hardly blame them. Horses are so susceptible to so many dietary issues and sometimes it seems some of them look for ways to hurt themselves. And the vet bills... OMD! Yeah, I'll enjoy other's horses. Neverwant to see one of those vet bills with my name on it.

 

[TMG51]

Looks like I'm the only vote for "regular job that can be done remotely."

 

[wagoneer]

When San Francisco was a reasonable place to live I just did the Flea tgfty ( cat just typed that last word?) rents were cheap and times were funner. now it's all jacked up and I am sick and tired of the husstle. Having paid into the system am extracting the results.

 

[Queen]

Looks like I'm the only vote for "regular job that can be done remotely."

My wife does that, but I'm tied to working in a place for a couple more years, then we can wander more.

 

[compassrose]

I used to work a regular job. Not any more. I quit and now am having trouble getting the money I had HD pull out of my paycheck for stock, returned. Was running out of money. So I'm now on food stamps living for free in one of my daughters' back yard. My other (RVing) daughter got her old job back (going to have to be the store manager again) and is living in her sister's house so she is paying the non-food bills. I'm looking for another job since we won't be leaving NM until next spring (yet another NM winter). I will work on the bus, work on my grief related depression and try to get the etsy shop going since I can't seem to get a job in this tiny economically depressed town. I still have bills to pay (internet, cell phone, insurance).

 

[GrantRobertson]

I plan to live on financial aid while I am working on my Master's degree in Computer Science online and living on the road. Then again with the financial aid and stipends while I work on my Ph.D. in Information Science. I'll have to stay in one city for that, probably Austin again, but I will still live in my rig to cut way down on how much financial aid i will need.

After all that, I plan to: A) Form and direct a non-profit, which will be run entirely virtually, with no brick & mortar presence and all remote employees. B) Do consulting to help researchers organize and format their data so it can most easily be meshed with other research data, moving from campus to campus as needs require. C) Write books. D) Anything else I feel like doing.

 

[Reducto]

I'm a poker dealer and work about 150-200 days a year at big tournaments around the country. Pay is decent and I get to work in small chunks, 1 to 7 weeks at a time long hours then take a week or a month off. When I tell non-poker people about this they seem to view it as bizarre, but there are a couple thousand of us and plenty of work to go around.

I'd like to have a completely different job to switch back and forth between but haven't found anything else that is this flexible and pays as well. At least, not anything else I could jump into easily.

 

[Queen]

I'm a poker dealer and work about 150-200 days a year at big tournaments around the country. Pay is decent and I get to work in small chunks, 1 to 7 weeks at a time long hours then take a week or a month off. When I tell non-poker people about this they seem to view it as bizarre, but there are a couple thousand of us and plenty of work to go around.

I'd like to have a completely different job to switch back and forth between but haven't found anything else that is this flexible and pays as well. At least, not anything else I could jump into easily.

We played Rummy last night, I deal like a drunk five year old, so I'm guessing that job is out.

 

[highdesertranger]

ha ha ha ha, "a drunk five year old". lol highdesertranger

 

[Reducto]

It takes anyone a lot of practice. The 5 week class and first few nervous weeks on the job are enough to get ok at the physical aspects, after that it's mostly about getting faster and minimizing mistakes. Anyone who can physically handle sitting upright handling small objects for long periods and mentally handle keeping track of lots of little details for a few minutes at a time can do it.

 

[Patrick46]

Anyone who can mentally handle keeping track of lots of little details for a few minutes at a time can do it.

Uppps..........that's it, I'm out!


I'm a one man, one task kinda guy.

 

[dhawktx]

I've been told that I have ADHD. That means I'm

Ooo! Shiney! **runs off**

 

[rvpopeye]

I get a very small ss check and do some workamping from time to time.
Low money=less/no travel.



dhawk
You're too funny!