Living in a car

[moonium]

<p>Hello! After lurking and gathering information from van dwelling sites, like Cheap RV Living, I moved into my car four months ago to live until I graduate.</p><p><img rel="lightbox" src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/abbyx/IMAG0052_zpsf220a084.jpg" class="bbc_img"></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I created a blog to add to the collection of information for those seeking to live out of their vehicle.</p><p>http://cardinalcarlife.blogspot.com/</p><p>The pots are half about living out of my car and half about daily life.</p>

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I read a bit of your blog that is pretty hard core ....good luck

 

[bobbert]

<p>great blog that you have there moonium!!! Well detailed!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"></p><p>You sleeping in a Chevy Aveo? I was just wondering how roomy it is.</p><p>-I don't intend to sound like a douchebag, but, why stop living in a vehicle <em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">after</span> </strong></em>graduation?</p><p>It could be an awesome experience.&nbsp;</p><p>If roominess is a problem, perhaps you could trade up the car for a full sized van, then find a job somewhere, and live in it. Think of how fast you can pay off that damn student loan <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></p><p>Keep us posted, &amp; btw... good luck with any future confrontations/meetings with "the man" !!!!</p>

 

[VanHalen]

<p>Hey, that's a nice blog you have there! We're about the same age, and even share a few interests, it looks like. I'm not living in a car currently, but I'm preparing to do so after I graduate so I can pay off my student loans ASAP. I might check out your progress every so often. You've already given me ideas--I never would have thought of plasma donation to bring in a bit of extra cash!</p><p>I don't have the required accounts to comment on your blog page, but FYI: If you have the room and the money, an old coffee can is an excellent emergency bathroom, and wide enough that no funnel is required. Dilute it with water and dump it out in the AM, or line it with a plastic bag and use a little kitty litter to lessen any smell/spill risks until you can empty it. I used to camp for extended periods for work, and during winter it was just heavenly to not have to crawl out of my toasty tent at 2am and bare my butt in freezing weather. <br><br>You might find this preferable to holding it or peeing in the parking lot. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></p>

 

[moonium]

<p>Thanks for the support and ideas!</p><p><br>Sleeping in the Aveo is comfortable enough for me. It is modified, so the passenger seat has been taken out. Originally, I had a twin mattress in the back of the car to sleep on, but that was too conspicuous and made the trunk unusable. Sleeping diagonally across from the backseat/drivers side to the frontseat/passenger side works well.</p><p>I do hope to eventually travel around in my little Aveo, but once I graduate my access to the gym and internet are cut off. Playing for a gym and other facilities would be more expensive than moving back home and it has less comforts.<br>&nbsp;I also really miss my cat.</p><p>At first, I thought shady people would be more of an issue; thieves, thugs, drug users. It really feels that the cops just like picking on people; maybe I just look too poor/college-aged.</p><p>I would say being in college is a good time to experiment with living out of a vehicle. Mainly, because of all the free facilities to use. The study cube is possibly my favorite, because then I can be inside whenever I want and get free internet/gym access. Thanks for the coffee can tip. Writing the Piddle post was most amusing, although a part of life.</p>

 

[user 423]

For 3 months I lived in a 4-door Honda Civic and I'm a fairly large person. Instead of removing the passenger seat entirely, I unbolted it and turned it around backwards then reclined it all the way. The bottom edge of the bucket seat then matched up to the rear seat and provided a flat incline to the front. I cut two pieces of 1/2" plywood that were about 27"W and about 3-1/2 ft. long which made a nice,flat platform for my foam mattress. I didn't like sleeping on an incline so if I couldn't park where the platform was fairly level, I used 2x6" blocks under the front tires to level things out.<br><br>In the morning (unless on the road) I would move the foam and boards to the back seat and return the lower part of the bucket seat to the upright position.&nbsp; It wasn't usable for a passenger but held misc. stuff just fine. Not all cars have bucket seats that will recline all the way flat, so this may not be doable with some models.

 

[bobbert]

Okay all of you car-dwellers... Got a question for youns'...
What did any of you do for covering up yer' windows, for the sake of keeping stealth while sleeping?
I'm not using anything for my windows since I'm dwelling in my Forester on a few different farms thus, I don't need to be stealth just yet.

Also, have any of you install any insulation in yer' cars?
Thanks in advance...

 

[Suanne]

I tinted my windows and I hung curtains all around the sleeping area.&nbsp; For detail, go to <a href="http://suanneonline.blogspot.com/p/windows-and-privacy-i-do-2-things-for.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://suanneonline.blogspot.com/p/windows-and-privacy-i-do-2-things-for.html</a>.<br><br>Suanne

 

[battlefield]

Nice post. i got many information in your thread which have to be more beneficial for me..thanks

 

[bvanevery]

What did any of you do for covering up yer' windows, for the sake of keeping stealth while sleeping?

I keep my gear to a minimum and hide in plain sight, in areas where people are unlikely to care about my presence even if they do notice me. When I sleep, except for my Coleman cooler everything is below the window line of my car. If I want to be less noticeable, or just because I anticipate the sun blasting me in the morning, I put up solar shades in my front and rear windows. This blocks pedestrians on the sidewalk and oncoming vehicles from noticing what's going on in my car until they're right up on me, thus reducing the chance that I'm noticed at all. But again, I'm not trying to be a secret. I just park places where people are unlikely to care even if they do notice me.

I have considered custom cutting some Refletix-type stuff for my side windows, because sometimes when you park you can't control the angle of the sun. I don't want the ice in my cooler to melt. However the disadvantage of a side window blockage is it's weird and would attract some attention. People are used to seeing front and back solar shades. I might cut a set of side window shades anyways and just use them in the day when I'm not in the car, to protect my ice.

Another trick at night in warm weather, is I roll one of my windows completely down for ventilation. At a distance, a completely rolled down window often looks the same as a completely rolled up window.

 

[papas34]

<p>I never would have thought of plasma donation to bring in a bit of extra cash!</p><p> <br><br> <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"></p>

I found out that you must have an address within 25 miles of the plasma center to donate.....they do not like "Homeless People"
I'd like too hear what others have experienced while on the road and trying to donate?

By the way welcome and nice blog

 

[bvanevery]

I found out that you must have an address within 25 miles of the plasma center to donate.....they do not like "Homeless People"

Get a mailing address at a homeless shelter, see if that satisfies them. Some homeless shelters do that sort of thing, to give homeless people a place to get mail. It works when applying for food stamps in Asheville NC, don't know about other things. When I'm next in Asheville I'm going to see if I can get a library card that way. Asheville libraries are weird in that they want to charge money for using wifi if you're not a local. Really asinine, very few cities pull that sort of thing.

 

[dustistreet6]

However the disadvantage of a side window blockage is it's weird and would attract some attention.  People are used to seeing front and back solar shades.

Being a grandmother, I have gotten used to using the back window solar shades, they have plain silver ones too. This way it looks "normal" and with window tinting it helps keep you unnoticed by passersby.

~Dusti Street

 

[S.IX:Phoebe]

An Aveo/Swift+/Wave can be quite comfy, even I have looked into getting one for the future. My wife lived in a 99 Geo Metro (sibling to the Aveo) from 2012 to early 2017 and found it great. Even being 5' 11".