Any Experience living in your car f/t? What was/is it like?

[Shaun88]

Hey guys,

i'm shaun i'm 31, and i was wondering if you or any one you know of that may have experiences relating to living in you vehicle that you can share.

Much appreciated, Thankyou!

**bit of a brief motive**
i am weighing this as an option for my self. Anywhere NSW coastal, where there is appropriate non offensive parking and facilities for hygiene of self and items.
My goal is to purely to get away and work on my self by potentially studying at a tafe/ and or find something within my ability workwise and just stand on my own two feet.

May last year, i ef'd all my fingers in a machine, as a bonus somehow can't contract one of my wrist muscle either.
I've surrendered my insurance and surgeries, because of how toxic i view my relationships are. They always have been but amazingly the difference between being able to work(predominanly removalst), train at a park/gym, and my small hobbies was the difference between being able to get by 80% of the time.

Yeh, so as long as it takes, i'm happy to live in my car if it works, work on myself, save for as many years for surg (2nd toe transplant if its an option) etc.

Appreciate your time for reading ^_^

from Shaun.

[romantic_thi3f]

Hey Shaun,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for joining us. Honestly - no, I haven't lived in my car (for long anyway!), but I'm here anyway because I wanted to say hi. 🙂

I'm sorry to hear about your fingers - and toes! Sounds like you have had a bad hand of cards lately and yet at the same time I get the vibe of a really positive attitude. Serious kudos to you.

I hope this doesn't sound like a broken record, but what sort of other options have you explored for housing? As much as I've loved my car- it really didn't make the nicest bed, and I'm sure that there are other options out there that would be better alternatives. Even Centrelink for example, so that you can afford a bit of rent and get your own place.

Will totally support you every step of the way, but would love to help you see if you can get a bed up there.

rt

[monkey_magic]

Hi Shaun,

Sorry to hear about all that you're going through.

I've lived I'm my car temporarily and didn't really enjoy it. Most of the time I found somewhere outside to sleep because it was hot and uncomfortable.

I think having a van or car with a good setup- somewhere where you can fold the seats down and make a bed would be more comfortable. I'd YouTube living in my car and see how other people have done it and made it work.

Just for your information there are many places you are not able to camp overnight. You can be fined by the council if caught or the police could also move you on. You are essentially homeless which comes with risks and honestly it is scary sleeping in the car when it's pitch black. Well for me anyway.

Another option could be to rent a cheap room in a shared house or rent a granny flat.

Let us know what you think. I think it's a measure to take if you are desperate and can't find or afford somewhere to live. It's definitely not all roses.

I also remember there being lurkers at night which made it hard to relax and go to sleep for me.

It wasn't easy.

Best of luck
MM

[Shaun88]

haha, "hand" of cards. I'll add that to my list of hand jokes. I won't mention the camel joke after my first toe transplant.

But thankyou for the reply romantic (& majic). honestly just that itself feels much appreciated and even thinking for an hour on how to reply get the brain thinking.

Umm as for options i guess it's more putting restrictions on my self but i'm just happy to live within my means.

* i may be eligible for super as a reserve (not too sure though).
*As for housing, something the volume of a caravan or less gloriously something the equivilent to a self contained prison cell is plenty.
*I've thought of centrelink (epecially relating to study)- but i'd like to avoid it i can.

Ahaa. yes, i have watched quite a few youtube vehicle clips. And i've viewed that there are the nomads (which mostly have plans/strategy), and there are the strugglers (who live day by day in not ideal circumstances). Which i think they are amazing people, but also i feel lucky to have a 4wd and be a middle aged male.

Thanks again it's definately uplifting to receive your replies.

[Hanna3]

Hi Shaun,

Sorry to hear of your difficulties. I have known people who lived in their cars out of necessity (mostly women) - they did need to find the money to stay in a caravan park from time to time to have access to laundry facilities, toilets etc.

I had to sleep in my car one night once on a trip, and it was scary how lurkers hung around and seemed to know and I had to keep driving somewhere else and parking again, not very comfy and definitely scary for me as a woman anyway.

A 4W drive may not be so bad, but people are wary of people living in their cars as they suspect trouble (I know it's sad people think this way but they often do) so be aware people may be wary of you. Also it's illegal to stop in many places, and you need access to a pubic loo etc. In the town on the coast where I used to live there were a couple of regulars living in cars who used to stay around for a couple of weeks at a time, and as we knew they were safe and didn't bother anyone, we were fine with them, usually stopped to say hi and chat briefly.

You might be able to find a caravan for rent in some caravan parks, but again may not be cheap.

Don't know if this is much help... good luck with whatever you do!

[florean_fortescue]

Hi Shaun,

I've never lived in my car, but I remember a podcast I use to listen to on Spotify called Radical Personal Finance, the host once discussed how (and maybe this is only in the US) a Prius is the perfect car to live in. Apparently the seats fold down completely flat to make a perfect bed and the way that it is a diesel battery hybrid meant he could run the air con all night on the battery and when it would start dying the car would automatically start the diesel engine to recharge for a bit so it was cheap to run all night and didn't risk a flat battery, or that was what he had hear anyway.

So one day he had a conference in Texas or Vegas or something like that (he was from Florida) so he decided to try it out and hired a Prius for a week or so and he said it actually worked like a treat. I think a couple of times he paid for parking at a hotel as if he was a guest. This gave him fully safe and secure parking over night but he just slept in the car.

Any who, buying a whole new car might not actually be an option but something to consider if you do decide to go down that path.

FF

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Shaun

It's good to hear back from you - and I'm really glad that so many people have jumped in to offer their support and also really helpful suggestions and ideas. I'm really glad to be apart of a community like this since you are getting lots of different things to think about.

With the super, probably not. I'm only saying this because I've tried to access my own for health reasons and the details were very strict; usually providing access with a terminal/life-threatening illness. Although that may vary of course.

If you do decide to go down the centrelink route, it probably won't be a lot of income - but it could be enough to cover extra expenses. It's always a drain, but at the same time it would take a bit of load off your shoulders - or even help cover the cost of your tafe course (if it's not 100% government funded).

I hope you find a way to make this work for you. The camel joke with your toe gave me a good giggle. Although I'm guessing ones like these is probably not appropriate for beyond blue haha

rt

[James010405]

No Shaun hope your doing well..

I've been living in my car for the last 11 months now after a toxic narcissist relationship ended badly on the ex gf the nac behalf. Anyway that's a different story. 

First off what kind of car are you driving now is a factor. I'm in a station wagon.  If your in a sedan then that might be a bit harder? Best places I've found is around parks, football ovals and near shopping centres and that's because there close to public toilets, food and also the parks and ovals don't get many people after say 7pm at night so it's quite and dark to park the car behind some trees, corner of a car park and away from people too. Getting comfortable can be a issue but after a bit of time you adjust to sleeping conditions and it's not too bad. I recommend a good sleeping bag say down to -5 degrees to help keep warm there much better than blankets. Also in winter time not many people come out so you basically have the area to your self to have a nap, clean junk from the car and put clothes away in dirty and clean bags. Just wondering if you have started the journey in the car yet too mate.