MicroDweller

[Warthog2]

So sorry to hear about your huge rent increase. This sounds so upsetting, particularly given how long you've lived in your apartment. I have found in my life that oftentimes when faced with a difficult ending, it turns into an exciting beginning. I hope the same for you.
As far as the context of this time....actually rather than being in a time of upswing, as I see it the plandemic is now in a downswing, look at what's happening in the UK and Ireland with the removal of all restrictions, and in Canada with the thousand of truckers descending on Canadian Parliament in Ottawa to demand an end to mandates. I think this thing is wrapping up around the world.

Regarding power supply...I took an easier but more expensive solution in that I bought a Goal Zero YETI lithium battery, rechargeable via solar panel and/or the van battery when driving. Many others use a power setup that requires more equipment (charge controller, inverter & perhaps more) but can use less expensive marine deep cycle batteries. I'm now looking for a good book on setting up a system using the latter route....

Watch Will Prowse's YouTube videos. He covers both RV and home installs (he was a van dweller...)

 

[rruff]

Yes, I know the Bay Area is sinfully expensive to live. So are a lot of places these days. That is assuming there is anything available AT ALL in the lower to mid-range. Just saying that before we start bashing one particular area, it might be worthwhile to see this is a national - if not a global problem. And probably has something to do with the growing homeless problem.

One thing that's been going on for 40 years with the "rich getting richer"... too much money looking for something to invest in... drives up the price of assets (like homes) for working people. Not every place is expensive though. Moving to a cheaper area is a viable option if you don't want to vagabond... but for some reason people want to flock to trendy, popular, expensive urban areas and then they are surprised that they can't afford an apartment or house.

In the 60s and 70s people settled in old abandoned mining towns for cheap. Then those places became artsy and trendy and overpriced! But there is plenty of land left to do something similar elsewhere.

 

[JDub]

I live in very small but nice backwater town in lower AL. It's 60 miles from any major population center. Very stagnant economy, few good jobs, lot's of minimum wage types mostly. 65% of the country is on some sort of public assistance while the rest haven't figured out how to get on it. The population declines about 10% per census cycle and it will get worse since 40% of our folks are over 65. The summers are miasmic but the winters are pretty mild. No one moves here unless they HAVE to or have family here. The upside? Very low cost of living, lots of pretty scenery and CoE river parks, very low crime rate, and only about 3 hours to the Gulf beaches, NOLA, and much less to Tuscaloosa. The Birmingham Airport is about 2 hours away when you've got to fly.

I'm here because my late wife was the head of the local regional university branch. When she died I was ready to sell and move - anywhere else -. I considered hitting the road, moving back home to Hawaii, or to the Gulf Coast. I don't do major things without a lot of thought so I stayed put and thought about it. In the end, especially with the COVID craziness, I just decided that this was a great place to go places from and that my very low home costs, living expenses, and general quality of life couldn't be replicated without a major bump in expenditures. Soooooo, I just use the house as a home base to return to to rest and refit and travel as much as I can during the cool months because the heat here during the summer both sucks and blows and I stick to the AC as much as I can!

Cheers!

 

[Calaverasgrande]

I'm not wanting to change systems...but I'd like to understand the setup of a system using all these parts, partly because I would like to setup an emergency power system in my house. And not have to rely on Goal Zero batteries for that.

Will Prowse is the best resource I've found. He gets a little technical sometimes. And he is passionate about solar power so he sometimes talks a bit fast.
But he covers a lot of important topics about both vehicle and residential solar.
Wish I'd found his channel before I started on my power system. Would've changed a few things.
Thankfully he gives my charger unit a thumbs up when he reviewed it. But with what I've learned on his channel I realized I'm a bit painted in a corner with it.
Next solar system I build is definitely going to be 24v or 48v. Thinner cables and better solar panel compatibility.

 

[WayOutWest]

Will Prowse is the best resource I've found. He gets a little technical sometimes. And he is passionate about solar power so he sometimes talks a bit fast.
But he covers a lot of important topics about both vehicle and residential solar.
Wish I'd found his channel before I started on my power system. Would've changed a few things.
Thankfully he gives my charger unit a thumbs up when he reviewed it. But with what I've learned on his channel I realized I'm a bit painted in a corner with it.
Next solar system I build is definitely going to be 24v or 48v. Thinner cables and better solar panel compatibility.

Thanks. That is helpful. I will look him up. My hope is to start out learning about configuring an emergency power system, but also possibly work up a "side by side" power system that can supplement my use of grid power. Learning how all this works will also give me a better understanding of a lot of van conversion tours I see online, because I'm seeing most of them use a charge controller, battery bank, inverter and even circuit breakers, and I'd love to learn more about all that.

 

[Debrajoy54]

YouTube is full of millennial van lifers in $80k/1000 hour DIY conversions and digital nomads in expensive factory built RVs. There's nothing wrong with that, but its not a realistic picture for many of us. There are a few vloggers who paint a less idealistic picture. Here are a couple of videos that may be helpful to you.

Eric has the best channel!
I don't know about where you live sweetie, but here in California you can't just double somebody's rent in an apartment. It can't be raised above the surrounding market amount. Good luck sweetie, if you get close to Oceanside California give me a holler!

 

[Debrajoy54]

if you really want to learn about an emergency power system look up Steven Harris. try this site http://www.battery1234.com/ try and listen to all his information and also look into his other web sites. he can teach you how to build a system using your auto for power outages for you home. he teaches all things power, and has been on Jack shaperro's (SP) radio show for preppers. his teachings work. I know they work, I use them. my auto is currently setup using his teaching me how to do it. and I have used my auto to get my home through 2 power outages that lasted more then 3 days each. on day 3 i still had ice cream and it was still frozen. plus a had tv or a radio and lights.

Oh my! That sounds very interesting!

 

[user 32232]

On the first of the month my landlord informed me he is doubling my rent come Feb.1. Apartments are not only rare and outrageously priced in urban Colorado, so are vans. Currently I'm preparing to move into my trusty Honda Element and head to a warmer climate. I am a retired educator, so my income is fixed making remaining in a city with the second highest cost of living in the U.S. unfeasable. (Being a vegan, I would find it a challenge to survive on cat or dog food.) Having often camped in my Element before, I know I can do it. It is frightening to make this move in the middle of a pandemic upswing, frightening to leave family and move from an apartment I've called home for 20 years. But I have always been a minimalist and have faith that everything will work out. In the meantime, I have many questions about power banks, and storage, internet connectivity and on the road security.

Original post is nearly six months old. I wonder how things are going for Reinventing Myself?